-Norway’s Gerd Recollects
Village Life in Homeland
By BETTY ANN STEVENS
I can t even talk, ’ Gerd Hansen, Coed Capers chairman,
croaked from the pillows. “How are you ever going to inter
view me?”
Propped up on the couch in her room at the Kappa house,
amid hot-water bottles and scrap-books, Gerd announced stur
dily, rubbing her hand across flushed cheeks, “Gosh, but it's
fun to be sick for a while and have everyone come and see you.
its wonaeriur. me cook says
she's going to make me an onion
pack.”
4 She's “very enthusiastic”, about
the forthcoming Capers, with the
belief that November 19 should
“mean something” to any coed.
A question concerning her Nor
wegian background brought forth
—“Do you want to know things
like we 'came over here nine
years ago ? Well, we were sea
sick all the way over . . . mother,
the twins and I.”
When they finally arrived for
a four-day visit in New York,'
relatives tried to discourage them
from going west, because of the
bears and Indians.
“It was so funny,” Gerd gig
gled. “We didn’t know any Eng
"Ifeh, but by the time we got to
Marshfield we could say ‘what
time is it?’.” On the way across
the country she had her illusions
shattered about America being a
country of palm trees, hula girls,
and mansions.
',Ji’Learning English with the
help of a Norwegian-English dic
tionary was difficult, Gerd found,
especially when shopping at a
Marshfield market. She carefully
looked up “lok,” the Norwegian
equivalent of onions, and found
them defined as “bulbs.” A puz
Wil'd West
Onions
Ludwig- Donath
Gale Sondergaard in
“STRANGE DEATH OF
ADOLF HITER”
also
“DANGEROUS
£ BLONDES’’
with Allvn Josh*n
Evelyn Keyes
and Edmund Lowe
zled proprietor was able to ful
fill her request only after she hac.
explained that they “smell awful
and you get tears in your eyes.”
“I just can't say 'railroad',”
Gerd laughed. "Mr. Casteel tried
to help me for a while by hav
ing me speak with matches in
my mouth.”
An old-fashioned scrap-book
next drew attention, and we were
looking at a picture of small, tow
headed Gerd in a cart drawn by
a St. Bernard dog near her home
in Norway. “Mmmm-hmmm, my
hair used to be blonde. You know,
there’s another girl in the house,
Gail Nelson, who talks Norwe
gian, and we talk it a lot,”
About her relatives in Norway,
Gerd exclaimed with earnest pre
cision, “Oh, mother heard from
them through the Red Cross last
Saturday. They're all well and
have enough to eat, so she’s hap
py about it.”
German Occupation
Gerd believes that conditions
are better in Norway now be
cause “the Germans are busy on
their own home front, but of
course I feel this way ... it
would just kill me if they do any
thing . . . but they can’t really
change it.”
“The Moon Is Down,” wasn’t
very much like Norway, and Nazi
tyranny is exaggerated, in Gerd’s
opinion. “There was a drunkard
in our village who said some
things he shouldn’t to a Nazi,
and they killed him.” She feels
that the Nazis aren't above tak
ing hostages, but they don't go in
for wholesale murder.
“Go back to Norway? I want
to,” she said quietly.
An honor roll student, blue
eyed Gerd came to the Univer
sity on an Aaron Frank schol
arship, was tapped for Kwama
and elected AWS sergeant-at
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WOMAN’S PAGE STAFF
Co-editors:
Betty Ann Stevens
Carol Greening
Staff:
Betty Lu Siegman
Mary Margaret Ellsworth
Martha Thorsland
AWS Note*.
With little Janet “Pewee” Ross
dressed in diapers and a zoot suit,
Coed Capers will have novelty as
well as being just "absolutely ab
solutely.” (Pewee, you remem
ber, is the stooge of “Squirrel”
Huntington, the two of them be
ing co-mistresses of ceremony.)
—And, with the members of
one of the houses on the campus
coming as expectant mothers—
what more can be said ?
Speaking of this last little item
is a reminder of the contest
which goes on between all the
coed living organizations for the
"best" costumes worn to the Ca
pers. Miki Campbell adds that
other houses should be deciding
what they will wear—remember
ing that all the members of a
house dress alike.
