Frode Jespersen, Part V

    Frode's memory was always good, both short and long term. Living to over 100 there was a lot to remember. Here's an example. His parents immigrated from Denmark to a farm northwest of Westhope, N.D. That places the farm a mile and half from the Canadian border. As boy during prohibition he recalled accompanying his father on a special mission. Riding with his day in the car they drove cross country through the fields to the Canadian border. At the border they met Canadians who sold his dad beer. Thus, evading the strictures of prohibition. 

    Always quick with a quip Frode also would tell jokes. There was an elderly couple in an unhappy marriage. They were always fussing at each other for one thing or another. Finally the wife had had enough so she had an idea. She said to her husband, "Let's pray the Lord take one of to heaven, and I'll go live with my sister."

Takk for alt,

Al

Cooking lessons on Crete, Greece, 2023.

Frode Jespersen, Part IV

     The winter of 1948-49 was particularly snowy in the upper Midwest. With a lengthy driveway that wound through the grove of trees of the farmstead it became impossible to get our car to the house. Consequently, it was parked by the highway, which as U.S. Highway 81, was always kept open. Walking the mile to school we were able to step over the telephone wires on the huge drifts of snow. The National Guard was utilized to plow out the township roads.

   Somehow this winter situation came up in conversation with Frode. By then he was out of the Air Corps and back in his hometown of Westhope, ND. Westhope is on U.S. Highway 83, about four miles from the Canadian border, Manitoba being the closest province. Frode was giving flying lessons out of the local airport.

  One day the local Westhope postmaster approached Frode relating the difficulty of delivering mail becasue the local roads were blocked with snow. Frode had his Piper Cub equipped with skis. So he took the postmaster up in his plane. Flying over the isolated farms the postmaster would drop the securely packaged mail to the families below. How many knew that Frode once flew airmail? 😀

Takk for alt,

Al

A ferry in Hong Kong Harbor, with family occupied junks in the foreground.  1962

Very Naïve!

    Being around books as much as I am I should have been aware. Published as long ago as 1988, and made into a movie, still I didn't know. When M. lent me a book by Kazuo Ishiguro, lamely I assumed it would be about Japan. Duhh! Nobel Literature Prize winner Ishiguro moved from Japan to England when we was five and writes in English about England.

   Remains of the Day, is tutorial on what makes a good butler. That is the means Ishiguro uses to reflect on life choices and cultural and societal changes. Set in 1956, Stevens, the butler, reflects on his life and decisions, particularly events in the 1930s. Melancholy about much of the past, he decides to make the best of the future, The Remains of the Day.  It's remarkably engaging for a book in which almost nothing happens. Of course, things have happened in the past on which Stevens reflects at length.

   So, I'm happy to have finally read it!

Takk for alt,

Al

PS Future blog posts will contain more stories about Frode Jespersen.

Frode Jespersen, Part III

     When a person ages, as Frode did, gradually peers die. As he moved through his 90s there were fewer people with whom to visit on the phone. At some point we began talking every week, a practice that continued until he entered hospice. Past golf episodes were recalled and he related stories from his life. One of those stories was about hunting for war criminals, which he also recounts in his memoir. 

   With insufficient time overseas to be sent home after the war ended he was to Tachikawa Army Air Base, Japan. There wasn't much for him to do there so he was assigned to maintenance. Then a request  came from Headquarters of the 5th Air Force, for a plane and crew to undertake a war crimes investigation trip through Asia. Mentioning to his superior that he'd like to go the boss said he'd get him on as co-pilot if he'd bring back silk from Shanghai. The crew consisted of the pilot, co-pilot, navigator and engineer. Also aboard a Marine Colonel, a Navy Prosecutor, a French Prosecutor, 2 or 3 civilians and several Chinese officials.

  He writes "On April 21, 1946 we departed Tachikawa with out first stop Seoul Korea for refueling, then on to Shanghai,...Hong Kong, Saigon, Singapore, Batavia, Canton, Kwailin, Heng Yang, Hankow and Peiping."  At each stop they'd stay a few days for the officials to document atrocities and they were wined and dined. Again he writes "I was introduced several times to 12-course dinners, while starving people roamed the streets with tin cups requesting food. It was disconcerting...." He said the worst conditions were in Heng Yang. 

   He writes again, "On a lighter note, when we arrived in Batavia, (now Jakarta) we were informed that we would be there for a few days....So we borrowed a Jeep from the Dutch Army, loaded it on the C-47, and proceeded to Bali....We spent a day or two in Bali, were wined and dined by local officials....returned to Batavia....and were ready to continue our trip."  This was an unauthorized trip.

   When I mentioned to Frode that on my recent Asia trip I'd been in Saigon it brought back his memories of the aforementioned travel. He said "In 1946 I ate at sidewalk café in Saigon."  Too bad he didn't have pictures.

