Bio of IVERSON, Francelia M., Clay Co., MN ========================================================================= USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, material may be freely used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material, AND permission is obtained from the contributor of the file. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for non-commercial purposes, MUST obtain the written consent of the contributor, OR the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. If you have found this file through a source other than the MNArchives Table Of Contents you can find other Minnesota related Archives at: http://www.usgwarchives.net/mn/mnfiles.htm Please note the county and type of file at the top of this page to find the submitter information or other files for this county. FileFormat by Terri--MNArchives Made available to The USGenWeb Archives by: Don Hansen Submitted: June 2006 ========================================================================= Clay County Family Album A History of Rural Clay County, MN, 1976 FRANCELIA M. IVERSON My dad and mother were Oscar N. and Clara Butenhoff Iverson. I seemed to grow up helping them in their General Merchandise Store and the Baker Post Office. I am a member of Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Barnesville. My formal education was obtained at District 114, Barnesville High School, and Concordia College, Moorhead. Naturally, I enjoyed hearing that my Grandpa Iverson walked the hills of Rollag to help raise money for Concordia. A few months of study were also spent at the University of Minneapolis and Calhoun Business College, Minneapolis. If my "liking" for music had been "talent", I would have been accomplished in that field. It is an honor to be a godmother for the daughter of a special couple. Also, not too long ago, I was the first one a six-year old wanted to invite to his birthday party. I was really thrilled to hear Col. Charles Lindberg speak at the dedication of the Heritage Building near his Little Falls home in 1973. A favorite memory is seeing the "Spirit of St. Louis" circle Fargo in 1927. A friend commented, "Humph! I don't believe in hero-worship." My response: "I admired him when I was in high school and I still do." A successful businessman wanted to know if my student editor had checked with Winston Churchill about Plagiarism when both persons emphasized the importance of keeping Christmas (1941) for the children. The editorial was printed sometime before Churchill's speech at the lighting of the White House Christmas Tree. Some high school boys had exceptional difficulty with spelling. How could I help them? "They can think, but they can't spell." I was told to quit worrying: "if they can think, but they can't spell, they'll have secretaries to do their spelling for them!" I taught in Minnesota, North Dakota, Maryland, and New Mexico. That is one way to travel. What a beautiful, tremendous nation we have. My brother, Edward, and I should have learned both the German and Norwegian languages because of our ancestry. Our grandparents would have been delighted to teach us. "Memory plays peculiar tricks." Some ideas impressing me in high school included another Shakespearian quote: "Nothing is either good or bad...it's thinking that makes it so." Likewise, Emerson's statement on COMPENSATION. Then there is Emerson's statement that he couldn't forgive inability to recognize fine character. On to college and one of the remarkable teachers there said, "A person who prays often has a great deal of poise." Some other impressive statements of hers included, "If you dislike anyone, find something to feel sorry for in that person." Also, "If you feel downhearted: take the hottest bath you can stand and then put on your best clothes." Through the years, I remember a lovely lady of Baker saying, "Grief is Regret." There is a Minnesota poet, Elaine V. Emans who wrote PERSONAL QUESTION. A beautiful poem, it begins, "I cannot fully know you until I know what beauties have been sustenance to you"...and ends with "And whether God has largely been a name - Or long a Friend unseen but very dear." I used that in remarks to present a 1943 Senior Class for Diplomas. Years later I read it as part of a Memorial Service at a Postmaster's State Convention. I know many fine, interesting people. So many of them have been wonderful to me. So-"God make me worthy of my friends." ========================================================================= Copyright Don Hansen 2006. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm =========================================================================