A “Neighbors” column some time ago told of a guy who, as a boy, delivered The Forum to businesses in downtown Fargo in 1942.
One of those establishments was the Metropole Hotel.
That brought an email from Harriet Holler, formerly of Hunter, N.D., and now of Fargo, who wrote that she enjoyed the column, and especially the mention of that hotel.
“I loved the meeting place that the Metropole was,” she wrote.
“There was big furniture in the lobby.
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“There were two men at the desk wearing white dress shirts and gray trousers, and one always cleared his throat.
“The column about all this brings back memories of downtown Fargo.
“Reading ‘Neighbors’ always brings a good tear for those days long ago.”
Well, Harriet, credit for this goes to people like you who send in those memories.
Keep ‘em coming.
Flu epidemic
Well, the COVID-19 pandemic goes on and on. But it certainly isn’t the first disease to stir up the area. And here’s a woman whose grandfather was deeply involved in dealing with people caught in it.
Nancy (Sorkness) Henning, of Fort Collins, Colo., writes, “My grandfather, Dr. Paul Sorkness, was the health officer for Fargo during the 1918 flu epidemic.
“My father, Sidney, and his brother Joseph would drive him in the horse and buggy every night as he visited patients.
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“None of them got the flu, but my grandfather suffered a stroke after working 24/7 and died in 1920.”
If you have an item of interest for this column, mail it to Neighbors, The Forum, Box 2020, Fargo, ND 58107, fax it to 701-241-5487 or email blind@forumcomm.com.
