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Harry Sinclair Lewis, known to his friends as “Red,” was a prolific American novelist, short-story writer, and playwright. Main Street, published in 1920, is Lewis’ best known work.

Born in Sauk Centre, Minnesota on February 7, 1885, to Edwin and Emma Lewis, Lewis had two older brothers, Fred and Claude.

At Yale University where Lewis received a degree from in 1908, Lewis published in the Yale Literary Magazine, the Courant, and the Record. This began a long career of writing novels, plays, and short stories.

Lewis turned down the Pulitzer Prize in literature in 1926, but accepted the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1930.

Lewis was married twice: Grace from 1914 to 1925. They had a son, Wells, who was born in 1917. In 1944, Wells died in combat in France during World War II.

In 1928, Lewis married Dorothy Thompson, a well-known journalist. They had one son, Michael, who was born in 1930. They divorced in 1942. Lewis never remarried.

Lewis died in Rome, Italy on January 10, 1951. His cremated remains were interred in Sauk Centre, Minnesota.

Tiffany was an Archives student assistant in 2008-2009.

Birk conceived of a summary history of the town of Little Falls in the late 1980s, prompted by a survey project for Minnesota Power and a long-standing desire to increase community support for the preservation of the LEHP. Birk produced many drafts of this work from 1991 to 1999, titled variously "In the Heart of the City," "Through the Heart of the City," and "A Most Remarkable Rapids," with the consistent subtitle "A History of the Mississippi River at the Little Elk Heritage Preserve and Little Falls." Distribution of this manuscript in its various versions appears to have been limited.

St. Cloud State University began producing plays as early as 1956; however, a drama department does not appear in the directories until the 1966/67 school year, where it is listed as Speech and Dramatic Art.

The department was part of Speech Communication, splitting off as the Department of Theatre in 1969.

Below are listed the years, name of department, and chairs, all taken from the campus directory.

1969-71: Theatre, Keith Michael

1971-72: Theatre, Dale Swanson

1972-73: Theatre, Walter Eysselinck

1973-76: Theatre, Dale Swanson

1976-82: Theatre, Ronald Perrier

1982-88: Theatre, Dale Swanson

1988-91: Theatre, Dick Cermele

1991-94: Theatre, Lin Holder

1994-97: Theatre, Brad Chisholm

1997-98: Theatre and Film Studies, Brenda Wentworth

1998-99: Theatre and Film Studies, Andrew Vorder Brugge

1999-02: Theatre, Film Studies, and Dance, Andrew Vorder Brugge

2002-06: Theatre, Film Studies, and Dance, R. Bruce Hyde

2006-08: Theatre, Film Studies, and Dance, Eva Honegger

2008-11: Theatre, Film Studies, and Dance, Jeffrey Bleam

The office of Sports Information was established in 1965. Its purpose is to publicize St. Cloud State intercollegiate athletics, creating schedules, press releases, media guides, and other promotional material for each sport.

Those who have served as head of this office are:

1965-1975: Bob Peterson

1975-1976: William Lynch (acting)

1976-1978: William Lynch

1978-1979: Robert Olson (acting)

1979-1982: Robert Olson

1982-1983: Michael Schroeder (acting)

1983-1984: Michael Schroeder

1984-1985: Anne Abicht (acting)

1985-2015: Anne Abicht

2015-2021: Tom Nelson

2021-2022+: Andrew Melroe

The unit was renamed Athletic Media Relations from Sports Information in ca. 1996.

Theatre L'Homme Dieu was founded in 1961 as a joint project between the city of Alexandria, Minnesota and representatives of St. Cloud State University. Members of these two communities created the Performing Arts Foundation. The goal of the foundation was to stage open-air performances by students and directors of St. Cloud State University (along with actors and actresses from outside of the college) in Alexandria, a town in Minnesota's lake country with ample tourism in the summer. The first performance at Theatre L'Homme Dieu was "See How They Run" on June 27, 1961. Budget problems caused St. Cloud State University to terminate their support for the theatre in 1985.

