Oy Huie Anderson was born in Minnesota. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Family - childhood - Chinese community in Minneapolis in 1930s - Westminster Presbyterian Chinese Sunday School.
Beginning in 1998, the City of Duluth (Minn.) Sister Cities Commission collaborated with the Iron Range Research Center to record a series of oral history interviews. Independent scholar Dr. JoAnn Hanson-Stone acted as the lead interviewer. The voluntary, self-selecting participants were second-generation Swedish Americans whose parents settled in northeast Minnesota in the early 1900s. The interviews were initiated to create supplementary material for a planned exhibit, "A Long Way Home: Swedish Immigrant Life in Duluth and Northeast Minnesota, 1890-1940."
Hilding Anderson was born in 1905 in Sundsvall, Sweden. Working as a farmer in Sweden, he came to Fergus Falls, Minnesota, in 1926 with the help of his mother's cousin. He worked for 40 years at Ohleen Dairy until he retired, serving for 27 years as a milkman along Lake Street.
In an oral history, Herb Anderson describes his family coming to Crow Wing County from Sweden experiences he had as a youngster, encounters his famly had with Indians, his parents starting a resort, and general information about the area in the early part of the 20th century.
The interview is with a man, probably Gus A. Anderson. A woman is also present, possibly a niece. Anderson discusses when he first came up into the Bigfork area for hunting; coming up to claim a homestead with a friend in 1902; how he made money while proving up; the lumber camps he worked for; early Canadians driving the Big Fork River; Busticogan helping ill surveyors; who was logging the Bigfork area in the early 1900s; a hoist at Craig; the Farm Camp logging camp; how they got supplies; where sawmills were; and logging his own timber.
Fred Anderson was born in 1907 in Sweden. He came to the United States in 1926. He initially worked as a painter of homes and churches, specializing in stencil work and marbling technique. In 1948 he opened his own wallpaper and paint store in St. Louis Park.
This was an interview conducted on February 11, 1990 by Richard Olsen. Donald E. Anderson was born on April 5, 1922 in Milaca, Minnesota. He joined the National Guard in 1939 at the age of 16. Anderson entered World War II assigned to the 34th Division Field Artillery and spent most of his service in North Africa and Italy. Anderson discussed his frustration with ninety-day wonders. Anderson also experienced taking German prisoners, as well as interacted with civilians in Italy. He was also present when the body of Mussolini was hanging from a building. After being discharged from service in 1945, Anderson opened a restaurant as well as worked as a postal worker. Anderson passed away on August 29, 1999 at the age of 77.
Biographical Information: Anderson was President, board of directors of Cooperative Power Association. He was a farmer in Litchfield, Meeker County. Subjects discussed: Background. Impact of powerline on the area. Structure of Meeker Cooperative Light and CPA. Relationship of CPA with UPA. Mid-Continent Area Power Pool. Events leading to the Powerline project. Choice of a DC line vs. a AC line. Determining the need for more power. Opposition to the line-anticipating; reaction to; meeting with leaders. Financing the project. Vandalism and the subsequent costs. Effectiveness of hearing process. Being grandfathered out of siting process. Health and safety issues. Science court. Lawsuits. Use of security guards. Handling of controversy by the media. Government Accounting Office study. Future needs for energy. Impact of controversy on future powerlines. Mankato line. Establishment of and reaction to Rural Electrification Administration.
In an oral history, Arvid Anderson describes his family settling near Garrison, Minnesota, his work as a heavy equipment operator for the Minnesota Highway Department, and his experiences as one of the first pilots in Crow Wing County.
In an oral history conducted by John Carter on October 7, 1991, Edward V. Anderson discussed his experiences both in training and combat as a B-24 pilot in the European Theater during World War II. Born and raised in Illinois, Anderson enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1942. In this interview, Anderson described his training experiences to become a B-24 pilot and flying several missions to bomb German oil storage tanks. Lastly, Anderson details what the final days of the war were like and briefly describes his life post-war, which included his wife, Lucy and their five children: David, Howard, Carol, Joyce and Timothy. Anderson was born on April 14, 1923, and passed away on March 13, 2011.
