Korean War Eisenhower Jacket

By Sophie Olson

Catalog Number: 1987.046.05

There is no better way to remember the “Forgotten War” than by putting a face and a name to one of the many individuals who offered their service to their country during the Korean War. This Eisenhower jacket from the Korean War era once belonged to Howard Thiel. Although Thiel never served overseas during the war, he was stationed with the U.S. Army at Fort Hood, Texas for two years from 1951-1953.

From one of the patches on his jacket, we can tell that Howard Thiel belonged to the 1st Armored Division. This division, nicknamed the “Old Ironsides”, was one of the first divisions in the Army to integrate black soldiers throughout its ranks. After nuclear warfare became a major concern in the 1950s, the 1st Armored Division was one of the first to participate in tests of the “Atomic Field Army” at Fort Hood.

Thiel married his wife, Rose Marie Seemann, in December, 1950, shortly after the war broke out. Their first daughter, Barbara, was born at the Fort Hood, Texas Army Hospital during Thiel’s time in service. When he returned to La Crosse with his family in 1954, Thiel started work at his father in law’s company, Seemann Lumber Co., managing lumberyards in Sparta and La Crosse.

Thiel continued to serve his community in many ways outside the military. He was a member and, at one time, president of the Jaycees (Junior Chamber of Commerce) in Sparta, receiving one of their highest honors, the distinguished service award, for answering over 50 fire alarms as a volunteer of Ervin Edwards’ Rural Fire Fighting Company. He was also a member of the Boy Scouts of America for over 14 years, receiving one of their highest honors shortly after his service in the military: the God and Country Award.

While Howard Thiel survived the war and lived a fulfilling life with his family and community, we cannot forget the more than 70 individuals from the La Crosse area who were not so fortunate. In remembering Howard Thiel, let us remember that he was able to live the life he did because of those who gave their lives in Korea.

This summer, La Crosse County Historical Society is conducting a survey of its military artifacts. In the process, stories like this one are researched and added to our data base. Watch for more stories of our region’s military contributions in weeks to come.

This article was originally published in the La Crosse Tribune on July 30,2016.

This object can be viewed in our online collections database by clicking here.

Key Wind Ice Cream Scooper Dishes Out The Good Stuff

By Terri Karsten

Catalog Number: 1965.001.909

Call it a dipper, a disher or a scooper- it’s used to transfer ice cream from container to dish. As the thermometer climbs ever higher, the subject of ice cream has mouths watering and taste buds tingling for that most delicious of dairy products.

Although no one knows for sure who invented ice cream and when it was first served, the first mention of ice cream in America was in 1744 when a guest of Maryland’s governor wrote home about eating it. In the early republic, both Thomas Jefferson and George Washington enjoyed ice cream. But the dish remained an exotic concoction for the wealthy until technology in the second half of the 19th century made ice cream more available to the general public, and the soda fountain became a place to meet and chat with friends over a cool treat.

At first, soda jerks served ice cream using two spoons- one to scoop and the second to transfer it from the spoon to the dish, but this messy process led to wasted product. 

The solution?

The key wind conical scoop, patented in 1876 by George William Clewell. This cone-shaped tin utensil  has a key which turns a scraper inside the scoop, releasing the ice cream into the dish. Variations of Clewell’s style of ice cream disher, as he named it, were manufactured between 1876 and 1940.

These scoops worked well enough, but there were two major drawbacks. First, the device still required two hands to operate- one to hold it and the other to turn the key. Secondly, as refrigeration improved, ice cream was frozen harder. The conical shape with the welded scraper broke easily. To fix these problems, inventers all over the country patented new scoopers, including a lever-action design first patented in 1897 by Alfred L. Cralle. By the turn of the century, there were over 20 different patented ice cream scoopers.

Today the most popular scoop has a rounded bowl and no working parts. It rolls the ice cream into a neat ball. It turns out the most efficient way to serve ice cream is also the simplest. That’s worth remembering.

You can see Clewell’s key wind conical scoop for yourself in Historic Hixon House, where it hangs over the kitchen sink with other vintage kitchen utensils. 

This article was originally published in the La Crosse Tribune on July 23, 2016.

This object can be viewed in our online collections database by clicking here.

Navy Officer’s Hat

By Sophie Olson

Catalog Number: 1986.049.01

This Navy officer’s hat was part of Commander Howard Nestingen’s WWII Navy dress uniform.  Nestingen, born in Westby in 1921, was an officer in the Navy for 38 years. During his time in the military, he survived four trips across the Indian Ocean on ammunition ships, and served in occupyied Japan after the end of WWII. When he returned home to La Crosse, he joined the U.S. Naval  Reserve and was appointed as the commander for the Navy Reserve Officers School at the Naval Reserve Center on Green Bay Street.

Although the building no longer stands, during its 57 years of operation from 1949 to 2006, the center trained thousands of local men. In the first 20 years alone, more than 3,200 La Crosse area men had attended the Naval Reserve Center. The reserve unit stationed in La Crosse was so successful in their training, that in 1961 the unit, commanded by Howard Nestingen, was ranked number one in the 14 states of the 9th Naval District, andwas also ranked eighth in the nation.

Outside of his position at the Naval Reserve Center, Howard Nestingen continued to play an active role in the community of La Crosse. Nestingen was the public affairs coordinator for Dairyland Power Cooperative for many years, and was influential in the creation of the nuclear power plant near Genoa. In a 1963 article from the La Crosse Tribune, he was quoted as saying “While the cost of nuclear fuel is still considerably higher than conventional organic fossil fuels, the expected shortage of conventional fuels in the future makes the development of atomic power necessary.” Nestingen was also a member of the United Way board of directors, a member of the board of trustees of La Crosse Lutheran Hospital, and a past president of the La Crosse Optimist Club.

Howard Nestingen’s Navy officer’s hat is an important tangible link that helps us to remember the brave individuals in La Crosse’s military history. Perhaps Nestingen’s service to La Crosse can be best summed up in his address at a 1972 Memorial Day observance in Oak Grove Cemetery. According to an article in the La Crosse Tribune, Nestingen said of those who had died in military service: “They were just plain men who felt freedom in their very being. Freedom cannot be taken for granted as a permanent factor in our lives.”

This summer La Crosse County Historical Society is conducting a survey of its military artifacts. In the process, stories like this one are researched and added to our data base. Watch for more stories of our region’s military contributions in weeks to come.

This article was originally published in the La Crosse Tribune on July 16, 2016.

This object can be viewed in our online collections database by clicking here.