Published by the Library Staff Association of the University of Oregon Library System

Lutefisk and Lefse

by Laine Stambaugh

Each Christmas, my mom makes a batch of lefse (pronounced LEF-suh) and sends a package to my brother and me. Although my mom is half-Norwegian, lefse is about the sum total of what I know about my maternal grandfather's side of the family. Mom grew up on a small farm on the North Dakota/Montana/Saskatchewan border, where Scandinavian accents were thick, but spoken Norwegian was discouraged . . . except for the word "uffda," of course, which I think means the same as "oy vey" or "mama mia." My uncle says it all the time, so it must be okay.

All I can say is I'm really glad Mom's lefse survived the cultural transition into the 21st century. Lefse is this wonderful potato-based crêpe-like thing that you roll out real thin like a tortilla, lightly fry, then put butter on and roll up and eat like a lightweight burrito. Some people prefer to put sugar or jam on it and eat it cold, but we like to warm it up and slather on REAL butter, letting the excess butter drip out the end as we eat it. (Just in case you're dying to know more about lefse, check out this fun site: http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Acres/8823/lefse.html).

A couple summers ago, Mom asked if I would like to accompany her to her 50th high school reunion in Grenora, North Dakota. Being a writer, intrigued by history and travel in general, and wanting to finally explore the other side of the family's roots, I told Mom I would be her guide (she is legally blind in her left eye and has a horrendous sense of direction, which will come into play later).

I should have had my first clue that this was going to be a true adventure when the puddle jumper from Denver made a stop in Dickinson, North Dakota. I'd never seen an airport small enough for the pilots to take breaks with the passengers-at a picnic table outside the little Dickinson Airport building. While Mom was chatting with the pilot, I asked someone what the yellow fields of flowers were all around us. He said "Granola." I thought about that a minute. "Canola?" I said. "Yeah, granola," he answered.

Next stop: Williston ND, where we were greeted by Mom's second cousin, Kenneth, and his sister, Ruthie. They were truly wonderful, down-home people. All of Mom's family had homesteaded that area back around 1900, so they'd mostly held on to the land (except for those who moved to Florida to escape the winters) and done quite well over the years. Nowadays, the major crop, wheat, is subsidized by the government, so they were letting fields go fallow or growing things like canola/granola or sugar beets (you might recall Dave Barry's recent column on North Dakota; Mom said no peat in her part of the state!).

Well I have to say I thought Mom's high school reunion went well. The banquet was held at the Elk's Lodge in Williston (the "fanciest place in town" according to the Wal-Mart clerk). Mom's graduating class consisted of 15, and I believe 11 or 12 showed up (the others were deceased), so I guess that was a pretty good turnout. Once I told folks I was "Luella's daughter," I was a hit. In fact, I think the bartender thought I looked pretty darn good for a class of 1949er! I surprised myself at how much I enjoyed asking people about their lives (and if they were related to Mom; most said yes-Andersons, Eliassons, Petersons, Olsons, etc.). By the way, Mom swears this is her official high school yell:

Lutefisk and lefse
Copenhagen snuff
Grenora High School
Pretty hot stuff!

(I wouldn't make this up-trust me!). Unfortunately, I never had a chance to confirm this with anyone. I was too embarrassed to ask. Uffda.

In between reunion activities, Mom and I played tourists, mostly taking very thorough tours of the family cemeteries. Mom was born on a farm in Dagmar, Montana, just across the North Dakota border. As we were driving out to meet some old friends for lunch, I noticed a sign pointing to a town called Reserve, Montana. Out there, the land is FLAT (they don't call it Big Sky Country for nothing, sky being about all you see out your car). You turn left at the Veterans of Foreign War building to go to Grenora (which you recognize by the water tower on Main Street), go straight north on the highway to Canada, and "turn left to Montana." Anyway, we were lost somewhere near the Montana border. I tried not to panic, but getting lost, even in the city, is my worst nightmare. Imagine getting lost where there is only you and the highway-not a human soul in sight.

I got out the map and said "Mom, get out your magnifying glass and tell me where Dagmar is supposed to be!"

Mom looked at the map and pointed at a spot. "I think it should be here."

I looked at where she pointed and felt an Excedrin headache coming on. "Ma! There's no town where you're pointing!" (I never call her 'Ma,' but I was feeling desperate).

