October 1st, 2021 by Gary Osberg
In October of 1956, Ma was 36 years old. Two months earlier she had given birth to her sixth child, a boy. Our family of eight lived in a small house at 1620 Colorado Avenue in St. Louis Park. Dad had just smashed up his third car in as many years. Ma’s mother, Grandma Ramlo, drove her 1952 Chevy down from Upsala, placed Dad in the backseat and drove him to the Chemical Dependency department at the VA Hospital in Minneapolis. She said, “He is a veteran, he is a drunk and he is your problem now.” Then she packed us all up and we moved into the apartment above the Ramlo Grocery in Upsala, Minnesota.
The one bright spot for me was that I would not have to serve the 20 hours of detention that I had racked up in eighth grade at St. Louis Park Junior High. I had two paper routes in St. Louis Park, so I was able to buy a brand new Schwinn complete with a tank, a horn and mud flaps. The first day of school I rode my shiny red and white bike to school. When I got out, the tires were flat. That evening I stripped the fenders and all other fancy stuff off of the bike. The kids left my bike alone after that.
Next Friday is homecoming at Upsala. I plan to be there in my shiny red and white lettermen’s jacket. I will not sit too close to any cute single women that are wearing a blue suede jacket with fringes.
“If you are going to expect, you have to inspect” Grandma Ramlo
September 24th, 2021 by Gary Osberg
Once again we have had to cancel our MPR Net Team annual sales retreat at Breezy Point. Hopefully next year this awful pandemic will be only a memory.
One of the cabins at Breezy Point that is available is the 11 bedroom Fawcett House. It was Breezy Point Resort’s founder Captain Billy’s personal residence. My mother, Bernice “Bee” Larson was a nanny for the grandchildren of Captain Billy Fawcett in the 1930s. She had a bedroom in the Fawcett House and spent the winters in Los Angeles with Captain Billy’s son Gordon Fawcett, his wife Vivian and their two children, Gordon Jr. and Dennis.
Wilford Fawcett, better known as Captain Billy, was a millionaire publisher from Robbinsdale, Minnesota. His most famous publication was the Capt. Billy’s Whiz Bang magazine. The book “Humor Magazines and Comic Periodicals” noted that “Few periodicals reflect the post-WW I cultural change in American life as well as Capt. Billy’s Whiz Bang. For much of the 1920’s Capt. Billy’s was the most prominent comic magazine in America.”
Captain Billy purchased Breezy Point in Pelican Township, from Fred LaPage in 1920 and soon the main lodge was built along with his personal residence. The original lodge was destroyed in a fire in June of 1959. Of course he rebuilt the lodge and the “Fawcett House” still stands. With 11 bedrooms it is perfect for large family reunions. It was recently renovated. For details on rates and golf packages, go to www.breezypointresort.com
“This time, like all times, is a very good one, if we know what to do with it. Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.” Emerson
September 17th, 2021 by Gary Osberg
On September 15th 48 years ago, I attended an auction on the north side of Cedar Lake west of Upsala. Widow Agnes Olson was selling her house and moving to Cambridge. Gust and Agnes had lived there for many years. They were both teachers in Cambridge and I don’t think they had any children. Things had just started to go well with my office furniture career and one of my clients who worked for Red Owl was very encouraging. He owned a cabin on a lake in northern Minnesota. My banker was also encouraging. He knew that my saving account was not very hefty, but he suggested that I attend the auction and see what happened.
When we got there, my wife Marcia took me into the barn and said, “I want this place Gary and here is how you win at an auction. When it is your turn to bid you not hesitate. You react immediately. Understand?”
I did not even have the $3,000 cashier’s check with me, so I had to speak to the local banker prior to the start of the auction to get his ok. I promised that if I was the high bidder, I would go to town and get a check from my mother-in-law. He thought about it really hard, but he finally agreed. I am sure that the fact that my dad and he were great friends, and had both worked for Farmers State Bank in Upsala before the war had an impact. Thank you Roland.