Anaya was born in New Mexico in 1927 and moved to St. Paul with his family in 1939. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: His role in organizing the St. Paul chapter of the American G.I. Forum - and his work with Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish Credit Union, with Brown and Bigelow, and since 1973 with the Metropolitan Economic Development Association, a private organization providing services to minority businesses.
Anna Amaya was born in Moorhead, Minnesota. Through the Youth Exchange and Study she earned her GED and attended Moorhead State for two years. She married in Moorhead and raised four children. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Education - family background - Latino community - organizations - personal relationships - racism - bilingual in Spanish and English - church - farm work - lack of diversity - domestic struggles - financial struggles - Latino culture and tradition - La Virgen de Guadalupe - quincea
The main interest of this interview was Ms. Alvo's organization of Mi Cultura, a bilingual and bicultural day care center for children in St. Paul. Subjects discussed include: Mi Cultura Day Care Center - the human resources to be found in St. Paul's West Side community.
Sister Engracia was born in Mexico in 1947 and assigned to St. Mary's College in Winona in 1966. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Her childhood in Mexico - her three years of religious training - her apostolate in the United States, mostly in Minnesota as a Lasallian Sister of Guadalupe. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: In Spanish.
Victorino Alojado Sr. was born in Zamboanga City, Philippines. Shortly before the Japanese invaded the Philippines Victorino married and started a family. They hid in the mountains during the Japanese occupation. He moved the family to Minnesota in 1976 to escape martial law in the Philippines. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Growing up in Zamboanga - family - Sipa, a Filipino game - school - World War II - Victorino's wife and children - becoming an American citizen - the American dream.
In an oral history given on February 13, 1975, Ruth M. Alexander relates her family history, her experiences as a teacher, and dealing with rationing during World War II.
Simi Ahuja was born in Pennsylvania, but grew up in Minnesota. She graduated from college in Minnesota and works in health care administration. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Parents, familiarity with parents' language, involvement in a women's group of second-generation children - family values - Indian community connections - spiritual life - self-acceptance, holiday celebrations - family trips to India - university experiences - future plans, advantages and challenges of being a second-generation child - struggle to balance cultural and familial expectations.
Philip C. Ahn was born in Korea in 1928 to a family of third-generation Christians. His father owned a jewelry business, and his mother was a deaconess in the Presbyterian Church. When Korea was partitioned after World War II, Ahn's parents feared that the Communist government in North Korea would not look favorably on businessmen and Christians, and the family fled to South Korea. They arrived in Seoul at the height of postwar chaos and unemployment. At age 18, however, with five years of high school English, Ahn got a job as interpreter at the U.S. embassy. He also enrolled at a pharmacy school which later became part of the National University in Seoul, and he graduated with a bachelor of science degree in 1949. During this period a good friend, Young Pai, who was a student at Macalester College in St. Paul, urged Ahn to join him in Minnesota to continue his studies. Ahn was eager to do so and took the government examinations required for study abroad in 1949. He passed the examinations but did not have the necessary financial resources. With the onset of the Korean War and the arrival of United Nations troops, however, the demand for translators and interpreters increased, and from 1950 to 1951 Ahn worked as an interpreter for the U.S. Army's 17th Regiment. In 1951 he joined the Korean Army and served as a lieutenant in the liaison corps, where he was an interpreter for the Korean Military Advisory Group, a group of American advisors. In 1953, at the end of the war, Ahn left Korea and enrolled at Macalester College just as Young Pai was leaving. Ahn majored in biology and chemistry and graduated in 1957. He took a job in Austin, Minnesota, as a junior scientist at the Hormel Institute of the University of Minnesota Graduate School. While in Austin Ahn married Betty Engel, also a graduate of Macalester College. Ahn stayed in Austin from 1957 to 1960 and then became an assistant scientist at the U of M Medical School in Minneapolis, where he worked as a physiological chemist from 1960 to 1962, a period in which the basic analysis of nutrition and heart disease was being launched. In 1962 he transferred to the nutrition division of the Home Economics Department on the St. Paul campus, where he worked as a lipid chemist. In the early 1970s Ahn became an associate scientist in the newly established Department of Food Science and Nutrition of the College of Home Economics and College of Agriculture. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Ahn discusses his family background and early experience in Korea during the post-World War II and Korean War periods - the close-knit group of Korean students at Macalester during the 1950s - interracial marriages - difficulties of childrearing in American society - Korean wives of American servicemen who have settled in Minnesota - and the history of the Korean churches in the Twin Cities area. Ahn provides valuable information on the early Korean students at Macalester College during the 1950s, who were the first significant group of Koreans to arrive in the state, many of whom remained as permanent residents. He also contributes useful insight into the acculturation of those who intermarried.
