Post High Memories

On a warm summer evening in 1936, my brother, Art, and I joined our parents on our large screened in front porch of our home. We had both graduated from high school in June.

 Our parents, who had preceded us to the porch, turned to Art and asked, “What do you want to do or where do you want to go to school?” Art must have already given it much thought because he quickly responded, “I want to go to a business school in Minneapolis.

It is called the Minnesota School of Business.” Our parents were surprised with his quick response but agreed it would be a very good business school.

 Then my parents turned to me and asked, “How about you, Bob, do you know what you would like to do?” Having worked part time in my father’s store, I replied, “I am really interested in studying pharmacy.” I am sure my answer did not surprise them. Everyone agreed, we would soon need information on the schools Art and I would be attending. In the fall of 1936, I enrolled at Hamline University in St Paul. I was there one year to obtain my required academic credits for entrance into the College of Pharmacy at the University of Minnesota. I stayed in a private home just off campus. My roommate was a boy from Hutchinson, Minnesota. The people we rented from were very nice and friendly. On occasion, they would offer us some freshly baked “goodies”. I worked for my board (three meals a day) at a coop dining hall on campus. The food was similar to home cooking. My memory is I worked two hours at one meal each day. My duties were setting tables and bringing the food and beverages for family style dining.

 I used Greyhound Bus if I went home for a weekend. During the following summer of 1937, I worked in my father’s drug store.

 In the fall of 1937, I transferred to the College of Pharmacy at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. I became a member of Phi Delta Chi, a professional pharmacy fraternity, located on the corner of fourth street and eleventh Avenue in Minneapolis. I lived at the fraternity house each school term through graduation 1937-1940. Phi Delta Chi, being a professional fraternity, has pharmacy students and staff only as members. Living in the fraternity house was quite an advantage because I was with pharmacy students only.

 The first floor of the fraternity house had a large entrance hall. To the left was an extensive lounge area from front to back of the house. To the right of the entrance hall was a large dining room for members and their guests. An over sized kitchen was off the dining room. The large refrigerator, as you may have guessed, was always locked other that at meal time or in preparation of food.

 The second level had four large study rooms. Each room was furnished with four desks and four chairs. There were storage facilities for clothes and other personal belongings. It included drawers and a small closet. Most students in each study room were in same year at the University. Also on the second floor was a large bathroom complete with urinals, sinks, stools and stall showers.

The dormitory was on the third level. It had about ten bunk beds. I usually ate my three meals each day at the fraternity house. Except on Sunday, when noon dinner was the last meal served.

During my first year at the College of Pharmacy, my class consisted of ten women and thirty men. Many of my classes during my three years at the University were held in the College of Pharmacy building They included pharmacognosy, manufacture of drugs, drug analysis, cosmetology, pharmaceutical chemistry, materia medica, dispensing and others. I had two chemistry classes in the Chemistry Department building and also had classes in the Medical School, including physiology, bacteriology, pharmacology and physiology. Other classes were accounting in the Business School and botany in the Botany building .

Two of my Professors were also Professors my father had when he was at the College of Pharmacy about 1906-07. They were Professor Bachman in dispensing and Professor Butters in Botany. 

I carried twenty credits a number of quarters. Many of my classes had both lecture and laboratory hours. Some laboratory classes were four hours and sometimes on Saturdays 

Classmates who were fraternity brothers living at the house, Tom Griffin, Dick Schmidt, Tarjei Iverson, Paul Cusciotto, John Steblay and Larry Mueller. They were friendly and great fellows.