We started up a little road and she pointed off to a group of buildings to our right. "Maybe that's Dagmar over there. We can ask for directions there."

I said "Mom, I think that's just a farm. It looks too small to be a town."

We drove into a yard and pulled up in front of a mechanic repair shop (probably for tractors). Mom got out to ask someone who worked there for directions to her friends' house.

As I sat in the car and watched, I saw Mom talk to a lady there, probably telling her we were lost. Next thing I knew, the woman was hugging Mom. Gee, these North Dakotans bond awfully fast.

Turned out she was the woman we were supposed to be meeting for lunch. She knew who mom was, and yep, yep, that was indeed Dagmar, population 8 (including three dogs).

We had lunch there in the local café, along with the local farmhands. The wind began blowing that day, and I can honestly say Mom wasn't kidding about that in her stories. Good thing Mom's friend, Marie, had her hair shellacked to her head. When Mom was growing up, the farms had few, if any, trees surrounding them, so when the wind blew and before the crops were in, the dust permeated everything. Today, Russian olive trees line many residence driveways, and those are strong enough to withstand those gale-force winds.

I expected to see brown and dirty farmland. It was, instead, lush, green, and full of wildlife (the grass was exceptionally high while we were there, and we saw some deer hiding out), along with quail. There were several lakes (much smaller than Mom remembered, of course) with waterfowl and protected areas. About 14 miles northeast of Grenora, we found one of the major historical sites, Writing Rock, set way (for North Dakota) up on a hill, a ghost to former local Indian tribes who used to populate the area. It was one of those moments when you could hear the bees buzzing and the wind in the high grass, and you wonder what it must have been like before the first white settlers ever arrived.

Grenora (named for the GREat NORthern RAilroad, and I know that's true because women in the local café made me go inside the men's restroom to see the huge sign bearing wheat chaffs and gophers and the GRENORA steam engine) is a sleepy little town, with the water tower and St. Olaf's Church as the major highlights. We had gone there one day to talk to someone, and the whole town was shut down for a funeral. I told Mom we should just go to the funeral-everyone would be there, anyway. But we waited politely in front of the old-fashioned post office, soon to be replaced by an ugly modular building. Sure enough, one of Mom's classmates came out of St. Olaf's and told her where she could find the man who tended the family graves. Yep, yep. I like those small towns. Once folks figured out who the strangers in the blue rental car were (Luella Larson's in town! Did you hear?), we were welcomed by everyone we came into contact with.

I'm glad to say we had Cousin Kenneth guiding us around the various cemeteries. We were looking for the particular gravesite in Montana where Mom wants to be buried alongside her older sister, Tootie (Ruby Elaine Larson), who died of viral meningitis on the farm when she was seven. It will be quite the miracle if I ever remember how to find that place when the time comes (just picture me someday flying on a puddle jumper via Dickinson, North Dakota, that granola capital, with an urn on my lap). But it was indeed special for me to find some connections in such an unexpected place.

When we returned the rental car at the Williston airport, we had to wait while the Budget Rent-a-Car guy was off reading our speedometer (500 miles in that kind of country adds up mighty fast!). When he returned to the counter, he said, "Sorry for the delay. Saw a skunk. When you see one of those during the day, they're most likely rabid. Had to go get my gun."

Yep, yep. Life on the prairie.

Needless to say, my Norwegian heritage and Christmas in particular have new meaning for me. Family discovered and roots uncovered (literally).

One of these days, I've got to get to Junction City and see if I can find an electric lefse pan-my brother says it's my responsibility to keep the family legacy alive.

And just in case you're wondering why I didn't say anything more about lutefisk (dried cod treated with lye), well, Mom never made that. Maybe I could start a new tradition. Or not.

In Memoriam: Terry Smith

The Library sustained a great loss Sunday with the death of Terry Smith after a brief illness.

Saddened coworkers miss Terry's cheerful spirit and positive attitude. "I so admired her energy for learning new things and for making the most out of every day. She would figure out what she wanted to do and what she needed to do to get there -- and then she'd do it" said Lori Robare, Western languages cataloger.

Catalog Department Head Carol Hixson said: "Terry's personality is evident in all the things that make the Catalog Department such a special place to work: dedication to excellent service, caring for one another, tolerance and support for different points of view, mixed together with just the right amount of craziness and joie-de-vivre."

