Norman Floyd Iverson, 1910 - 2002

Norman

Norman

My grandpa, Norman Floyd Iverson, was born on October 19th, 1910 in Lignite, North Dakota.  His parents owned a general store and were very prominent people in Lignite.  They were the first to have a radio and the first to own a Ford touring car.  Norman lived in the house he was born in until he left for college.  The concrete house dated back to 1807 and was heated by a furnace using Lignite coal and wood.  The furnace exploded one day when Norman was standing right in front of it.  He was covered in flame and dust and smoke.  He got quite a few burns.  Iversons used gas lamps until getting electric lights.  In an interview done in the 1990s, my grandpa described what it was like for them to get electricity.  He said, "It was very, very exciting!  Electric is much brighter than those little kerosene or gas lights.  And, it was so much easier to see things in a room.  You might go from one room to another, but not have to carry a lamp with you.  But, it was quite expensive to run the lights."

Chorus (Norman is on the right)

Chums (Norman is in the back)

     Music has always been a very important part of Norman's life.  He played saxophone, clarinet, and piano and he sang in a quartet with his friends from across the street.
     Norman loved to hunt and fish with his dad and uncles.  And, he could often be found at baseball games either watching or playing on a team himself.  

Norman is on the left

    Each summer Norman went with his parents to Watson, Minnesota to visit his Norwegian  grandparents and to Noonan, North Dakota to visit his mother's relatives who were farmers.    
     After high school, Norman left Lignite to attend college.  He and his friends from across the street were the first people in Lignite to attend college.  So, from 1928 to 1932 Norman attended Jamestown Presbyterian College, majoring in math, social studies, and music.

Playing saxophone at home

Norman was very involved in the musical productions, including an opera every year.  He played saxophone in the jazz band which played for roller skating events rather than dances.  Dances were not allowed at Jamestown College.  Chapel attendance was required of all students.  Someone always took roll call at chapel.  Sometimes that was Norman's responsibility.  Norman was also the manager of the Chorus.  He had to get the permission of the college president for the Chorus to go on tour each year.  They stayed with host families and sang in beautiful churches across North Dakota.  

Fishing with his dad

Hunting with his friends

     Norman remembers the Stock Market Crash happening while he was in college.  He father was running the general store in Lignite and sales were very low at that time.  He explained, "Many days we got as little as $10 sales the entire day.  Oftentimes that wasn't all money.  Some of it was trade.  For instance, someone would come in with half a dozen eggs and trade it for a quarter pound of sugar or other necessities.  Dad provided food free for a lot of people because they couldn't afford it.  We did stay in business but didn't make any money during that period of years.  We charged to many people and were never paid."

Jamestown College

   The Depression left a deep impact on Norman.  he said, "You never knew what was going to happen the next day.  It was an experience I hope you never have to go through."
     Norman was a teacher during part of the time of the Depression.  He stayed in a place for $3 a month for board and room.  His lowest salary was $90 a month.  During that time he was principal of the high school and taught six or seven subjects in addition to teaching singing.
     Norman was a teacher in Max, North Dakota for three years and then was a teacher, principal, and superintendent of schools in White Earth, North Dakota for two years after that after that.  The following three years he taught Chorus and general business in Minot, North Dakota for three years.
     Norman decided he wanted to get his Master's Degree, so he ventured over to Missoula, Montana one summer where he met the love of his life, Winnifred Bale.  The two of them were married on July 27th, 1940.

Norman and Winnifred Iverson

       The couple settled in Glendive, Montana where Norman continued to teach.  They enjoyed playing in card clubs with other couples.  One summer they went to New York and got to see Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig on the New York Yankees.  

       While in Glendive, Norman taught general business and vocal music.  The only trouble was that only 16 students signed up for Chorus!  Norman was supposed to have five sections of Chorus.  So, Norman taught his choir the most popular song of the day, "Roll Out the Barrel" and they sang it everywhere they could.  They went into study halls and went to football practice and tried to get people to join.  By Christmas time, the Chorus had 300 members!

        Norman was very dedicated to his teaching and his music.  In fact, his son, Robert, was born while Norman was at school working with a music group.  It was March 14th, 1942.  At first Norman had been told that Winnifred had a girl, so he sent telegrams with the news.  Later, he went to the hospital to see his wife and baby and found out that he had a son!  He sent a new telegram that said, "Sorry, I made a mistake, I'm a boy, Robert Iver Iverson."  Everyone in town heard about the mixup.

       When Robert was two years old, Iversons moved to Terry, Montana for a year where Norman had a superintendent job.  Next, they moved to Fairview, Montana for the next ten years.  Norman was a superintendent and a vocal music teacher and a math teacher.  

       In 1947 Norman and Winnifred had a little girl named Patty.  Sadly, she died of Leukemia when she was almost three years old.  

       In 1949 Karen Jean was born and then in 1953 Mary Florence was born.  

Proud parents of an Eagle Scout

Family of Five

   When Robert was in sixth grade, Karen four years old, and Mary four months old, the family moved

Norman with his folks and kids

to Dickinson, North Dakota.  Norman wanted to open a music store.  He had gotten upset with changes he'd seen in education.  He encountered many parents with poor attitudes in addition to increased discipline problems with students.  He was ready to try something new.
  The Music Store became a huge part of the Iverson's life.  Winnifred helped at the store on weekends.  She was teaching school during the week.  Robert made deliveries and helped in the store.  After a family vacation to Alaska, Robert made a nice looking window display that included elk and caribou antlers from their trip.

Dickinson Music Store

Dickinson Music Store

   While owning the Music Store, Norman became involved in helping the music department at Dickinson State College.  The college would borrow instruments and pianos from the store.  Norman was also very involved with the Tri-State Music Festival held every November in Dickinson.  The festival grew to be quite large and was recognized nationally as being on the cutting edge of music education.  Norman attended the National Association of Music Merchants Convention in Chicago every year.

Dickinson Music Store

Dickinson Music Store

       Norman had a passion for music.  He wanted to help others feel more comfortable with their singing voices too.  So, he would offer classes to help people learn to sing.  He worked with groups of kids who were singing off-key and taught them to listen and read notes.  

       Norman also enjoyed singing in Barbershop Quartets, even into his 80s!

       Norman was a busy man!  In addition to raising his family, running the store, helping people learn to sing, and being involved in the Dickinson State College Music Department, Norman was also an assistant leader for the Boy Scouts, and a member of The Lions, The Masonic Lodge, Eastern Star, Chamber of Commerce, Rotary, and the United Methodist Church.  He was the choir director at church and the Sunday School Superintendent for junior high, high school, and college students.  

With his first grandchild (Patty)

     Norman and Winnifred retired in Dickinson, North Dakota.  They continued to enjoy their community involvement.  They grew a large garden and spent time working with rocks by polishing them into jewelry.  They enjoyed their ten grandchildren.  Grandpa could often be heard boasting about them, much to the embarrassment of the kids themselves!  He was famous for his long speeches he'd give to anyone who would listen.  

Grandpa and me!

Grandpa and Grandma with me on my graduation day

     I'm thankful to have had my Grandpa be an important part of my life.  He believed in me and all the things I could accomplish.  He had high standards and expected me to work hard to try to reach those standards.  He loved to take pictures and appreciated the beautiful scenery around him.  He was proud to be from North Dakota and proud to be an American.  He had a firm handshake and I always knew he was someone important.  Even as Grandpa was living his last days in 2002, he would greet people by looking them in the eye and giving a firm handshake.  That was engrained in him.  I strive to do that now.  A smile and confident handshake.....  I look forward to smiles and handshakes from my Grandpa when I see him again in Heaven someday.