The main “brush-up” rehear
sal for this “coed only” program
is Wednesday night, with the
event itself “coming off” the fol
lowing Friday. Activity for the
present is centered in practicing
and looking for costumes, say
the committee heads.
Besides the class skits Barbara
Me Clung tells us that there is an
activity skit entitled "Art Mas
terpiece Revolt.” Kwamas, Phi
Thetas, and Mortar Boards are
responsible for this. Some of the
main parts will be. played by
Kathryn Dunn, Joan Dolph, Bev
erly Padgham, Betsy Wootton
Howard (as Whistler’s Mother),
Phyllis Evans, and "Mimi”
Staub.
What sounds especially prom
ising is the faculty skit called
“Pistol Packin’ Momma,” at
least this is the first report we
have heard about that group of
"actresses.”
If you can't come to the Capers
why not buy a ticket anyway?
Because, remember, all the pro
ceeds go toward buying a bomb
er except for a certain amount
going to the service scholarship
fund.
—By Betty Lu Siegman
arms last year, and is a member
of Phi Theta Upsilon.
“Bill? I called him up last
night, and the funny part about
it is that he called me at exact
ly the same time,” she admitted
smilingly. Gerd wears the SAE
pin of Bill Tugman, who is now
stationed at Camp Adair. “Ev
erybody’s coming back,” she ob
served. “Alysone’s Bob Gray . . .
Pres Phipps . . . and Tessie (Kap
pa housemother) was so glad to
see him that she walked up and
kissed him.”
Gerd would like to “just travel
and not worry, and just see peo
ple. I think after the war’s over
we will, don’t you? Fly oyr air
planes to Europe . . . flit around
the world.”
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By MARTHA THORSLAND and MARY M. ELLSWORTH
Don't you sometimes have the feeling that just once it would
be fun to see your name in print in something other than an
infirmary "ad"? Well, it's a cinch to make this column. ALL
you have to do is get married or engaged or pinned. Nothing
to it. When the big event happens just drop a feather and we'll
be around to find out about it.
But to Get to the point . . . Bobbie Rundell, Alpha Gam,
and nnsign i.yle Nelson, Dclt.
are celebrating their second
week's wedding anniversary. It
happened in Chicago.
The Tri Delts are relinquish
ing Barbara Lesher to Lt. Tur
ner Byrd. They're to be married
the middle of this month.
From Alder lodge comes the
news that Dot Kapps is wearing
the Kappa Sig pin of Don Beards
ley. Also, Valerie St raid is en
gaged to Howard Krebs, a Uni
versity of Portland man.
Barbara Brice, Dee Gee, passed
through town the other night on
her way south to meet and mar
ry Jack Converse and happily
end a long story. Helen Wilhelm,
another Dee Gee, came back to
the campus after a few days in
Portland, the proud and happy
possessor of Stan Prather's
Sword-and-Shield. He's an OSC
man.
For advice on how to get your
man just contact Birch lodge.
From the above mentioned house
Margaret Thompson is engaged
to Pvt. Bud Smith; Ardyce 3Iasl
ditto to Lyle McGuire; and Vir
ginia Glover is wearing a Theta
Chi pin.
News of the summer is still
trickling in. Latest is that of the
marriage of Dodie Schwarz, Al
pha Phi, to Lt. Jim Oft borne, an
Alpha Delta from Cal.
Both Parks, KAT, last week,
announced her engagement t<
Timmy Maize, Delt, correctly ti
tled ensign. He was here on leave
for the big occasion.
We are informed that ITorisler
Riley, Pi Phi, and Peter Howard
are a little hurt. It seems they
announced their engagement
some time ago and it's never been
in tile Emerald so here's prac
tically a whole paragraph t
make lip for it.
Pi Phis
The Pi Phi freshmen have been
at work and last Monday an
nounced "their'’ first engage
ment. Marian Church Is being
drafted into the army under the
command of Major Jim Rogers,
Jr. of Mobile, Alabama.
By this time (or shortly after)
Elise Older, Sigma Kappa, and
Verne Ward should be bride and
groom. Verne is.with the ROTC,
At the ADPi house Betty Da
vis announced her engagement.
Lo Lt. Jimmy McGuire. Both arc
from Grants Tass. Incidentally,
Jon't be alarmed if you see the
ADPis wearing wings. Betty
gave a pair to each of her sister
at the gala dinner.
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