Archive for May, 2012

Remembering Those Before Us

May 28, 2012

UPDATE 1/31/2013: Scroll down a little to see a video taken at Clinton-Garfield Cemetery in Rolfe on Memorial Day, 2010. If at first the video seems jerky, walk away while it plays through the first time. Then, without exiting your browser, play the video again. It should play flawlessly the second time, if not the first.

I’m not in my hometown of Rolfe, Iowa, today for Rolfe’s Memorial Day services; this 2-minute video from Rolfe’s 2010 Memorial Day service* is my substitute. While the video is not of good quality, all of it helps me “be there” today. Even the sounds (from the adjacent land) of the cow(s) mooing makes me nostalgic regarding rural heritage combined with honoring those who have passed.

At the beginning of the video, the camera is pointed west. The location is Clinton-Garfield Cemetery.

From my elementary through high school years, I remember several Memorial Day services in Rolfe. My dad had a perforated eardrum and therefore was not allowed to serve in the military. So, I didn’t have a familial connection to the military, which probably added to my sometimes dragging my heels prior to attending services. But, I’m so glad my parents instilled in me the importance of attending the services. Doing so made me now have a greater appreciation for those who gave their lives for my freedoms, as well as those deceased who were not a part of the military but who, in other ways, contributed positively to the world in which we live today.

If you are a young parent, when possible I hope you’ll attend with your child(ren) a Memorial Day service. Help your child(ren) hear and understand “In Flanders Field” and the “Gettysburg Address.” Listen to “Taps” (also played in this post’s video).

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*Rolfe’s services take place in Clinton Garfield Cemetery. Information about Rolfe’s cemeteries, including who is buried where, is here.

Photos from the 2010 service are here.

(Click here to go to Louise Gunderson Shimon’s blog’s home page.)

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1954: Marion Gunderson’s Watercolors and Rolfe, Iowa, School Yearbook

May 13, 2012

In the gallery of thumbnail images in this post are images of 12 watercolors painted in 1954 by Mother (Marion Gunderson). In Mother’s 1954 journal, there are 23 dates for which she has entries indicating she painted on those dates.

Also in the gallery below are images of the 1954 yearbook of the Rolfe, Iowa, school district. Links to other Rolfe yearbooks are in the “Categories” column at this blog’s homepage. More yearbooks will be added periodically.

If you have photos and/or video that relate to Rolfe’s history (in general, or Main Street, agriculture, rural life, the schools, including D.M.T., etc.), and you’d like me to share them at this blog, feel free to contact me. My email address is mariongundersonart@gmail.com. Even snapshots like this photo below!

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SUMMER 1954 — SLUMBER PARTY TIME! L to R: Judy Wagner (Larson), Pam Jordan (Wolfe), Rachel Heald (Perry) and Clara Gunderson (Hoover). This photo was taken about a year before I (Louise) was born, and about two years before my family moved into a new house at almost the same exact location. The car is a 1953 Oldsmobile. These girls are included in the sixth-grade class photos on pages 18 and 19 of the 1954 Rolfe yearbook (below).  (Click on image to enlarge.)

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Making the Thumbnail Images Larger

1) To see the thumbnail images in slideshow view, click on one of the images. Then navigate forward or backward through the images.

2) To magnify the images even more, once in slideshow view, click on the “Permalink” button.

3) After clicking on the “Permalink” button, if you want to enlarge further, hover your mouse cursor over the image. As you move the cursor over the image, if you see a moving “+” sign, it means you can enlarge the image even further by clicking on it. (A “-” sign means you can’t enlarge it further.)

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*An asterisk after any watercolor title indicates that prints are available of that particular watercolor. The profits from the prints go to the Rolfe Public Library where Mother worked for 35 years.

To learn more about availability of prints, you may contact me (Louise Shimon) at mariongundersonart@gmail.com.  You may also look and order online at www.mariongundersonart.ecrater.com. However, the library and you would benefit more dollar-wise if you ordered directly through me or purchased via the Rolfe Public Library or Wild Faces Gallery in Rolfe. The largest selection/inventory is available through me.

(Click here to go to Louise Gunderson Shimon’s blog’s home page.)

Posted in 1950s, Iowa, Marion Gunderson, Rolfe | 1 Comment »

The first person to walk on the moon…

May 12, 2012

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I know I haven’t posted for quite some time. I was in Texas for a while to hang out with Abby and Jackson, including celebrating Jackson’s sixth birthday. While there, Jackson told his mom, Aunt Katie and Uncle Joe, and Bill and me the name of the first person to walk on the moon: Marvel Brainstorm.

Close!

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(Click here to go to Louise Gunderson Shimon’s blog’s home page.)

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