The presidents of the Performing Arts Foundation were either faculty or administrators at St. Cloud State University. The position was held by:

George Budd, 1961-1965

Robert H. Wick, 1966-1971

Charles J. Graham, 1972-1981

Brendan J. McDonald, 1982-1983

Harvey Paul Jurik, 1984

Brendan J. McDonald, 1985-1986

Don Sikkink, 1987-1989

Ralph Tillitt, 1990-1993

Claudia Bursch, 1993-1998

The St. Cloud State Alumni Association was established on April 28, 1881. That year there were two hundred and six graduates of St. Cloud College who were eligible to join the association. The Alumni Association has dedicated itself to keeping graduates of the school connected with their alma mater and also on raising funds for resources and items such as scholarships and memorials.

The alumni association was established on April 28, 1881, where Professor Thomas Gray was elected president. Others elected at that time include:

Vice President : Flora M. Truman

Corresponding Secretary: Mary L. Upham

Recording Secretary: W.H. Alden

Records are sparse from the early period of the Association’s history but continue to grow in size as the years progress.

On March 26, 1932, the Alumni Association was incorporated in the state of Minnesota. The bylaws called for the association to be run and managed by a Board of Directors. Board members were to be elected for terms of office.

In 1965, an alumni executive director was hired to help plan and expedite events and services offered through the Alumni Association. Though its not clear how this position related to the director of alumni relations position, its likely it was the same person doing two different but related jobs.

In the 1966 Handbook for Chapter Coordinators, it states that the general purposes of the Alumni Association are:

• To promote the objectives of St. Cloud State College through the establishment and maintenance of contact between the college, its graduates and its students.

• To promote effective interest in and loyalty to St. Cloud State College on the part of its alumni and the public in general.

• To foster and encourage good scholarship and to offer awards and appropriate means of recognition for excellence in all forms of educational endeavors of various kinds contributing to the welfare of St. Cloud State College.

The specific purposes of the Alumni Chapters and Coordinators are:

• To be a communication link between the Alumni Association and the graduates.

• To sponsor annual alumni reunions.

• To assist the Alumni Office in the updating of alumni records.

• To serve in the advisory capacity to the Alumni Board of Directors.

• To identify potential leadership among Alumni Association members.

• To assist in the growth of the Alumni Association program.

In 1963, the association began presenting the Distinguished Alumni Awards to former outstanding students. The awards were (and still are) made during the annual Distinguished Alumni Awards Dinner on Homecoming weekend.

Also taking place during Homecoming is the annual meeting of the Alumni Association. The membership is given the financial statement of the Association and program reports are given by both the Alumni Director and Alumni President. Every two years, Association officers are elected at the annual meeting.

St. Cloud State University procured the house that is now known as the Alumni House on November 17, 1972. The house was designed by a local architect named Louis Pinault and built in 1924 by Hubert Hansen. The house was built for Dr. Claude Lewis, who was a prominent surgeon and was also the brother of famous author Sinclair Lewis. After the death of Dr. Lewis, his second wife sold the house to L. Ferne Atwood in 1964. The state then purchased the Lewis-Atwood home due to the accelerating growth of the university grounds.

A notable event that was presented by the Alumni Association was the 125th Anniversary of St. Cloud State University. The official kick-off took place on September 10, 1994 at the Capitol grounds in St. Paul. The festivities included a relay-style event called “Journey to St. Cloud” which featured various modes of transportation from the steps of the Capitol to the campus in St. Cloud. According to Bob Dinndorf, SCSU Alumni Association Executive Director, “We want the transportation in the journey to mark progression from historical to modern. The journey will take place along Highway 10. We would like to feature special events in the communities along Highway 10.” (Letter, dated April 19, 1994)

As part of the Department of Economics, the Center for Economic Education was established in 1964 to assist K-12 teachers by providing high-quality curriculum materials and workshops. As of 2023, the Center still exists.

In February 1963, the Department of Business Education and Office Administration orgainzed and hosted the Winter Institute. In 1968, the Center for Economic Education was responsible for planning and hosting the Winter Institute.

