    
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Administrative
Information
Scope and Content Note
Biographical Information
Lineage
Selected Search Terms
Partial Interview Transcript
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Information
Resources
Robert A. L. Mortvedt Library
Pacific
Lutheran University
Tacoma, WASHINGTON 98447
Phone: (253) 535-7586 E-mail: archives@plu.edu
New Land
New Lives Oral History Collection
Grace Eleanor Blomquist
A Guide to Her Oral History Interview |
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Administrative
Information
Creator:
Blomquist, Grace Eleanor
Collection Nr: t045
File Content:
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2 file folders
0 photographs
1 sound cassette
2 compact discs
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Processing Information:
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The
interview was conducted using a cassette recorder. A research
copy was also prepared from the original. To further preserve
the content of the interview, it is now being transferred
to compact disc. We deliberately did not transcribe the
entire interview because we want the researchers to listen
to the interviewee's own voice. The transcription index
highlights important aspects of the interview and the
tape counter numbers noted on the Partial Interview
Transcription are meant as approximate finding guides
and refer to the location of a subject on the cassette/CD.
Interviewed
by Donna Mallonee
Transcribed by Mary Sue Gee, Julie Peterson and Becky
Husby
Encoded by Kerstin Ringdahl & Amity Smetzler
Recording Quality: Good
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Restrictions:
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The
collection is available for research.
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Preferred Citation:
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[Collection
Number, Collection Title]
New Land New Lives Oral History Collection
Scandinavian Immigrant Experience Collection
Robert A.L. Mortvedt Library
Pacific Lutheran University
Tacoma, WA 98447
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The
interview was conducted with Grace Blomquist on May 15, 1980
in Tacoma, Washington. This interview contains information on
Swedish heritage, education, and PLU history. The interview
was conducted in English.
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Grace
Eleanor Blomquist was born in Spring Lake, Minnesota on April
10, 1913. Grace was the oldest of eight children born to John
and Emelia Blomquist. Growing up in Waubun, Minnesota, Grace
was exposed to Swedish and Norwegian language through her own
family and through the surrounding communities. She had participated
in the Lutheran church in her town, so when she graduated from
high school, she chose to attend a Lutheran college-Concordia
College in Moorhead, Minnesota. Grace graduated in 1934 and
began teaching English and Latin that year in a North Dakota
high school. After three years of teaching there, Grace accepted
an assistantship at Syracuse University and earned her master's
degree. She went on to teach and to serve as Assistant Dean
of Women at Pacific Lutheran University. From 1952 to 1953 Grace
was the president of the American Association of University
Women. Grace Blomquist traveled extensively throughout Europe,
once in conjunction with a children's literature course she
taught at PLU. She retired from PLU in 1975. Although Grace
grew up in a Scandinavian community, she doesn't retain many
customs of her Swedish heritage. However, she would like to
visit Småland, the area whence her grandparents came.
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Full Name: |
Grace Eleanor Blomquist
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Father: |
John R. Blomquist
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Mother: |
Emelia Ledin Blomquist
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Paternal Grandfather: |
August Blomquist
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Paternal Grandmother: |
Ingri Jonasdotter
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Maternal Grandfather: |
Johan Ledin
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Maternal Grandmother: |
Kajsa Lisa Anderson Ledin
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Brothers and Sisters: |
Sigrid Emelia Arrebo
Jean Kathryn Hoff
Donald John Ledin Blomquist
Joy Elizabeth Erickson
Marianne Blomquist
Marjory May Johnson
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This collection is indexed under the following headings
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Personal Names |
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Blomquist, Grace Eleanor
Blomquist, John R.
Blomquist, Emelia Ledin
Blomquist, August
Jonasdotter, Ingri
Ledin, Johan
Ledin, Kajsa Lisa Anderson
Paulson, Clara
Akre, Elvin
Hauge, Phillip
Eastvold, Seth
Nielson, Anna Marn
Nelson, Daniel
Franck, Ruth
Franck, Mickel
Bondy, Elizabeth
Leraas Harold
Ramstad, Anders
Young, Rhoda
Olson, Cliff
Reed, Keith
Reneau, George
Stuen, Ole
Malmin, Gunnar
Larson, E. Arthur
Pflueger, J.P.