Born in Turialva, Costa Rica, in 1927 - studied and became a minister in Mexico City - worked as a missionary in Central America - received an assignment in Philadelphia, where he worked for several years - called to work in 1973 with Spanish-speaking people in Minneapolis, including some Mexican families. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: History of the Primera Iglesia Bautista in Minneapolis - religious and social activities and social services at the church - the need to maintain Spanish in that church - hopes of church members, including continued parishioner growth and construction of a church building of its own. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: In Spanish.
Ramona Advani was born in Minneapolis. Her parents came to the United States as graduate students. Advani attended high school and college in Minnesota, and law school in Washington, D.C. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Parents, familiarity with parents' language, religion, school experiences, Indian community in Minnesota, similarities and differences in Indian and American culture, college experiences, difficulties of being a child of a first-generation immigrant, self-acceptance, future plans, Indian movies.
Indru Advani was born in a part of India which is now in Pakistan. He attended school and college in India. He did graduate work in Minnesota. Presently, he is retired. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Experiences in India before emigrating, experiences in Kenya, marriage and family, caste system in India, travels to India, family visits, memories of arriving in New York City and Minneapolis, religion, Indo-American Association at the University of Minnesota, experiences singing, socializing in the Indian community, work history, retaining and passing on cultural values, maintaining family ties, future plans, American values of home and homestead.
Sally Hilleboe Adelson, the first woman in the Fargo-Moorhead area to have her own television show, discusses her involvement with television talk shows. Most of her shows were community based shows. She also did talk shows geared to women in the home and consumer problems.
Abdisalam Adam grew up in Somalia, went to school in Nigeria, and came to the United States on a student visa. Adam worked for a magazine in Madison, Wisconsin, before coming to Minnesota. He has been married and raised a family since moving to Minnesota, and he currently works as an ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher. Subjects discussed include: Growing up in Somalia; attending school in Nigeria; living in Saudi Arabia; moving to the United States on a student visa; first impression of the United States; working for a magazine in Madison, Wisconsin; Somali communities in Minnesota; religious awareness of Minnesotans; Somali weddings; recently visiting Somalia and returning in the future; important aspects of Somali culture; maintaining Islamic and Somali culture in the United States; the role of families in Somali culture; influence of television; opportunities for Somali teens; working as an ESL teacher.
Edie Abnet (1947-) is a painter who was married to the late Richard Abnet (1934-2011) , a potter and founding host of the St. Croix Valley Pottery Tour. In this interview, Abnet discusses her husband's childhood in La Crosse, Wisconsin, and subsequent studies in ceramics at the University of Minnesota under Warren MacKenzie, and at the School for American Crafts in Rochester, New York, under Frans Wildenhain. Abnet also talks about the home and studio she and her husband shared in the St. Croix River Valley and his involvement in the St. Croix Valley Pottery Tour. This interview was conducted by local oral historian and PhD Candidate from the University of Minnesota Anduin Wilhide. ""A Measure of the Earth: An Oral History of the Potters of the St. Croix River Valley"" explores the anomalous community of potters in Eastern Minnesota who host an annual cooperative tour for participating ceramic artists from around the world. This annual three-day event attracts art enthusiasts from across the country. Together the project's ten oral history interviews, representing diverse perspectives from within the local pottery community, tell the story of how, from the 1950s to today, Minnesota�s St. Croix River Valley has developed into a major center for pottery, and a destination for thousands nationally.