The Winter Institute was last held in February 2020.

Courses in English composition and literature have been taught at St. Cloud State since its founding as the Third State Normal School in 1869, forming a core part of the early curriculum, and have grown into an active department within the College of Liberal Arts.

Chairpersons:

Howard H. Russell: 1967-1972

James K. Gottshall: 1972-1987

Michael Connaughton: 1987-1988

Marcia Summers: 1988-1989 (interim)

Richard Dillman: 1989-1995

Robert Inkster: 1995-1999

Suellen Rundquist: 1999-2004

Robert Inkster: 2004-2008

Raymond Philipott: 2008-2011

Robert Inkster: 2011-2012 (interim)

Richard Dillman:2012-2013 (interim)

Glenn Davis: 2013-2015

?: 2015-2018

Judith Dorn and Judith Kilborn: 2018-2019 (co-chairs)

The St. Cloud Museum of Man was incorporated in 1973 as a non-profit corporation under the laws of the State of Minnesota. Although the museum was located on the campus of St. Cloud State University, the museum was legally and financially separate from the school. The Articles of Incorporation stated that the purpose of the museum was for scientific, educational, and archival purposes, including study, research, teaching, instruction, and the preservation of all aspects of culture.

The name of the museum was changed from the St. Cloud Museum of Man to the Evelyn Payne Hatcher Museum of Anthropology in 1979.

Evelyn Payne Hatcher was one of the founders of the museum. According to her obituary, her parents were renowned early 20th century painters whose impressionistic works focused on tribal people, culture, symbols, and landscapes of the American West and Southwest. Hatcher made it her mission to make sure that their legacy lived on.

The museum worked closely with the anthropology department on campus. Many students did volunteer work, helping set up exhibits and accessioning and deaccessioning artifacts. Many of the museum's exhibits and lectures focused on Native American and Asian cultures.

The dissolution of the Evelyn Payne Hatcher Museum of Anthropology occurred in 1996.

Kaleidoscope presents poetry, essays, short stories, and photographs which have a multicultural theme and are created by students, faculty, and staff at St. Cloud State University.

The first issue of Kaleidoscope was published in 1990. In the staff notes of the first issue it states:

The staff of the Write Place is pleased to present Kaleidoscope, a collection of student essays, short stories, and poems which highlight and celebrate multicultural experiences. Writing included in this collection has been authored by undergraduate and graduate students from African-American, African, American Indian, Palestinian Arab, Japanese, Chinese, South Korean, and rural Minnesota cultures. We hope that reading these student contributions will foster communication among cultural groups within the university, help students to understand their own experiences and those of others, and enrich all of our experiences. We also hope that faculty will share this collection with their students in the classroom.

The website has many past issues available, beginning with Volume 1 from 1990, up to Volume 8 from the 1997-1998. The magazine first appeared online in 1996. All issues will eventually be available both online and in print format.

Listed are year, editor, then faculty advisor:

1990; Vol. 1; Janice Anderson, Laurie Bertamus, Brenda Frye, Heidi Slettedahl; Dr. Judith Kilborn

Spring 1991, Vol. 2; Ron L. Heck and Lisa J. Helmin; Dr. Judith Kilborn

Spring 1992, Vol. 3; Dr. Judith Kilborn, Dr. Steve Klepetar, and Robert Gardner ;Dr. Judith Kilborn

Spring 1993, Vol. 4; Michelle Bender, Robert Gardner, Dr. Judith Kilborn, Dr. Steve Klepetar, Dr. Rex Veeder; Dr. Judith Kilborn

Spring 1994, Vol. 5; Sam Anderson-McCoy, Libbie Brunsvold, Angela Henderson, etc.; Dr. Judith Kilborn

1995, Vol. 6; Bob Inkster, Judith Kilborn, Kelly A. Larson, and Rex Veeder; Rex Veeder

1996, Vol. 7; Heidi Gomez, Jessica Lourey, Judith M. Kilborn; Dr. Judith M. Kilborn

2006; Petra Neumueller; Dr. Carol Mohrbacher

2009; Nick Seifert; Dr. Carol Mohrbacher

The Library Tri-D Club was an organization of all the members of the library staff. Tri-D stands for "Dewey Decimal Doers." The object of the club was to further the interests of the library, to establish a closer relationship between staff members, and to learn all they could about school librarians and books.

