August 6th, 2019 by Gary Osberg
In the winter 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 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 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.
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. It is hard to believe that 45 years have gone by.
A couple of years
ago we met for a 43 year reunion. We decided that we were all too long in the
tooth to solve the world’s problems, so someone else is going to have to do it.
We simply spent two hours sharing stories and laughing.
Live from Here this week is a rebroadcast of an older show. The new season starts September 7th from New York. Check it out at www.livefromhere.org
“Aside from the strictly moral standpoint, honesty is not only the best policy, but the only possible policy from the standpoint of business relations. The fulfillment of the pledged word is of equal necessity to the conduct of all business. If we expect and demand virtue and honor in others, the flame of both must burn brightly within ourselves…honesty begets honesty; trust, trust; and so on through the whole category of desirable practices that govern and control the world’s affairs.”
James F. Bell
July 26th, 2019 by Gary Osberg
Last Friday I wrote about my short career as one of the
400,000 folks who had worked on the Apollo project. After one week on the
job, due to my total lack of drafting skills, I was transferred to the Polaris
Missile team in the same Honeywell building on Stinson Boulevard in North
Minneapolis. I was assigned as an engineer aid to Nevin Jahns.
When I left in March of 1965 to go off to college, they had
a going away party. I was able to find the Polaris Submarine tie clasp
and the compass set that they had gifted me, but I must have worn out the
briefcase lugging books. (that is a joke).
Now here is where it gets weird. On Saturday, my
daughter Kerry threw her annual “summer birthdays” party at her place in
Upsala, the old parsonage that was built in 1892 by the Swedish Mission Church
members. My brother Bill came to the party and he presented me with an
envelope that contained many cards that had once been given to me. A
collection of 21st birthday cards and even some 40th
birthday cards. I have no idea how it was that he had them in his
house. On Sunday I took the time to go through the stack. One of
the cards was a Bon Voyage card from the Polaris Missile team. On
the back of the card, Carol had written the names of all 38 members of the
team. The only two names that I had recalled where those of the engineer
that I was assigned to, Nevin Jahns and the boss Ralph Webb. There was
also a birthday card signed by Carol and Ardyce. That is how I was able
to identify her handwriting on the back of the Bon Voyage card. Weird huh?
Live from Here this week is a rebroadcast. The
next live show is from New York City on September 7th.
You can listen to old shows on the web: livefromhere.org
“Think all you speak, but speak not all you think.
Thoughts are your own; your words are so no more.” Patrick Delany
July 19th, 2019 by Gary Osberg
Apollo 11 landed on the moon 50 years ago tomorrow. I
have been watching a lot of public television and listening to stories on
MPR. What an amazing accomplishment!
In 1963 I was a contract draftsman in Minneapolis.
Minnesota Engineering sent me to Honeywell Stinson Boulevard to report to
a drafting department. I had just started on this career and I was
self-taught. The truth was, I was not very good at the task. It
turned out that Honeywell was working on gyroscopes for the Apollo project.
After a couple of days, the department head confronted me and told me that I
was the worst draftsman that he had ever met. He transferred me to the
Polaris project in the next building. I reported to , Nevin Jahns and he
took me on as an engineer aid. My job was to make changes to sepias of
drawings. The simplest of tasks. I worked hard and I managed to
stay there until March of 1965 when I left to return to St. Cloud State
College. At my going away party they gave me a Polaris Submarine tie
clasp and a briefcase for my books plus a compass set that belonged to the
young fellow that had my job, but never returned to work after a long
weekend. I never knew his name or what happened to him. He must have
hated the job. My good fortune.
If you go to MPRnews.org you can listen to an interview with
Cathy Wurzer and Nancy Atkinson who lives near Upsala. She has written a
new book, “Eight Years to the Moon, the History of the Apollo
Missions”. She was in our studio last Friday, linked to a live
broadcast on Maine Public Radio. She has uncovered a lot of details.
Live from Here this week is a live show from
the Green Music Center in Rohnert Park, CA. Guests include The Tallest
Man on Earth, Lulu Miller, Zakir Hussain, Ganesh Rajagopalan and Gaby
Moreno. Enjoy the show.
“That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for
mankind.” Neil Armstrong 9:56pm central time. Sunday, July 20,
1969
July 12th, 2019 by Gary Osberg
The 34th annual Hagstrom Osberg golf tournament
was wonderful. No, the MING team did not win this year either. We
came in at one over par in the best-ball game. The winning team was
made up of a young grandson Adam, two grandsons in law, Corey and Matt and a
son in law Kelly of my sister Kathie Kimpling. They came in at 4
under par. Her husband Duaine shared in the limelight. My
granddaughter Kaylin brought T shirts for everyone so that next year, at the
big 35th, we can do the group photo again. I am hoping
to talk my friend Denise into coming once more to shoot a few rolls of film.
