Legacy Society

The Minnesota Historical Society acknowledges the following members of the Society we lost over the past year. These generous individuals and families made a lasting impact, and their contributions and support will never be forgotten

Mary Bang became a member of the Society in 1968. In 2013, she established the Mary & Otto Bang Endowment Fund to honor her husband and recognize his 20 years of service as an elected official.This fund allows MNHS to fund its most urgent needs at any given time. Otto Bang served in the Minnesota House of Representatives from 1963 to 1973 and in the Minnesota Senate from 1973 to 1983. Mary also supported the Archabal Museum Programs Fund. She was an active member of the Women’s Club of Minneapolis, and celebrated her 80th birthday by knitting 80 chemo caps for the annual Women’s Club Project at HCMC Cancer Center.

Gary Bluem was a member of the North Star Circle for over a decade and founder of ProDesign. His generous gifts supported the ongoing work of the Society. ProDesign created prototypes for other businesses including IBM and John Deere. In 1998 he sold the company to 3M and his entrepreneurial spirit led him to inventing the De-Odo-Lite air purifier and Hi-N-Dri soap tray and nail brush. Gary’s wife, Sally, did extensive research on the Bluem family in the Gale Family Library. The Bluem family has strong connections to Minnesota history, as Gary’s New Ulm ancestors were witnesses to the U.S. Dakota War.

Brenda Canedy was a member of the Society for 17 years. Her generous gifts were in support of the Alexander Ramsey House where she also served on the Board of Governors for several years. In 1998, Brenda was a University of Minnesota Distinguished Alum, and had a passion for nursing history. She had two nursing books published by the University of Minnesota, titled Remembering Things Past: A Heritage of Excellence and The Definition, Maintenance, and Spanning of Boundaries: Case Study of a Nursing Services Department. Brenda belonged to the Minnesota chapter of the National Society of Colonial Dames. 

Dr. Nadia Christensen was a faithful advocate for the Society and included the Gale Family Library in her estate to support the Society’s mission of providing researchers and genealogists with greater access to its permanent collections. Nadia achieved great excellence in Nordic study and translation. She served as Director of Publications for the American Scandinavian Foundation, as well as editor-in-chief for the Scandinavian Review. Her translating, teaching, writing, and promotion of Norway was recognized by His Majesty King Harald V who honored Nadia’s work by naming her a Norwegian Knight’s Cross First Class. Dr. Christensen served as a U.S. State Department liaison for visiting Scandinavian Dignitaries and was the Executive Director of the Nordic Center at Augsburg University.

Neena Gada became a member of the Society in 1995 and joined the North Star Circle in 2003. She, along with her husband Ram, established the Ram and Neena Gada Family Fund for Indian American Heritage and History in Minnesota, an endowment focused on Indian American history and culture. The couple also supported bringing the exhibit Beyond Bollywood: Indian Americans Shape the Nation exhibit (2016) to the Minnesota History Center, and the Archabal Museum Programs Fund. Neena was passionate about creating a strong Indian community in Minnesota. She co-founded The School of India for Languages and Culture (SILC) and was actively involved in the India Association of Minnesota (IAM). 

Agnes Gerlach joined the Society in 1982 and became a member of the North Star Circle in 2004. She created The Agnes Gerlach Fund, an endowment for Historic Fort Snelling, in honor of her sister Cecelia Gerlach and their memories of visiting Historic Fort Snelling as children with their parents.These early experiences grew into a lasting appreciation of the Fort and its place in Minnesota history. Agnes was a life-long resident of St. Paul and worked for Briggs & Morgan for over 40 years. 

Douglas Hedin became a member of the Society in 1971 and supported the Eugenie M. Anderson Women in Public Affairs Fund. During his college years, he spent two summers participating in voter registration drives in the South. After obtaining his law degree, he established a law firm specializing in employment and discrimination law. He founded the Minnesota chapter of the National Employment Lawyers Association, and received the first ever Karla Wahl Award for his work. In retirement he created the Minnesota Legal History Project, an online resource for the publication of his original research into the many unsung lawyers and judges who shaped the legal system in Minnesota in the second half of the 19th and early 20th centuries. His work also includes the founding of the Barbara Steffens Hedin Library at the U of M Law School in honor of his wife.