The auctioneer milked $50,500 out of the only other contender, and when he turned his attention back to me, and asked “Fifty one?” I did as instructed and simply nodded my head. The other bidder, Lee Bolstad stormed away and was quoted as saying “Rats, that kid will never quit.” Needless to say, that day changed our lives. One never knows what a day will bring. By the way, when I came back with the check, Agnes handed me the keys. No need to wait until closing in those days.
“The years teach much which the days never know.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
September 10th, 2021 by Gary Osberg
It has been eight years since Auntie passed. There are many stories to tell about Auntie, but my favorite comes from her son Kevin. They had been visiting Kevin’s uncle in Alexandria and Kevin told Auntie that he wanted to get back to Upsala so he could watch the Preakness horse race on television.
The speed limit on County Road 17 is 55, so Kevin was doing 60. Auntie said, “You drive slow Kevin”. Kevin stepped it up a bit and a little while later, Auntie spoke up again. “We’ll never get there on time at this speed.”. Kevin responded: “Ma, I don’t want to get a ticket.” , but he dutifully stepped it up again.
There was silence for a while and then: “Kevin, why don’t you just pull over and let me drive”. Kevin owns a four wheel drive pickup. Auntie was 90 years young at the time. We miss you Auntie.
“I was born to have fun”. Leone Larson Hagstrom 1922-2013
September 3rd, 2021 by Gary Osberg
The “Celebration of Life” for Marcia Julia Rudie Osberg, which was held last Friday, was great. Had we scheduled the event for Saturday instead of Friday, the tent that we got from General Rental in Albany would have ended up in Bowlus. One report was of a home owner on Cedar Lake losing 50 trees to the storm that came through central Minnesota on Saturday morning.
Miller Carlin Funeral Homes did a great job. The tent was pitched in Borgstrom Park next door to the funeral home. Jordie’s Trail Side Café from Bowlus catered the affair.
The music was provided by the Harren Sisters who were part of the original Rainbow Children, a group that Marcia had created to provide music for the Saturday night Guitar Mass at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Upsala. They were accompanied by Pat Hamilton a professional singer and guitar player from Colorado . Pat is the sister of my brother Brian’s wife Jean Marie Hamilton.
The eulogy was presented by our son Erik. (A copy of the text is attached) Erik and Jena’s daughter Leah followed her dad and even provided the various voices that Marcia used to address her loved ones.
Be sure to hug your loved ones often. We never know when we will leaving this wonderful world.
“Oh pfft, they’re great kids, they’ll be fine.” Marcia Osberg
August 26th, 2021 by Gary Osberg
This is going out early because tomorrow I will be attending the “Celebration of Life” of my ex-wife Marcia Julia Rudie Osberg. We were married on August 21, 1965. I could have gone to see the Beatles at Metropolitan Stadium, but I got married to Marcia at St. Olaf Catholic Church in downtown Minneapolis instead. The reception was on the Rudie farm northeast of Upsala. They killed the chickens that morning.
Marcia was born in a house on that farm on May 8, 1942. Her dad had built the house along with the barn, the shed and the milk house. During her final days, Marcia told our son Erik that her happiest times were on that farm. She used to say that she could run barefoot across a newly mowed alfalfa field and she was proud of it. Three of Marcia’s older siblings lived in California, so the evening of our wedding day we left on a four week honeymoon to California. Her mother’s half-brother Bill Heisick and his wife Maggie also lived in California. Maggie made quite an impression on Marcia. So much so that when she got back to Minnesota she enrolled in the Patricia Stevens Finishing School in downtown Minneapolis. Quite a change for a girl from a farm northeast of Upsala.