If you need T shirts for your group photo, simply check out
RealZygoatian.com
Walleye Willie is now giving lessons on how to catch
catfish. If you want the link to the YouTube video, just ask.
Live from Here this week is another
rebroadcast. Next Saturday they will be live from the Green Music Center
in Rohnert Park, CA.
“Vision without action is a daydream. Action without
vision is a nightmare.” Japanese Proverb.
July 5th, 2019 by Gary Osberg
Tomorrow is the 34th annual Hagstrom/Osberg Golf Open. We
have this family tradition every year at the Little Falls Country Club on the
second Saturday of July. My mother’s sister, Leone, Auntie to me, married
Duane Hagstrom, owner of Hagstrom Chevrolet in Upsala, Minnesota. Between the
two sisters there are 10 of us cousins. Auntie’s youngest, Kevin, is a very
good golfer and for many years he and I won this best ball event every year.
For that reason, we named our team ‘Ming’. After all, we were a dynasty. Not so
much anymore.
There was a time when you had to use at least one drive and
one putt for each of the team members. Now there are no such rules. There is a
traveling trophy with the names of each year’s winning team engraved on a brass
plate. Kevin and I are due. It has been a while. After golf we will gather at
brother Bill’s house near the golf course for a picnic and the award ceremony.
We are fortunate to have a number of traditions in our family.
I trust that your Fourth of July Celebration was a safe
one. I decided to escape the fireworks in St. Joe and spent the night before
the 4th here on campus at the Abbey Guesthouse. I highly
recommend it. Very peaceful. The supper was awesome.
Simply call Brother David at 320-363-2573.
Live from Here
this week is a rebroadcast of an old show. The next live show is in two
weeks at Green Music Center in Rohnert Park, CA. You can check it out at
livefromhere.org
“What we do upon some great occasion will probably depend
on what we already are; and what we are will be the result of previous years of
self-discipline.” H.P. Liddon
July 1st, 2019 by Gary Osberg
A few weeks ago I told you the story about Emie Hippe and
her tavern on Cedar Lake west of Upsala. As I mentioned, her tavern was
the source for candy and ice cream for us youngsters who were swimming at the
American Legion Memorial Park beach. That part of the story was about the
Coke bottles and their demise.
The rest of the story picks up when the American Legion
decided that too may folks were sneaking into the park and not paying for the
privilege of boating and swimming at one of the nicest beaches in central
Minnesota. The decision was made to put up a high fence around the
park. Unfortunately this cut off easy access to the candy store.
Emie was very upset. So much so that she decided to deed her property to
the DNR so that there would be a boat landing, free to the public. No
need for folks to pay the fee to launch their boat at the Memorial Park and
Camp Ground. That is why when you pass the entrance to the Legion
Park the next sign is “Hippe Landing”. I had asked the county to
put up a sign saying “Hippe’s Landing”, but close enough. Thanks to my
old friend Gene Merriam who was the DNR Commissioner at the time.
The Live from Here show this week is a
rebroadcast. The next live show is on July 20th. I for one
enjoy the encore performances. I love the young musicians that Chris
features.
“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.
June 21st, 2019 by Gary Osberg
I was unable to make the Camp Confidence Fishing Tournament
last Saturday, so my son Erik asked one of Walleye Willie’s friends to fill in
for me. Cooper is also 10 years old. They had to get up before 5am
and drive to Madden’s Resort. They headed out with about 60 other boats
at 8am. Most of the boats were owned by professional fishing guides who
had volunteered to take two paying guests to try for either 3 walleye, 3
Northern or three largemouth bass. You could also choose to enter a mixed
bag of one of each species. They fish until 2pm and then they have a
weigh in. “Team Wadena” tied for second place in the mixed bag
category and took first place for the “Lunker Walleye”. A 27 ¾ inch
fish. Erik caught the walleye and the two boys each caught one of the
other two.
The bad news is I have been replaced by Cooper. Oh
well, I could buy a bigger boat and go along to take pictures. A photo is
attached.
Live from Here this week is a
rebroadcast. You can check out the tour schedule at livefromhere.org
Enjoy the show.
“It’s widely known that among salesmen; as among fishermen,
about 25 percent of them wind up with about 75 percent of the winnings.
And evidently it’s not so much the flashy presentation of the persuasive
personality that brings in the big money as it is the systematic perseverance
in finding and following up leads.” University of Chicago’s
Industrial Relations Center.
June 14th, 2019 by Gary Osberg
The Osberg Fishing Trip was one of the best. It rained
hard on Saturday during the night, but the guide showed up on the dock at 7
o’clock as planned on Sunday morning. Brothers Brian and Geoff got
to fish with Randin Olson of Lock Jaw Guide Service. Randin lives in the
area and he put them on fish. They caught about 20 walleye and brought 11
in for the feast planned for that evening. Brother Craig and his son
Grayson arrived Sunday afternoon and they brought the deep fryer and the Smude
Oil. It is a wonderful way to cook fish. Brother Bill did an
awesome job of serving up omelets for brunch each day after the morning
fishing. My son Erik and Walleye Willie and I got into a school of
Rock Bass and Willie caught an 11 inch “red eye”. We must have
caught over 50 in a short time. Holly’s Resort and www.lockjawfishing.com make for a
terrific time. Check them out.