Al Hilde Jr. along with his wife Jayne became North Star Circle members in 2015. MNHS houses Al’s Oral History in the permanent museum collections of distinguished Minnesota business oral histories. Al was a United States Army Veteran and founded Satellite Industries to solve the problem of a lack of outdoor sanitation. He served as the mayor of Plymouth from 1968 to 1977 and founded the Music in Plymouth event and later created the Hilde Performance Center. Al sat on the board of many Minnesota non-profit organizations and won many awards, including Entrepreneur of the Year, 1984 from TwinWest Chamber of Commerce and the Governor’s award for “Outstanding Achievement in Community and Economic Development.” Al served as President of the Grand Teton Music Festival and was the driving force of the outdoor venue “Music in the Hole”. 

Lenore Jesness became a member of the Society in 1982. She remembered the Society in her estate establishing The Lenore Jesness Fund for Genealogical Research after spending countless hours in the Gale Family Library tracing her ancestry, traveling to connect with distant relatives, and capturing details about their history. Lenore was a member of the Sons of Norway as well as the “Hadeland Lag,” an organization where members can trace their ancestry to the southeastern area of Norway.

Art Kaemmer joined the Society in 1992. He and his wife Martha, who served for many years on the Society’s Executive Council, established the Martha and Art Kaemmer Fund, an unrestricted fund that allows MNHS to allocate funds where they are most needed. Together they supported many campaigns, projects and Society efforts over four decades. Art was Chairman Emeritus of both the HRK Foundation and National Medical Fellowships, Inc. and was a Trustee of Carleton College. He served on many boards including the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, VocalEssence, the Kinnickinnic River Land Trust and American Museum of Fly Fishing. Art was a pediatrician and was well known in the Merriam Park and Crocus Hill Neighborhoods as “Alice the Gorilla” on Halloween, collecting canned goods for local food shelves. 

Gloria Kaste became a member in 2007 and joined the North Star Circle in 2013. Gloria advocated for women to become actively engaged in the political process through civic organizations. She served as secretary of the Women’s Fund of the Northwest Minnesota Foundation as well as secretary of the RiverView Foundation Board. Gloria also served on the Polk County EMS Board and was given the Spirit of Emergency Medical Service Award by the County Emergency Medical Services of Fertile, Minnesota. Gloria and her husband Paul raised their children on the family's century farm near Fertile and ran Kaste Seed, producing native grass and wildflower seeds for the northern great plains region - a business now run by their son.

Carl Kuhrmeyer became a member of the Society in 1986. He established the Kuhrmeyer Family Fund for Information Technology in 2008 in recognition of his 42-year career at 3M. Carl and his wife Jan had an appreciation for the Society’s library and collections and recognized the tremendous potential of utilizing Information Technology to make the MNHS collections more accessible to researchers. Carl was a board member of the Hill Farm Historical Society and the St. Paul Winter Carnival.

Tom Kurihara became a member of the Society after establishing The Earl K. and Ruth N. Tanbara Fund and the Thomas M. Kurihara Fund for Japanese American History in Minnesota in memory of his Aunt Ruth and her husband Earl in 2010. The fund supports programming around the Military Intelligence Service Language School at Historic Fort Snelling, including the 2022 exhibit Righting a Wrong: Japanese Americans & World War II exhibit at the History Center. When Tom was a child, he and his family were sent to Internment camps in Wyoming and Arizona. After the war ended and the camps were closed in 1945, his family moved to Minnesota. Tom served in the US Navy. He was a board member for the Saint Paul Nagasaki Sister City Committee, and a supporter of the Twin Cities Japanese American Citizens League.