Perhaps one of the most dramatic events in our marriage was the purchase of a place on the north side of Cedar Lake west of Upsala. Marcia’s mother Irene had mailed an auction flyer to Marcia. We lived in Coon Rapids, Minnesota at the time. So on September 15, 1973 we drove to Upsala and parked in the hay field near the house. There was a huge turnout for the “Agnes Olson Auction”. The small farm had 900 feet of lakeshore. Marcia took me into the barn and said “Gary, I want this place and this is how you win at an auction. When it is your turn to bid, you do not hesitate. Understand? You react immediately.” I said ok and went to see the banker who was a very close friend of my father. In fact he was Best Man at my parent’s wedding. I had to tell Roland that I wanted to bid, but that I didn’t have the $3,000 earnest money check. I told him that we would go to town and get the check from Marcia’s mother if we were the high bidder. He took a long time thinking about it, but he finally said okay.
The auctioneer started out and I jumped in. After a while my bid was $50,000 which was the maximum that Marcia and I had set. The auctioneer milked the amount of $50,500 out of the only other remaining bidder. It went on and on. Finally the other guy said yes to $50,500. He turned to me and asked for $51,000. I did as I was instructed and nodded. It was over. Later it was reported to me that the other bidder stormed away with the comment. “That kid will never stop!” Marcia was 100% correct. The point is we never would have had the 16 years of fun and joy of living on Cedar Lake if had not been for Marcia.
We were married for 32 years, 1 month and 8 days and we were friends for the next nearly 24 years. May my first date and my first love rest in peace.
“Understand, you react immediately.” Marcia Osberg
August 13th, 2021 by Gary Osberg
Today is Friday the 13th. The Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute in Asheville, NC, reported that an estimated 17 to 21 million people in the United States are affected by a fear of this day. Some people are so paralyzed by fear that they avoid their normal routines in doing business on this day. “It’s been estimated that $800 to $900 million is lost in business on this day..”
Source: John Roach.
According to Wikipedia, the actual origin of the superstition appears to be a tale in Norse mythology. Friday is named for Frigga, the free-spirited goddess of love and fertility. When Norse and Germanic tribes converted to Christianity, Frigga was banished in shame to a mountaintop and labeled a witch. It was believed that every Friday, the spiteful goddess convened a meeting with eleven other witches, plus the devil – a gathering of thirteen – and plotted ill turns of fate for the coming week.
For many centuries in Scandinavia, Friday was known as “Witches’ Sabbath.” source: Charles Panati, Panati’s Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things.
“Unconditionally love your beloved and your loved ones. Show them the pure love and acceptance of the divine. Enjoy watching them live their lives, living in love without judgment. Allow them to learn, be, and change with no exceptions. Bring heaven to yourself and those around you, with the divinity of pure love.” don Jose Ruiz from “Ripples of Wisdom”
August 6th, 2021 by Gary Osberg
In January of 1971, I attended a Coon Rapids City Council meeting to complain about the snowmobiles that were running up and down the streets in my neighborhood. I was not impressed with my representation, so that fall I decided to run for the Third Ward Council seat. I had met a few folks at a caucus in 1970, so with their help, we managed to pull off an upset victory. The fellow that we beat was a lawyer and the Vice President of a large insurance company and he was going for his third three year term.
I think what did him in was his decision to distribute a legal sized document with all of his qualifications on one side, filling up the whole sheet, and my qualifications on the other side, taking up not even half of the page. Things like: “Attended college”. After all, I was 27 years old when we started the campaign. It was kind of mean spirited of him.
One of the guys that helped me get elected was Gene Merriam. We had spent a lot of hours collecting rummage for a garage sale fundraiser, so we got to know each other quite well. The next year Gene ran for Council at Large and he won that seat. Rick Reiter ran for the first ward seat and he won. In late 1973, we filled a vacancy in Ward 2 by appointing Dave Therkelsen. We served together in the year 1974.
Last month the four of us met at Kendale’s Tavern & Chophouse at the Bunker Hill Golf Course in Coon Rapids. Loren and Arnie were asked to join us. They had both worked very hard on our campaigns. Dave brought a copy of the Coon Rapids Herald dated March 22, 1974 with the headline “Ban the Can Ordinance Adopted”. Dave and the mayor Don Erlandson had voted no, but the rest of us voted for the ordinance. All five of the council were pictured above the headline. It looked like a Junior Achievement class photo. The citizens had to gather signatures for a petition to place a referendum on the ballot that fall to overturn the new law. The referendum passed. The young idealists were overturned. In the month of September of that year we had 20 public hearings. I did not even consider running for another three year term.