Takk for alt,

Al

   

    

Notre Dame Cathedral, the Basilica  of Saigon. One of my memories of visiting were all the beggars on the steps.

Frode Jespersen, Part II

     During World War II, Frode was a bomber pilot in Asia. After retirement he wrote a sixteen page document about his flight training and flying experiences. Originally from Westhope, ND, which was about thirty miles from where I lived in Mohall, he returned there after the war. He supported himself giving flying lessons, for which he received $2.00 an hour. From there he joined Federal Aviation Administration, where he worked until he retired in1987. He served the United States for 34 years.

   In his story about his military flying experiences he wrote "The first aircraft I checked out in was the PT-17, an open cockpit biplane. The last aircraft I became qualified in was the Boeing 747 jumbo jet. I remained in the Reserves until about 1956 during which time I flew F-80 fighter jets and the C-119 cargo carrier. During my time in the military, I flew about 11 different airplanes. In civilian life I became qualified in 6 more, plus several small civilian planes."

   To my question "What was it like to fly a 747?" he replied "It was like sitting on your porch and flying your house." 

   He concluded his report "I met a lot of people and made a lot of friends during my time on active duty. Even though it was an invaluable experience, I don't think I would want to go through it all again. Most of the time it was a grind. The training was hard, sometimes the flying part was frightening, sometimes the living conditions were substandard. But one thing, it was never boring." 

  So fortunate to have known him!

Takk for alt,

Al

Frode and I, with members of St. James Lutheran, when they celebrated his 100th birthday.

Frode Jespersen, March 23, 1923-February 20, 2025

      It all started in 1989. Richard, Dick, Olson was newly retired. Frode had been retired for awhile as had Don Davies. Frode's son is married to Don's daughter. and we formed a golf foursome. In the first years we  played a number of courses deciding each week where we'd go the next. Living in the NW part of the Twin Cities most of the courses we played were in that direction. It was high stakes golf, the weekly prize was free lunch at McDonalds. Frode keep our scores on his computer so he arrived to each outing with our fresh handicaps. Even though he was the oldest Frode typically had the lowest handicap. Thursday was golf day becasue senior rates applied. Many were the days we had to wait for the spring frost to melt from the greens before we could tee off. Many were the days that we had to search for balls under autumn leaves. Yes, we took playing golf seriously.

    After about ten years Don's age caught up with him and he dropped out. Frode knew Elon Nash, a retired physician, and recruited him to replace Don. It was during El's tenure that we shifted playing to Lakeview, west of Lake Minnetonka, thus its name. It was well suited for aging golfers. It was a bit shorter than many courses, had no sand and little water. El played with us for about ten years until he needed to withdraw to care for his wife.

   Needing a fourth I recruited my high school classmate, Lloyd Hope. Eventually Lakeview closed. We shifted our playing to Shamrock which had the same attributes for older golfers as Lakeview. There we played until 2017.Our group disbanded. Dick, in his 90s decided he was too old. Frode needed to take care of his wife who was suffering memory loss. Lloyd moved to South Dakota. Without the partners with whom I played, I lost interest in golf, so, I too quit.  While I didn't miss golf I certainly missed our group.

   Both Dick and Lloyd died a few years ago. Frode and I stayed in touch with weekly phone calls. He was a remarkable man who drove to church a few weeks ago. In subsequent blog postings I'll write more about Frode.

Talk for alt,

Al

Frode and I at St. James Lutheran the day they celebrated his 100th birthday.

Priorities!

     After talking to P.L. for almost an hour it was time to post a blog but that plan Unrivaled. That's a little pun for the uninitiated. Unrivaled is a new, professional, women's basketball league, so I watched and delayed blogging. It was started by two WNBA players; Minnesota LYNX own Napheesa Collier (Phee) and New York Liberty's, Brenda Stewart (Stewie) Because the WNBA salaries are modest most players play in Europe or Asia in the off season (winter) where they make much more money. The WNBA season runs opposite the NBA season, therefore their games are mostly in the summer. Phee and Stewie wanted an alternative to playing overseas, thus, they formed Unrivaled, which is now in its first season.

   Unrivaled is a three on three format. The floor is a little shorter and the shot clock only 18 seconds. There are other changes, too. Locally the games are televised on TNT and TruTV so I can watch. It's a very fast paced game. Because I follow the WNBA, being able to livestream their games when I'm at The Little House, I recognize all the players. This adds to the enjoyment.

   Recently Unrivaled hosted a one on one tournament for their players. Phee won this event. Thirty players entered the tournament which was single elimination.  Phee won, capturing the grand prize of $200,000. That's more than her WNBA salary. Compare that with NBA salaries! Each of her three on three teammates received  $10,000. based on her win. Phee's  team is leading the league with an 8 and 1 record.

  So, that's my priority, which sure beats football.

Takk for alt,

Al