Tom Isern, NDSU

The Sunday Bismarck Tribune of 8 August carried a feature by Laruen Donovan about Manfred History and Preservation, Manfred ND. Well, it happens this is where Danielle Stuckle, MA student in History at NDSU, has spent the summer. Danielle is quoted in the article. Then on 13 August the Trib's Dave Bundy followed up with a favorable editorial. Manfred is a tiny town with a nascent historial society (headed by the energetic Wanda Melchert) that is like the little engine that could. It received a grant from the State Historical Society of North Dakota to get its collections and operations in order; Danielle has been employed as a consultant under this grant. She not only has done a great job with the collections, she also has conducted educational sessions informing citizens about good practice in museum operations. Plus, her daughter Sophie has been the darling of the town.

Manfred History and Preservation

Bismarck Tribune Archives - I can't get links to the articles working, but you can look them up by date here

A couple weeks ago, en route to Saskatchewan, I brought my NEH seminar on the Great Plains to the Knife River Indian Villages. There we found Lorna Meidinger, NDSU grad and New Zealand traveler, hard at work for the National Park Service. It was a delight that she conducted the earth-lodge tour for our group, doing a capable and articulate job of it. Here's a photo: Lorna at the earthlodge

I'm starting to hear from returning students, which is always a pleasant thing. If you're one of them, I'm letting you know I'll be gone Thursday and Friday of this week on a research junket, but I'll be around campus after that until beginning of classes. I'll be around, but in my office irregularly, and so if you have any pressing business, don't hesitate to call me at 701-799-2942, the phone I carry with me.