Next year we hope to add some fellows from my sister’s
family. Cabin number 14 has been remodeled and there are nine beds
including 3 in a loft suited for younger folks. Hollysresort.com
Live from Here this week is a live show from
Tanglewood in Lenox, MA. Special guests include Ben Folds, I’m
With Her and comedian Tig Notaro. Enjoy the show.
“Dost thou love Life? Then do not squander Time; for that’s
the stuff Life is made of.” Benjamin Franklin
June 7th, 2019 by Gary Osberg
This weekend I am going fishing with my four brothers, my
son Erik and my grandson “Walleye Willie” plus brother Craig’s son
Grayson. A total of 8 Osberg men ages 10 to 75. Sometime in the
nineties, my youngest brother Craig was invited by his father-in-law, Jim
Keeler, to go along on a fly-in fishing trip to Trout Lake in Canada. Over
time, my other brothers, who were into fishing, were invited to go along. In
2003 brother Bill offered to pay the way for my son Erik, so I decided to go
along.
I am the oldest of five Osberg brothers and it
was a wonderful bonding time. I told the camp host, Murdoch, that I would be
back every year for the next 20 years. The next year we went to brother Brian’s
cabin near Aitkin instead. The year after that went to Rainy Lake. Erik was
working as a weekend sportscaster on Channel 10/13 in Duluth and he did a story
on fishing with the guide and resort owner Woody for his TV show. He suggested
that we try Woody’s instead of the fly-in in 2005. We had a great time and the
greatest part was that Woody had a wonderful pub filled with memorabilia from
his hockey days. For many years we went back to Woody’s. We never did do the
fly-in again. You can check out Woody’s at www.fairlyreliable.com
It is worth the drive just to meet Woody. In 2011 we switched to Brindley’s
Resort on Leach Lake. A large home across the road from the marina worked well
for the whole gang, but fishing was tough.
In 2017 we decided to try Holly’s Resort on
Otter Tail Lake. Erik is an ambassador for Otter Tail County and we
reasoned that we would have a better chance to find the elusive walleye.
We had a great time. One of the cabins is right on the lake. Brother Bill
is the chief cook and bottle washer, so we put him in that cabin along with
brother Geoff from Chicago. Next Friday I will give you a complete
report. There is a traveling trophy and guess who’s name has never appeared on
it. Maybe this year.
Live from Here
this week is a live show from the Iroquis Amphitheater in Louisville, KY.
Special guests include Bruce Hornsby, Lucius, Ron Funches and Sara
Watkins. Enjoy the show.
“It’s not about having time, it’s about making time.”
Erik Osberg
May 30th, 2019 by Gary Osberg
Tomorrow is planting time in
Upsala, so this is going out early. After I finish planting in the garden,
I plan on visiting “Hippe Landing” west of Upsala near the American Legion
Memorial Park on Cedar Lake. They have one of the best swimming beaches
in central Minnesota. There are camping spots also, but I understand
there is a long waiting list.
There
used to be an old store without any signage located west of the park. At one
time it was called Cedar Lake Pavilion. The store was owned and run by Emie
Hippe. Emie was a real character and for many years she served ice cream, candy
and pop to kids from the park and 3.2 beer to the adults. The PayDay candy bar
was a favorite of mine.
Strangely,
you could not buy a Coke there and I always wondered why. One day my brother
Craig and I went in to have a drink and I finally had the nerve to ask her,
“Emie, why don’t you serve Coca Cola?” She slammed her hand on the bar and said
“The dirty rascals. My husband Ben used to travel quite a ways with the
empty bottles and bring back the full ones. Then during the war, they asked us
to simply hold on to the empties and they would pick them up later.” So what
happened Emie? “The dirty rascals changed their mind and would not pick them
up.” “What did you do with them Emie, they would be worth a lot of money?” “You
will never find them!” she proclaimed, “We buried them under two ton of rock!”
For
over 60 years no Coca Cola products were sold from this store, all because
someone broke a promise. I am sure that the Coca Cola route driver tried a few
times when he would see the Pepsi truck out front, but she never let Coke back
on the shelf.
Live from Here is a live show from Wolf Trap in Vienna, Virginia.
Special guests include Guster, Adia Victoria, Matt Braunger and Madison
Cunningham. Clips from old shows are online at livefromhere.org.
“In
the best organizations, promises are kept no matter what the cost in agony and
overtime.” David Ogilvy
Category :
General 
Comments Off on August 2, 2019 