Terry was a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Purdue University. She went on to receive her MLS and MS from UO. While at Purdue, she worked as a library assistant and library technician. She worked at the University of Oregon Library as a temporary worker, then joined the staff in 1979 as non-book/English/Western European Languages Cataloger.

Terry would often undertake tasks that were difficult and required a lot of time and effort but that were not the kind of high-profile activity that would necessarily garner her a lot of attention and praise. "She was always doing more than her share, making things happen," Hixson says.

Terry specialized in cataloging audio-visual materials, microforms, films, videos, CD-ROMS and Internet resources. With her expertise in cataloging non-book formats, combined with her natural talent for teaching, Terry became the trainer of choice for OCLC Western for electronic resources, including Internet publications and audio-visual materials. Throughout her career, she presented many workshops on topics such as audiovisual tagging, hypertext markup, electronic resources cataloging, and subject heading construction. She presented workshops in California, Oregon, Washington and Alaska. Sadly, her ambition to lead a workshop in Hawaii was never realized.

In 1999, she co-taught a 4 credit course at San Jose State University on audio-visual cataloging. Her teaching partner, Nancy B. Olson, is the most recognized expert in the field. Terry was well regarded by her peers nationally, as well as regionally and locally.

According to her teammate, Marion Obar, Terry was nearly hired as a corporate trainer instead of a cataloger, but decided against the job because of the corporate wardrobe required (especially the shoes--Terry was a Birkenstock girl from way back.) Terry had a great talent for teaching. She taught first aid classes for Ski Patrol, and in the past she also taught women's self defense. Terry held a brown belt in TaeKwondo from her college days. Marion remembers Terry as capable, organized and solid in a crisis.

Terry was a member of the Online Audiovisual Catalogers, and the Oregon Library Association. She served the OLA Technical Services Roundtable as Secretary in 99/00 and was the current Chair.

At the Knight Library, Terry was an active participant in library affairs. She served on many committees and taskforces, most recently the Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Implementation Team. She was also an active member of the Library Staff Association. Many of the projects that Terry was involved in reflect her commitment to collaboration with colleagues outside of cataloging. Hixson notes that: "Terry utilized a collaborative approach long before it became fashionable."

It is characteristic that when Terry chaired the task group for merging the Preservation Department with the Catalog Department, she handled that difficult and sensitive job very well. Hixson praised Terry's strong, calm leadership in dealing with some very emotional issues: "Terry was a quiet but strong advocate of all points of view. If Terry was involved in a discussion, no one's opinion would be overlooked."

Terry joined in every Catalog Department activity, from cleaning the Catalog Department's section of the bike path to making stained glass windows and gingerbread houses for Christmas. Terry's many achievements are especially astonishing when one considers that she worked half-time from the beginning of her employment at the library.

Terry was a woman of many interests and talents, ranging from her involvement with Ski Patrol, to cowboy action shooting and civil war drumming. She liked to sing, dance, play the guitar, and she wanted to learn how to yodel. She appeared in numerous Gonzos and Zucchini Festivals. She was interested in history and historical reenactments. Both Civil War drumming and cowboy action shooting required historical costumes, and Terry researched and sewed most of her outfits.

Terry is survived by her husband, Louis, her son Bobby, her parents and two brothers.

Another memorial letter was received from Alice Allen, a former colleague:

December 4, 2001

To the UO Library Family:

I know you are all going through a difficult time. I wanted you to know that I was deeply saddened to learn of Terry's death. Carol and Marion have done a wonderful job of describing why all who worked with Terry valued her so much.

Though a great distance of miles and years separates me now from my time at UO, I remember so clearly that when I started work in the Catalog Dept. in 1982, I quickly came to admire Terry for her quiet competency, her generosity of spirit, and her enthusiastic embrace of the good and interesting things life offered. She remained one of my favorite people to work with-among many wonderful colleagues.

In my desk here at the University of Missouri, I have a folder of memorabilia from my Oregon days, including a sheaf of photographs. It is surprising how many of them include Terry.

Here is the "temporary wall" the construction workers put up after they removed an outside wall of Technical Services during the addition/renovation project. Terry and others painted a stunning masterpiece of tigers, elephants, flamingos, and lush jungle foliage to cover up the drabness of the temporary wall. They bought the paints and worked on their own time. It was a shame to let that painting disappear. I remember Terry telling me that she put in lots of hosta because her mother liked them.