George Latimer, the longest serving mayor in St. Paul, became a member of the Society in 1993 and a North Star Circle member in 2017. He became a Legacy Society member in 2021 when he enthusiastically designated funds for the Patrick Coleman Chair: Curator of Maps, Rare Books and Print Culture. George worked as a labor lawyer and served on the Saint Paul School Board before his 14 year run as mayor. He also served as a Regent at the University of Minnesota, Dean of Hamline University School of Law, an Under Secretary for Housing and Urban Development during the Clinton Administration, Chair of the National Equity Fund, President of the National League of Cities, a Distinguished Professor at Macalester College, a Labor Arbitrator, and as a member of countless volunteer boards and committees.

Donald Leavenworth joined the Society in 1998 and became a member of the North Star Circle in 2017. His generous gifts supported the ongoing work of MNHS. He served two years in the U.S. Army as a Lieutenant stationed in Germany and later worked for Cargill. For much of Don's 36 year career, he focused on soybeans and oil seed processing, serving as Chair of both national and international associations. In his later years he found great joy in the comradery of the Skylight Club in Minneapolis.

Thomas Lee became a member of MNHS in 2003 and joined the North Star Circle the following year. Tom donated several gifts to the Minnesota’s Greatest Generation project to honor his brother who died in WWII. He also supported the revitalization of Historic Fort Snelling. Tom enjoyed a long, fulfilling career with General Mills, beginning in 1960 and retiring in 1996. He was generous with his time and his resources, focusing his efforts on supporting access to educational opportunities. He contributed to a wide range of causes by serving on boards, volunteering time, and providing financial support.

Sally Lehmann became a member of the Society in 1970 and supported the Patrick Coleman Chair: Curator of Maps, Rare Books and Print Culture, the Gale Family Library and Historic Fort Snelling. Sally’s St. Paul family papers can be found in the MNHS collections along with the fashion illustrations her mother, Trudy Jansen Willius, created for Schunemans Department Store. As an art historian, Sally spent more than four decades as a volunteer docent at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts (Mia), including a period as the Docent Chair. Sally was involved with the League of Women Voters and served as an election judge for many years. In her youth, Sally was one of the first girls to participate in Camp Widgiwagan’s women’s canoe expeditions in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area.

Jean Ljungkull became a member of the Society in 1983 and joined the North Star Circle in 1998. Over the years Jean supported many MNHS initiatives and through her estate established the Jean R. Ljungkull Textile Fund to care for the Society’s textile collection. Born and raised in St. Paul, Jean supported many local institutions through her philanthropic giving including United Hospitals of St. Paul, Minnesota Public Radio and the Saint John's Bible project as well as her volunteer work at the Science Museum of Minnesota.  For many years, Jean and her daughter lived in Lutsen where she was a garden club member and enjoyed the beauty of the North Shore. 

Skip Marek was a member of the Society from 2001 to 2023. A U.S. Navy veteran and retired electrical engineer, he was well known at MNHS for his 18 years of volunteer work, donating over 5,740 hours of his time to the James J. Hill House and Historic Fort Snelling. Upon his death he established the Skip Marek Fund - an endowment for volunteer services and volunteer recognition. He was a skilled woodworker and made reproductions of the famous First Ave Stars as celebration decor for the Society’s 2019 exhibit on Minneapolis' First Avenue nightclub. 

Frank Marvin became a member of the Society in 2018.  His gifts supported the ongoing work of MNHS. Frank and his wife Margaret were longtime supporters of the Northwest Minnesota Foundation and the St. Paul and Minnesota Foundation. He served the family business, Marvin Windows & Doors, for 42 years, including four years as Vice President and eleven as company president. Frank believed in investing in Warroad and surrounding communities. Frank’s vision for a place where the whole community could gather became a reality this year. RiverPlace, an arts, culture and events center, opened this summer on the banks of the Warroad River. 