Kreidler, Lora
Mortvedt, Robert A.L.
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Family Names |
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Blomquist family
Ledin family
Anderson family
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Geographical Names |
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Spring Lake (Minn.)
Waubun (Minn.)
Mohall (N.D)
Tacoma (Wash.)
Småland (Sweden)
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Subjects |
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Family -- Sweden
Education -- United States
Ojibwa Indians
Concordia College -- Moorhead (Minn.)
Pacific Lutheran University -- Faculty -- History
Pacific Lutheran University -- History -- 1939-1975
Lutheran universities and colleges -- Washington (State)
Parkland (Wash.) -- Education -- Universities and colleges
Kimberly Gold Mine (Idaho)
Quota Club (Tacoma, Wash.)
Parkland Study Club (Parkland, Wash.)
Pacific Lutheran University -- History -- Old Main
Women in education
Swedish-Americans -- Ethnic identity
Trinity Lutheran Church (Parkland, Wash)
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Occupations |
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Teachers -- Washington (State)
Women college administrators
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Genre/Form |
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Oral history
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Institution |
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Pacific Lutheran University. Scandinavian Immigrant Experience
Collection
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The
partial interview transcription highlights important aspects
of the interview. Numbers on the left may be used as guides
to important subjects. Two numbers separated by a slash indicate
that the first number is for cassette and the second for CD.
014/11 GRACE ELEANOR BLOMQUIST Born April 10, 1913 in Spring
Lake Township.
025 PARENTS: John R. Blomquist and Emelia Ledin Blomquist. Father
was 73-74 when he died. Mother was 62 when she died. Father
owned a creamery...
051 in Waubun, Minnesota. Family moved to Waubun when Grace
was 3. Spring Lake Township was very near North Branch, Minnesota,
which was a very Swedish community. Grace's father had come
from another very Swedish community near Taylors Falls, Minnesota.
His father came from…
077 Småland, Sweden. He landed at Franconia (?) just as the
immigrants did in Moberg's novel. Grace's paternal grandfather
came from the same area as the people in Moberg's novels. Moberg
wrote "The Immigrants," "Unto a Good Land," and "The Last Letter
Home."
118 Grace's parents were born in the U.S. Her father had to
start working when a young boy. His family was poor. He worked
in milk stations and creameries in Goodhue County in southern
Minnesota. He came to Spring Lake where he met Grace's mother.
She was one of 9 or 10…
140 children. She had worked as a clerk in a department store
in Stillwater, Minnesota. She visited a sister, who lived in
the northwest for one year. She clerked at People's in downtown
Tacoma. This was around 1910. She went back to Minnesota and
got married shortly thereafter. Her parents were from Sweden.
Her maternal grandfather brought his parents with him when he
emigrated. He and his brothers settled in the…
178 Spring Lake area. Their family name was Ledin. They came
to the U.S. because they wanted a better life. Her father's
family was very poor. Grace's paternal grandfather came to this
country in 1880 by steamboat on the St. Croix River and landed
at Franconia (?).
222/12 He'd been a corporal in the Swedish Army. His brothers
came at the same time. They all took different names. Grandfather
took name Blomquist. Another was Tagnir (?), one was Youngquist,
the married a Bergstrom. They chose these names when they got
to America.
290 CHILDHOOD: Grew up in Waubun, Minnesota. Lived near school.
Four teachers at school. Important in community. Parents never
quarreled.
333 WAUBUN, MINNESOTA: An Indian name. Means "rising sun" in
the Chippewa language. Waubun lies on the edge of the Indian
reservation. There were mixed blood families in town. Many of
these children were friends. Many Indians played on the basketball
team. That was the only sport they had at their school. In girl's
P.E. they wore black bloomers and white midies. There were several
Czechoslovakian families in Waubun. Some Norwegian families.
Blomquist's were the only Swedish family. The town was made
up mostly those who were…
379 part Indian. There were many German farmers around.