Atwood Memorial Center opened in the fall of 1966 as the social hub for St. Cloud State students as well as serving the campus community. Atwood has gone under many physical and administrative changes since 1966, but the mission remains the same - serve the student.

As St. Cloud State grew into a university, especially after World War II and the coming of age of the early Baby Boomer, calls for a student union increased. After a 1956 study authored by St. Cloud State regarding a campus student union, the process began to make it a reality. By 1961, efforts were underway to create a "living room for campus", including a student survey. In that survey, 80% of student polled were willing to be assessed a fees to support a student union.

Fundraising commenced to support the construction of a $1.5 million student union with students, friends and alumni, and the state to each pay a third of the cost. Ultimately, the state refused to pay for their third and unclear how the funds were raised.

Named for the Atwood family due to their financial support for the construction, and the fact that they building stood on the spot where their family home sat, Atwood opened its doors in September 1964. Over the next 40 years, the building expanded its physical footprint (1972, 1992, 2004) and remodeled countless times to support the changing tastes and needs of St. Cloud State students thus still being the "living Room for campus."

Atwood Memorial Center Directors:

Roger Wehrle: 6/1966-4/1971

Warren Reinecke: 7/1971-6/1972

Pat Krueger: 6/1972-6/1973 (acting)

Gary Bartlett: 7/1973-12/1981

Michael Hayman: 1/1982-6/1982 (acting)

Joseph Basil: 7/1982-7/1986

Joe Opatz: 8/1986-2/1995

Karla Myres: 1/1993-5/1993 (acting)

Margaret Vos: 2/1995-4/1998 (interim)

Margaret Vos: 4/1998-6/2013

Ed Bouffard: 7/2001-6/2002, 7/2006-6/2008 (interim)

Jessica Ostman: 7/2013-4/2014 (interim)

Anne Buttke: 4/2014-12/2014

Matt Trombley: 1/2014-10/2016 (interim)

Mitch Karstens: 11/2016-7/2018

Jessica Ostman: 9/2018-1/2020 (interim)

Clare Rahm: 1/2020-1/2021 (interim)

Matt Trombley: 1/2021+

The Senior Model Debating Society was formed by members of the Senior Model School in January 1898. The purpose of the Senior Model Debating Society was the mutual improvement of its members through debate. Some of the debates were, "Women are more successful as teachers than men," "The habit of tardiness at school is more injurous to the character of a student than that of absence," and, "Manufacturing is more beneficial to a country than agriculture." The last record of the society is from March 23, 1900.

The Waverly Literary Society was organized in 1912. They received their name from Sir Walter Scott's "Waverly Novels" and originally began studying these novels. The society also studied poems, mythology, short stories, and opera. Over the years, the society evolved into providing social activities for women. The last mention is from the January 31, 1947 issue of the Chronicle that notes the Waverly Literary Society had disbanded.

The purpose of the Young Women's Christian Association was to develop Christian character especially through study of the Bible. Additionally, the association conducted active Christian work to extend the Kingdom of God throughout the world. The first record of the YWCA at St. Cloud State was in 1887 and believed the club existed until sometime in the mid-1950s.

The Minnesota Chair in Real Estate was originally established in 1981, serving as the only four-year real estate program offered at a public university within Minnesota at its inception. Its creation was sponsored and funded by a variety of benefactors, including the Minnesota Department of Commerce, St. Cloud State University, and private donations from prominent businessmen throughout the St. Cloud area and greater Minnesota. The Minnesota Chair in Real Estate program offered enrolled students the opportunity to acquire a Bachelor of Science degree in Real Estate, a Master of Business Administration degree, and also enabled its students to work directly with various private businesses and governmental agencies as part of its Real Estate Research Center initiative. The program has had four heads over the course of its existence, including George Karvel (1981-1996), Steven Mooney (1996-2019), Kelly Jameson (2020-2022), and Seongsu David Kim (July 2023-present).

