25 Years Ago - 1984

Excerpt from Wings on the World by Paul Caquelin: (A letter in the Wall Street Journal from Harvey Lester Sperry of Greenwood, South Carolina.) “Mondale won Minnesota! I was intrigued that these poor souls in the backw oods and snow drifts of that icy country might be sadly lacking in the ‘upper story’ to be so out of step with the times, so I went to check them out at the library.

“Indeed they were about the worst in the nation in one thing, cold: average annual temperatures of Duluth 38.2, compared to Juneau, Alaska, 40. But then I had some surprises: first in percentage of high school graduates and in upper education level. A report from WW II showed that they scored higher than any other state on I.Q. testing, another that they were usually at or near the top in college board exams; in the top three in auto safety (despite icy roads) and almost at the bottom in crime and prison population. Only four states had fewer below the poverty level and only five a better average wage. They had the highest percentage of voters and far more millionaires (per capita) than even Texas.

“I quickly left the library lest I should be tempted to buy a pair of snowshoes and head north.”

50 Years Ago - 1959

Ida Marie Thiel, for 36 years the head of the hospital in Bertha, which she started and which bears her name, passed away at the hospital December 14. She was born in 1885 and raised in Moran Township, Todd County where she lived for most of her life except for her nurses training in Cincinnati. After returning from school and work in Cincinnati in 1923, she founded Thiel Hospital in Bertha.

Postmaster Evelyn Mc- Givern advised today that four ballpoint pens have been stolen from the local post office, presumably last Sunday afternoon. The pens were ripped off the chains that attached them to the tables set up for the patron’s convenience. According to postal regulations, the damage had to be reported to postal authorities for further investigation, as it is a federal offense to destroy or steal government property. An identical offense occurred in Staples two years ago and the pens were recovered.

REMINISCENCES: With very little news to report my attention became focused on the ads from 50 years ago. It seems nasty to say that if you can’t remember these businesses you are a newcomer to Staples. It is nicer to say that if you can’t remember these businesses you probably can’t see as full a picture of Staples’ changes as those of us who can remember. Here’s a list of businesses from 50 years ago - when many of us from here were growing up. I will list them in paragraph format to save space and they are in the order I found their ads in the World.

Blessing Barber Shop, Anthony’s, Jake’s Standard, Farmer’s Oil, Lampert Lumber Co., Staples Rexall Drug, Wimpys Café, Ahlness Men’s Store, Style- Rite Beauty Shop, Sanitary Dairy, VFW Post and Auxiliary, Tyrrell’s, Staples Tire Company (Garland’s), Read & Carlson (Fairway Grocery), Schmidt Feed & Produce, Grant’s Appliance, Tower’s Bootery, Batcher’s Department Store.

Miller’s Grocery, Huff Furniture, Haskin’s Mileage Service/Ronnie’s North Star Service, Paulson Electric, Dennehey Pure Oil Service, Cozy Café, S & Q Hardware (Lloyd Bergh), Mueller Motor Co., Barker and Barrett, Goble Trucking, Thronson Cleaners, Chapin Feed Store, Nettie’s Fountain Café, Skelly’s Café, Sorenson Plumbing & Heating, Goepferd Furniture, Gode’s Welding & Machine Shop, Hengel Market, Redemske Welding & Repair, Staples State Bank, C. E. LaBonte Jeweler, Perry’s Ben Franklin, Jare’s Cabinet Shop, Odden Construction Co., Staples Locker Plant (Jenkins sold to Trana in ‘59), Markley’s Dray Line (Markley sold to Pelton in ‘59), Belling’s Funeral Chapel and Home, Huff’s Funeral Home, City Bakery & Coffee Shop, the American Legion.

It is interesting to me that the following businesses are under different management or ownership but are the probably the only few that still exist today, fifty years later. Scharf Chevrolet, Hillman’s Coast To Coast, Skaife’s Drug, Ernie’s Food Market, William’s Floral & Nursery, Giza Plumbing and Heating, The Staples Theatre, and The Staples World. Of these, note that the descendants of Giza Plumbing and Williams’ Floral are still operating these businesses. Also, of special interest to me is that the Staples World is by far the oldest continuous business since it’s been here almost as long as Staples itself.

What does this mean? We who have spent most of our lives in Staples have a different perspective, a different frame of reference and a different depth of knowledge of Staples. We knew the people in these businesses. I imagine we could all remember where these businesses were located. We see Staples both as it used to be and how it is now. We’ve seen a lot of change. Sometimes when other’s speak to those lifer’s of Staples, they think we are odd or out of touch if not comical.

In August of 2000, Staples hosted an All School Reunion celebration. One of the festivities was the All School Reunion Choir. Mention was made that the volunteer alumni choir members singing covered a span of 50 years of graduations. Les Dehlin, SHS choir director from 1955 to 1965, directed the first pieces and then introduced Stan Carlson, SHS and SMHS choir director from fall of 1965 to 1999, to direct the fi-

nal pieces. When Stan took

the director’s box he said, “After 34 years of teaching

in Staples, I’m still referred to as the “new” director.” I laughed with everyone else as I had had Mr. Dehlin and Stan Carlson had come after I graduated. It’s funny though, because I was standing by my son Steve Hoemberg, Jr., who in 2001 would become the “new” choir director. - As I said, we who were here way back when have a peculiar way of looking at things.