400/01 CHIPPEWA INDIANS: Land settlement made when railroad
was being built. Waubun was founded because the railroad needed
a stop there. The Indians were given a certain amount of money,
which they received once or twice a year. They'd come in to
town to get the money and almost always spent it at once. This
was in the 1920s. During prohibition, the Indians would come
to town and buy vanilla. They'd get drunk on it and drive home
on their horses and wagons. There were also some very fine Indian
families.
455 Near Waubun was White Earth, a real Indian town. There was
a government school and some missions there. They weren't as
primitive in the 1920s as they had been. Grace remembers seeing
Indians camp near the lake where they had a summer cottage.
The women would make birch bark baskets. She saw an Indian woman
go down to the lake to wash clothes.
495 AFTER HIGH SCHOOL, Grace went to school at Concordia College
in Moorhead, Minnesota. She chose a Lutheran school because
she went to the Lutheran Church after it was built in Waubun.
This church was of the old Norwegian background. She went to
the Congregational Church before Waubun got a Lutheran church.
Her parents had been brought up as Lutherans. Most of the students
at Concordia were of Norwegian background. The Norwegian community
had been more familiar to Grace since then. She was finished
at Concordia in 1934.
532 Got a job teaching in Mohall, North Dakota. Stayed there
for three years. It was a very good school. She taught English
and Latin in high school. Taught in junior high some. Even helped
part-time at fifth and sixth grade level one year. She had many
responsibilities.
579/02 Offered an assistantship at Syracuse University. Was
there two years. Got her masters degree there.
588 Came to the West Coast in 1939. Looking for work. Had a
contact with Clara Paulson (?), a teacher at Concordia College.
Clara knew that PLU needed an English teacher and an assistant
Dean of Women. Grace applied for the position. Dr. Tingelstad
was president then. He arranged an interview in Jamestown, North
Dakota. Tingelstad had family business in Jamestown. Grace and
her sister drove from Minnesota to Jamestown and met Tingelstad
at the railway station.
634 STARTED WORK AT PLU IN THE FALL OF 1939. There were 12 or
14 members of the faculty then. The Akres were there. Elvin
was the Dean of Men. He taught history as well. Most people
taught in the academy as well as the college. The academy lasted
until Dr. Eastvold came.
651 FACULTY: The Akres. Dr. Hauge was the Dean. Anna Marn Nielsen,
head of the Education department. Daniel Nelson came from Luther
College to teach English. Ruth Franck taught English. Mickel
Franck taught political science. Mrs. Bondy taught French and
German. Leraas taught biology. Ramstad taught chemistry. Rhoda
Young taught P.E. Cliff Olson taught P.E. Keith Reed taught
business administration. George Reneau taught history and other
social sciences. Mr. Stuen taught math. Mr. Malmin taught music.
Pastor Larson taught Swedish part-time. Dr. Pflueger taught
religion.
698/03 There weren't as many Norwegians here as one might think.
Dr. Pflueger was German. Keith Reed was Presbyterian. Students
weren't all Norwegian. Different than Concordia College. Mrs.
Kreidler taught art. She was descendant of the Bradford's who
came to Plymouth colony.
718 Lived in Harstad when she first came. She was Assistant
Dean of Women. There were only four buildings on campus when
she came. Old Main. The old gym located where the U.C. is now.
The little brown wooden chapel. The library, which was located
behind the…
745 chapel and now is Xavier Hall. Sign in front of the college
said "Pacific Lutheran University" on the front and "Build for
Character"…
770 on the backside. New experience to be at a school where
the offices, classrooms, and dorms were in the same building.
Grace had to live in the dorm and assist Mrs. Kriedler so she
found out what it was like. Registrar's Office was off to the
right as you entered Old Main. Only…
781 about three office workers. Two librarians plus student
help. Bookstore was in a small room opposite the Registrar's
office. Dorm rooms were very simple.
800/04 Two desks, two cots, two dressers. Students could paint
their rooms if they wanted to. The center part of Old Main was
classrooms.