SCSU class of 1967

Emeritus SCSU faculty member.

Freeman was the son of Claude Lewis, who was the older brother of author Sinclair Lewis.

Judy was the wife of Freeman Lewis, son of Claude Lewis. Claude was the older brother of author Sinclair Lewis.

Retired SCSU faculty member

SCSU faculty member

Retired SCSU faculty member

Retired SCSU faculty member

SCSU alum and retired administrator

St. Cloud State president from 2007 to 2016. He died in car crash in June 2016.

George Alderink was born in 1889, he married Bessie Toussaint and had four children. Alderink was a Minnesota state representative from District 55, serving from 1954 until 1958. Alderink lived in Pease, Minnesota until his death in 1977.

Jerald Anderson was a DFL Minnesota state senator from District 19. He born in Sunrise, Minnesota in 1934. He graduated from North Branch High School, studied dentistry at the University of Minnesota. Anderson later served in the United States Army Dental Corps from 1959-1961. Jerald married Patsy Ann Young in 1957, and had three sons: Jeffrey, Brent, and Patrick. He won the 1970 election to the Minnesota state Senate and served on the Education, Finance, and Judiciary Committees.

Dr. Julius C. Buscher, M.D. was born in Germany in 1891 and served as a medical officer in the German Army in World War I. Dr. Buscher studied medicine at the Universities of Kiel and Heidelberg in Germany. He was the author of several medical publication and other writings. He came to the United States in 1924 and in 1925 his wife Elsbeth joined him from Germany. Dr. Buscher practiced medicine in Minneapolis and Albany before moving to St. Cloud in 1929. He worked at the St. Cloud Hospital until 1949, when he joined the Veterans Hospital staff. He retired on November 30, 1964.

Dr. Buscher was a member of St. Augustine Catholic Church, St. Mary’s Physician Guild, and the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons and Minnesota Psychiatric Society. He was also affiliated with the American, Minnesota, and Stearns-Benton Medical Associations. Julius Buscher died at his home on August 8, 1965. He was survived by his wife, an adopted son Walter, and two grandsons.

Jon Hassler was born in Minneapolis on March 30, 1933 and grew up in Staples and Plainview, Minnesota. After graduation from high school in Plainview, Hassler attended St. John's University in Collegeville, Minnesota. He graduated in 1955 with a bachelor of arts in English. While teaching high school English in Minnesota, Hassler earned a master of arts degree from the University of North Dakota in 1960. In 1965, Hassler began his college teaching career at Bemidji State University and would later teach at Brainerd Community College in Minnesota, and finally at St. John's University.

In 1980, Hassler was appointed writer-in-residence at St. John's University, serving in that role until his retirement in 1997. He died in St. Louis Park, MN, on March 20, 2008. He was survived by his wife Gretchen and his three children from his first marriage.

Hassler published his first book, Staggerford, in 1977. He continued writing for almost the next 30 years - his final book was The New Woman, which was published in 2005. Other publications include:

Four Miles to Pinecone (1977)

Simon's Night (1979)

Jemmy (1980)

The Love Hunter (1981)

A Green Journey (1985)

Grand Opening (1987)

North of Hope (1990)

Dear James (1993)

The Dean's List (1998)

My Staggerford Journal (1999)

Keepsakes and Other Stories (2000)

Rufus at the Door and Other Stories (2000)

Good People... from an Author's Life (2001)

The Staggerford Flood (2002)

The Staggerford Murders (2004)

Stories Teachers Tell (2004)

The New Woman (2005)

Hassler passed away on March 20, 2008 and buried at Lakewood Cemetery in Minneapolis. He was survived by his third wife, Gretchen, as well as children Michael, Elizabeth, and David.

Virginia was the daughter of Claude Lewis, who was the older brother of author Sinclair Lewis.