Barbara Burgess Nelson was a member of the Society from 1994-2015. In 2006 she established the Raleigh P. & Barbara B. Nelson Fund, an unrestricted source of funding for the Society. She also supported the History Center’s Minnesota’s Greatest Generation Exhibit as well as programming at Historic Fort Snelling. Using MNHS resources she built an extensive record of her family history. Barbara and her husband Raleigh believed it was important for their sons and grandchildren to benefit from the Society’s mission to preserve the past in order to build a stronger community in the future. She completed a fashion degree from the Tobé Coburn School of Fashion Careers in New York City in 1948 and later became a buyer for Lord & Taylor and Dayton’s Oval Room. Barbara and her husband  became Burger King franchisees in 1964 and in the early years she was instrumental in planning, decorating and staffing the restaurants. Barb was a board member of the Twin Cities Opera Guild for more than 30 years.

Joanne Schmid was a member of the Society from 2000 to 2023. Her generous gifts over two decades supported the ongoing work of MNHS. Joanne was a devoted librarian at Washburn Elementary School, Bloomington, MN and was well known for her sewing and knitting skills.  She served as a Hennepin County Master Gardener and was an active member of the Shorewood community. A lifelong Girl Scout, Joanne cherished her friendships with her original Troop 18 from St. Cloud, Minnesota.

Annelda (Nel) Schweiss was a member of the Society from 2001 to 2024. As a Legacy Society member, she created The Nel Schweiss Fund for Minnesota River Valley Historic Sites which helps support MNHS sites including Fort Ridgely, Jeffers Petroglyphs, the Lower Sioux Agency and many more. Nel was known on the east side of St. Paul as “The Flower Lady.” She took care of her community and supported people who were unhoused. Nel worked as a switchboard operator at many St. Paul companies including Peters Meat Market Co., Economics Laboratory Inc. (the precursor to Ecolab), Buckbee-Mears Co. and Coopers & Lybrand.

John Sieff was a faithful member of the Society for over three decades and joined the North Star Circle in 2007. He joined the S&M Company, founded by his father Philip in 1921, and served as sales manager and president from 1950-1995. John founded Summit Tire Group and was inducted in the Tire Industry Hall of Fame in 2005. He was also the owner of Lyndale Hardware in Minneapolis. John was the longest-standing member of the Golden Valley Country Club in Minneapolis, where he served as president. His memberships also included the Masons Scottish Rite, the Minneapolis Athletic Club, and Sales and Marketing Club of Minneapolis. He volunteered and served on the boards of directors of Grace Place for Children and Families in Naples, Marco Island Men's Club and Minnesota Club in Naples.

Linnea Tedlund became a member of the Society over a decade ago along with her husband Barry and joined the North Star Circle in 2020. Her passions included a love of children, animals, music and sunshine. Linnea felt that her highest calling was being a mom and loved spending time with her five children. Linnea’s family owns a hobby farm where they keep and train horses. Linnea’s ongoing legacy can also be seen in the horse riding competitions that some of her children participate in. 

Mary Vaughan joined the Society in 1982 and became a member of the North Star Circle in 2001. Mary made many generous gifts during her lifetime including supporting the building of the Minnesota History Center. She held leadership positions on many of the boards by serving in executive positions, leading capital campaigns and chairing committees for organizations including the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, the Minnesota Opera, the Guthrie Theater, Macalester College, Northrop School, Abbott-Northwestern Hospital, and Stevens Square Community Organization.

Joanne Von Blon became a member of the Society in 1992 and was a North Star Circle member for over twenty years. She supported both the creation of the Minnesota History Center and Mill City Museum. Joanne served as Chair of Minneapolis Mayor Naftalin's Joint Committee for Equal Opportunity and was a life member of the NAACP. She reviewed books for the Star Tribune and served on the boards of the Loft Literary Center, Minnesota Center for Book Arts, and Graywolf Press.

The Minnesota Historical Society is thankful for the support of these members and donors. If you would like to learn more about becoming a member of the Legacy Society, please contact Vice President of Advancement Jennifer Pogatchnik. 651-259-3116 Jennifer.Pogatchnik@mnhs.org