819 She tells what the boys did on Halloween in 1939.
841 PROBLEMS WITH ACADEMY STUDENTS: Some students sent there
because parents wanted to support the school. Their children
got more attention than they would in a public school. Others
were problem cases who couldn't be handled in their own schools
or homes. Among the high school students there were some problems.
861 FAMILY ATMOSPHERE: They all knew each other. Faculty went
to all the games. They'd drive to Cheney and Bellingham to watch
football. She tells about the success of PLU sports. Many parties
on campus. The Stuens, Pfluegers, Leraas', Akres, and Xaviers
were very hospitable.
893 Mr. Xavier was a librarian at PLU too. Mr. Stuen was the
unofficial host to the university. They would often have dinners
on Sunday afternoons. Then everyone would go play golf. Employees
were often not paid during hard times but they liked working
at the school.
926/05 KIMBERLY GOLD MINE: 1941, no money at PLU for teachers.
They were paid in gold stock. People charged food at Dahl's
Grocery.
965 KIMBERLY GOLD STOCK: She explains how PLU acquired the gold
stock. Partly through Daniel Floetrig (?), a Norwegian immigrant
who'd attended PLU winter short session. Dr. Tingelstad was
very interested in the stock market. Rhoda Young or Milt Nesvig
might know about the Kimberly Gold Mine. Floetrig's widow, Mrs.
Theo Totten might know more about it. Lloyd Johnson, husband
of Lucille Johnson, an English teacher at PLU knows more about
it.
1016/06 EARLY 1940s: Men from faculty worked at the shipyards.
Women from the faculty were retained for teaching. Mrs. Kreidler,
who'd retired by then, worked swing shift at the shipyards.
This was during WWII. The school stayed open.
1049 Grace is still teaching classes occasionally (1980). Since
she retired in 1975, she had only taught children's literature.
1063 Grace was president of AAUW in Tacoma. At the time (1952-1953)
there were about 400 members. (American Association of University
Women).
1073 1954-55: Went to Germany for one year. Taught at American
schools in Frankfurt. She was a counselor in a dorm. There were
American students from different parts of Europe.
1082 Member of Quota Club. A diversified service club. Each
member must represent a particular field. Each field represented
by only one member.
SIDE II
069/07 Belongs to Phi Beta. National organization for drama,
speech, music, dance honorary.
80 Administrative women in education because she had held either
presidential or executive positions in groups.
89 CHURCH: Member of the Trinity Reading Club. Started in the
1950s. Has taught Sunday school. Served on church council. Was
member of Social Concerns Committee when the Vietnamese refugees
came.
133 1952: Danish seminar. Traveled in Europe. 1954 spent a year
teaching in Germany. 1963: Dr. Motet gave teachers summer off
with pay.
162 WENT TO EUROPE IN 1963, 1979: Spent five weeks in England.
1972: Led children's literature tour to Europe. Went from Holland
to Germany to Austria, to Italy, back through Germany, to Denmark,
to the Netherlands, back to Holland, and home. Groups made up
of PLU students, teachers, a retired person, and another faculty
member. 26 all together. Went to places of interest in regard
to children's literature.
236 CHANGES AT PLU IN 40 YEARS: School had become a university
in the fullest sense. "Family relationship" no longer exists.
It can't when there are so many people.
285/08 SCANDINAVIAN HERITAGE: Her family was not very tradition
minded. Moved around, trying to make a living. Difficult to
retain customs. Used to have "doppa". Porridge made out of eggs,
milk, and flour. They'd dip their bread in this. Her mother
made spritz cookies at Christmas. Grace was always aware that
she was Swedish. Her mother would always blame things on Norwegians.
Her father could read Swedish. Knew as a child that Jenny Lind
and Kristina Nilsson were Swedish singers.
367 Remembers her grandfather Ledin. Her was dignified and handsome.
Things in her grandparent's home reminded her of Sweden; old
pictures and things. If she goes back to Europe she'd like to
spend some time in Småland, where her grandparents came from.
She'd rather spend time in other places really. She doesn't
feel she's too deeply rooted. Still she's glad she's Swedish.
Interested in ethnic groups in general.
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