10 years ago (2010)
•Students throughout the state of Minnesota will learn about nature through the lens of a camera following a training event for teachers this week in Luverne.
Nature photographer Jim Brandenburg and his wife, Judy, will lead a program Saturday, July 10, at Touch the Sky Prairie and Luverne High School.
“I’m very honored and flattered to be a part of this,” Jim Brandenburg said Tuesday.
He said he’s excited to know that educators, legislators and others are recognizing the opportunities for learning in photography.
“The camera saved my life,” said Brandenburg, who struggled as a student in Luverne High School. “It not only saved my life, it was my magic carpet ride … I was a lost soul until I got a camera in my hand.”
He said he looks forward to talking to teachers about their role in leading students to digital photography.
25 years ago (1995)
•Graduates of the former Magnolia High School showed up in force last weekend to celebrate their all-school reunion at the VFW, Luverne.
More than 360 Magnolia High School alumni met to eat, drink, dance, and most of all, reminisce about old times. “It just went really, really well,” said Betty (Meyer) Iveland, a Magnolia graduate and current VFW Club employee. “We did lots and lots of visiting, took pictures and a lot of people had old class reunion photos.”
50 years ago (1970)
•“This band, without a doubt, has tremendous pride.”
These words spoken by one of the well-qualified judges at the State V.F.W. Convention held last weekend in St. Paul perhaps best expressed the accomplishments of the Luverne High School Band after they captured the coved first place in the grand parade on Saturday and an amazing second place in the field demonstration competition the night before.
It all added up to another first for Director Tom Haugen and the nearly 100 members of the band. “We had never been involved in anything like this before,” stated Haugen. “We knew both the judges and the competition would be tough, but we never dreamed exactly how tough it would be up there.”
A very dramatic two days began early last Friday with the bands’ preparations for the field maneuvers that evening at Midway Stadium. Veterans of the competition had informed Luverne what it would be like and what to expect, and the tension mounted. Irons were kept hot re-creasing trousers, razors shortened sideburns, shoes were polished to a gleaming shine and loose strings were cut. The band was provided facilities at the state fairgrounds.
75 years ago (1945)
•Bjarne Johnson, seven-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Elmer Johnson of Beaver Creek, will recover from first and second degree burns sustained when a gasoline tank exploded in his face Thursday evening.
The boy was home alone at the time, his mother having gone down to get the mail, and his father not yet having returned home. …
The accident occurred when the lad dropped a lighted match down a pipe which led to an underground storage tank at the Johnson home, known as the former Page residence, in the south part of Beaver Creek. According to Beaver Creek residents, it is a known fact that no gasoline had been stored in the tank since 1917, which is 28 years ago, and Mr. Johnson himself didn’t know the tank was there.
As soon as the match was dropped, the gas exploded and flames roared out of the opening, seriously burning the boy’s face. Without hesitating, he ran to the Henry Sandstede home, little more than a block distant, where he was met at the door by Miss Leone Sandstede. Sensing the seriousness of the mishap, she summoned Mrs. Harry Bendt, a neighbor, to stay with the boy while she went elsewhere to obtain a car. Her first stop was at the Sid Cragoe home, but as his car was not there, the two of them ran to the George DunBar home where Lt. Edward Keehr, a navy veteran home on leave, had a car. Together, Lt. Keehr, Miss Sandstede, Mr. Cragoe and Mr. Dunbar went back to the Sandstede home, got the boy and rushed him to the Luverne hospital.
At first it was thought that the boy might lose his eyesight, but his physician stated this week he believed that he would suffer no serious ill effects from the injury, except, perhaps, some marks on his face. He added it was likely that the child could be released from the hospital by Saturday.
100 years ago (1920)
•The returns made by City Assessor Jas. McKeon disclose that the total assessed valuation of real and personal property for the present year for the city of Luverne is $4,184,500, of which $2,837,863 is real estate and $1,346,687 is personal property. This is a substantial increase in each class over the assessment for last year.
Perhaps the biggest increase, however, is shown in the money and credit returns, which this year total $1,086,794, as compared with $722,419 for last year, and the money and credit returns last year were nearly $100,000 more than that for the preceding year.
Part of the increase in real estate assessed for this year, as compared with that of two years ago, is traceable to the many new homes and business structures that have been erected during the last year or more, and part to a natural increase in the value of property.
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