Here is a picture of the Book Truck Drill Team from a Gonzo Revue. Terry is marching with the best of them.

Here are two pictures that were taken of the entire Technical Services staff. The photographer took a "serious" one and then a "goofy" one. In the serious one, Terry, wearing sunglasses, gives the camera her straightforward pleasant smile. In the goofy one, she flings her arms wide, broadens her smile, but it's still the same essential Terry.

And here is Terry as a dancing zucchini, a high point in the distinguished history of Zucchini Festivals.

These pictures aren't the whole story of Terry. It's hard to get a snapshot of the expert cataloger, the skilled trainer, the active professional colleague. My pictures only serve to underscore how much I know she will be missed.

My thoughts are with all of you today.

Alice Allen
University of Missouri-Columbia

FROM THE FACT FILE: ANNOUNCING THE WINNER

"Golden" Retrievers

Last month we sent you out to search for gold, the task being to come up with the names of ten famous people whose names contained the word "gold." We had four perfect submissions, and our randomly selected winner was David McCallum of Media Services. David will be receiving a $5 gift certificate for purchases at the UO Bookstore. The other staff members who gave us perfect answers were David Landazuri, Bill Murray, and Harriet Smith.

You can take another look at the clues by looking at November's Fact File.

The answers:
1. William Golding
2. Goldie Hawn
3. Niel Goldschmidt
4. Russ Feingold
5. Samuel Goldwyn
6. Arthur Goldberg
7. Golda Meir
8. Jeff Goldblum
9. Barry Goldwater
10 Jerry Goldsmith

Look in the January issue of LSA News for another "Fact File" contest.

Diversity Doings

This a friendly reminder that the Library Diversity Committee and Library Administration are sponsoring a presentation and discussion of the video, "The Way Home," as part of a series examining hatred and intolerance. The event will take place on Wednesday, December 19th, 9:00 a.m.-noon in the Knight Library Browsing Room, and will consist of the 90-minute video, a brief break, then followed by a discussion facilitated by Cris Cullinan, Training and Development Administrator for Human Resources. Since this program is open to the campus public, please call or e-mail Laine Stambaugh (ext. 6-1895 or lastamba@oregon) to register ahead of time to make sure we have enough room. For more information, see: http://www.world-trust.org/wayhome.html

I would encourage all of you to think about attending this great event. It could change how you look at things. Thank you!

--Rose Thomas, LDC Chair

Holiday Potluck

Last year we had a very successful turnout of participants and generous amounts of food for all. This year's celebration will be just as festive with music and seasonal decorations and good cheer to go around. However, due to the amount of coordination and work required of volunteers and the LSA Social Committee, the Executive Council decided to try a new approach this year. The potluck will be primarily a cold foods affair. No dishes will be reheated by volunteers; there will be a microwave onsite for persons to use who wish to bring hot dishes. So food items -- casseroles, salads, breads etc -- should truly be "table ready." There will be no storing of leftovers or washing of serving dishes. People should collect their serving plates as they leave or when the potluck is over. These changes were made so that we all can truly enjoy the Holiday Potluck without anyone's having to spend an inordinate amount of time getting the dishes ready and cleaning up afterwards.

A signup sheet for dishes has been posted in the Knight Library Staff Lounge. It's not too early to volunteer to help with decorations, room set up (setting up tables and chairs, folding napkins, and receiving items from University Housing), and take down. Contact one of the following members of the LSA Social Committee if you can lend a hand. Thanks a lot and hope to see you there!

Ann Muller (apmuller@oregon) Pam DeLaittre (pamdela@oregon) Susan Mincks (smincks@oregon) Raina Smith (rainas@oregon) Stephanie Midkiff (smidkiff@law)

History of the UO

One of the recent events to which we were all invited by our LSA Program Committee was a showing of the video "The History of the University of Oregon--Part One: The founding: 1857-1883." None of us newsletter folks made it to the showing, but we do have a couple of images of our own Lynette Boone, who appeared in the video.

Broad appeal for participation: anyone who did attend this event and would like to write up something like what these pictures are about, or whether a good time was had by all, are welcome to do so. Send your submissions on in, and we will post them (submissions I get in the first day or two this is out, I'll put in this space. Later ones will go in next month's on the theory people already looked at this month!). Note that submissions on most topics are almost always welcome--the joy of online publication is that we are not all that bound availability of by column inches.

Farewells to...

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