Walter Lee Hartenberger

Rarely is any human being's existence not shaped by those they regard as extraordinary. We often are inspired by actors, entertainers, musicians, or athletes; people whose drive and accomplishments we aspire to emulate. I have had my share of "heroes", none of whom influenced me more than my two dads, Dean and Fritz. Fritz was my role model and mentor as I began my chosen career. His maverick streak and willingness to "think outside the box" was a provocation that helped me to look at education from a different perspective, often to the great benefit of both the students I served as well as to the colleagues I served with. I still remember vividly with great fondness the late night discussions we shared regarding how we would fix America's schools if only the powers that be had the foresight to put us in charge! So, for my hero, I will never forget: *Our first meeting; it was the quickest handshake you had ever executed with one of Manette's boyfriends. *The trip to Alaska and watching the shear genius of your negotiations with the board. *Nette and my wedding, with you and my dad in the camper alternating between gulps of your favorite beverage and validating for one another that it was OK for grown men to cry. *How cool you thought the little red Saab was and how cool we both thought it was that it returned to the family 10 years after you sold it. *The momentary eye to eye contact we shared the day we went over the bar in 20 foot swells-you were masterful (or was it luck) at saving the boat, but I managed to save the beer! *Soaking in the hot tub/excursions to find cord wood/our trips to Sand Lake/"The Onion" and Lazslo Toth. Thanks, Fritz, for making all of our lives much better than a "C+" !

I love you Grandpa Fritz! I miss you tons, and smile everytime I think of all the memories. Alfonzo hats, Can you guess it? box full of weird things that I could never guess when I was a kid, but would get a nickle if I could. My friend Rachael got an Alfonzo hat and still has it. Everyone who met you fell in love with your humor and kindness. I love you always!

It was always exciting to be with Uncle Fritz and all of the Hartenbergers.  Lots of laughing and jokes, like rubber bathtub duckies turned into fishing lures!  I learned about gas-house specials and Mickey Mouse pancakes from Fritz, and passed on those traditions to my own kids. Uncle Fritz gave me a typewriter when I was only six years old, and I thought it was the coolest thing I had ever received.  He would paint rocks from the beach and put them in his eyes like a pirate to scare us, and I thought that was just amazing!  Wherever we were, the action just ramped up, when Uncle Fritz was around, and I loved it.  As an adult, with my own children, there were many more happy times.  Fishing at Lake of the Woods was a big competition.  We had fun looking at Canadian Mounties carved from wooden stumps, and questionable birds taped onto windows.  We ate candy from Fritz's "People Feeder."  My children were as enamored with Uncle Fritz as I had always been.  He had a wonderful gift of enjoying life, and he helped all the rest of us enjoy life, as well.  I will always treasure all of our happy times together.  I will miss you, Fritz.

Since I first met Fritz, after marrying Sig, I loved the guy.  He was so much fun to be around, and he had a heart of gold.  We spent many vacations staying with Fritz and Mary, in Lannon, WI, Long Island, NY, Grand Forks, ND, Moccasin (and another tiny town, too, in MT, Lake Oswego, Ukiah, and Woodburn, OR.  We prided ourselves on finding them, wherever they lived, except Alaska.   We didn't  visit them there.

 

Fritz and Mary spent many vacations visiting us, too, especially at our Lake of the Woods cabin.  Fritz even hauled his Boston Whaler up there, and what great memories we have of fishing, and picking blueberries, with the Hartenbergers.  Well, Fritz didn't pick blueberries.  Mary, the kids, and I did that while the guys fished.

 

One time while we were staying with them in Ukiah, Fritz was driving us along a gravel road in the country when he suddenly stopped, saying, "We'll get that rattler!"  I didn't even see anything out of the ordinary.  But Fritz got his gun out, and walked  over and shot a rattlesnake, on the road.  Just like that.  He brought it back home,  (I THINK we were riding in a pickup truck) skinned it, and Mary cooked it.  (I think she fried it.)  We ate it as hors d'oeuvres before dinner, and it was very tasty.  And Fritz asked Jason, who was a high school boy, to tan it, and Jason did.  He salted it and stretched it over a board, and by the time Sig and I went home, the snakeskin was tanned.  Fritz gave it to me and I took it home to MN.  I bought a felt hat, with a brim, and sewed the rattlesnake skin onto the hat.  I still have the hat.  Unfortunately, I don't wear it much.  But I love having that hat.

 

Another time, when Fritz was teaching high school art, Sig casually complained in the course of the conversation, that his dinner plate was not large enough to hold all his food.  The next time Fritz came to our house he brought Sig a gift he had made.  It's a plate with sides, so it will hold plenty of mashed potatoes, meat, salad and mixed vegetables.  Fritz painted all those foods onto the bottom of the plate so that Sig could see just where to put each thing as he dished it out.  It's a real DINNER plate.

I first heard about Fritz from Mary.  He had come to town on his motorcycle, and found her in the Green Lantern.  Soon they were married. 

 

We didn't see him often, he was always taking Mary far away.  But when we did get together, he was a joy.  Story after story, witty remarks, teasing Marti, teasing our girls later,  taking us fro a ride on his dune buggy on Fire island, challenging me to drive my Ford station wagon up there mountain, almost swamping my little fishing boat when he trailered his Boston Whaler from Portland up to Lake of the Woods and appeared in my bay ahead of a huge wake,  hunting (or is it fishing) for razor clams with his "cannon", these things tumble from memory-  but also more serious things such as recovering from spring floods that devastated his ranch, and how he dealt with truants when he was Superintendent in Ukiah.

 

 

 

I admired his energy, his artistic talent, the sculptures he made for our lake place, his intense interest and concern for his family. But most of all I was impressed by his sense of mission.  Funny, I never asked him how it came about.  But he had a mission - he wanted rural students to have all the educational advantages of larger schools.  To that end, he worked at devising instructional materials, tools, made movies, I don't remember all that he told me, and would confront school boards who were not living up to his standards.  He organized Alaskans to build buildings and he  provided taechers while he was Superintendent in Kanai sp?.  He was driven, impatient, never satisfied with what he did accomplish at that time.  I hope he gave himself a higher grade as he reflected on his life during retirement.  I did.