“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your wild and precious life?” from Mary Oliver’s “The Summer Day”, a poem beloved by Arlene Helgeson.
PS: The Whit Gallery is having a special show tonight in downtown St. Cloud. Works by Tony Caponi will be on display. Tony created the Granite Trio which is also on West Saint Germain. Arlene Helgeson was a driving force behind the Granite Trio. Details on the event are at www.thewhitgallery.com
July 30th, 2021 by Gary Osberg
Sun Valley was discovered by Count Felix Schaffgotsch about 80 years ago. Averell Harriman, the chairman of the Union Pacific Railroad, had asked the Count to go west and try to find a suitable site for the creation of a ski resort similar to those that he had visited in Europe. The railroad needed “destination places” to encourage rail travel. The Count was advised to take a trip to Ketchum, Idaho, a mining town in central Idaho. Upon arrival, the Count wired Harriman, “This area combines more delightful features than any place I have seen in Switzerland, Austria or the United States for a winter resort.”
Within days they purchased a 4,300 acre ranch and the Sun Valley Resort opened in the winter of 1936. The “chair lift” was invented in Sun Valley. You can visit www.sunvalley.com for information on the resort. When you get there be sure to tune in to KWRV 91.9 YourClassical MPR.
The Sun Valley Music Festival is live from the Sun Valley Pavilion once again this year. This year’s theme is: “Instilling a lifelong love of classical music.” If you live in the Sun Valley area you can enjoy live concerts outdoors now through August 19th from within the open-air Sun Valley Pavilion or from the lawn. More information is at www.svmusicfestival.org The Gala Concert will feature violinist Joshua Bell on Wednesday August 4th.
“Be not angry that you cannot make others as you wish them to be, since you cannot make yourself as you wish to be.” Thomas a Kempis
July 23rd, 2021 by Gary Osberg
Donald McNeely made his fortune in the warehouse business. “A savvy entrepreneur and a forward thinker, he joined his father’s business , The St. Paul Terminal Warehouse Company after the war and turned it into a national company called Space Center, Inc.” (St. Paul Pioneer Press obituary). Donald was instrumental in helping to launch many of Minnesota’s organizations including the Minnesota Vikings and the Minnesota Twins.
However, one of his passions is housed on the campus of St. John’s University on the third floor of Simons Hall. The Donald McNeely Center for Entrepreneurship is dedicated to giving young men and women the skills to succeed in business. Every year the Entrepreneur Scholars participate in special classes and work with mentors to strengthen the entrepreneurial spirit. As a recovering entrepreneur, I deeply appreciate this educational resource.
I crossed paths with Donald McNeely in 1986. Jimmy Dorr and I had opened the Knoll Office Furniture showroom in International Market Square. Jimmy was big on design but I insisted that we print temporary calling cards immediately, not wait until his graphic designer perfected the final design of business cards. As it happened Jimmy’s locker at the Minneapolis Athletic Club was next to the locker of the President of Space Center. Jimmy apologized for the quality of the printing, but wisely handed his new calling card to his friend and told him about his new venture. To make a long story short , that exchange lead to an order for over $250,000 of Knoll Office Furniture including Knoll carpet which is top of the line. Donald McNeely kept his old furniture, but all around him was the highest quality contemporary office furniture influenced by the Bauhaus school of design. Never go anywhere without your calling card.
Next Friday and Saturday there will be a rare opportunity to enjoy a self-guided tour of the St. John’s Abbey gardens. Details on scheduling your visit are online at Saint John’s Abbey dot org. I am booked for Friday at 10am. I hope to see you there.
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred with dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly; so that his place shall never be with the cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.” Theodore Roosevelt
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