Red Cross volunteers, director honored

I first started at the Bemidji (Minn.) Pioneer as an intern in the summer of 1996. That would begin six years as a news reporter, sports reporter and copy editor for a small, six-day-per-week daily newspaper in northern Minnesota. I wrote a large range of stories from multiple beats, to features to sports, my favorite being the coverage of the Red Lake Reservation High School basketball team named the Warriors. Here is a collection of my stories from my time at the Pioneer.

March 4, 1997

By Devlyn Brooks

Staff Writer

In an intimate ceremony, the Beltrami County Chapter of the American Red Cross charted a new direction Monday, recognizing life-long volunteers and the founder of the local affiliate.

A national Red Cross official was on hand to award a new charter to volunteer Director George Stowe, Bemidji Mayor Doug Peterson and Beltrami County Board Chairman Lee Coe.

"When we first started our re-chartering process, Minnesota had 69 chapters. We now have only 48," said Winston Bateman, field service manager for the American Red Cross. "This is a tribute to the volunteers who have worked very hard to keep Bemidji's chapter. My accolades to George (Stowe) and the volunteer board for your efforts."

Coe said to have a Red Cross chapter in Beltrami County was a safety assurance in case a disaster should happen in the future, but it is the day-to-day services, such as HIV/AIDS education, that is outstanding.

"I really truly believe that volunteering is one of the most important ... let's just call it the glue that holds communities together," Coe said.

Rosemary Given Amble, Bemidji City councilor and daughter of the local affiliate's founder, was awarded a plaque in honor of her mother's efforts.

She said her mother was a part of the Red Cross "all the time" when she was growing up, but for many years she had no idea her mother had founded Beltrami's chapter.

May MacGregor Given was a Red Cross nurse with Rochester's Mayo Clinic nurses unit, which served on the front lines in France during World War I. After serving in France, she returned to Beltrami County to fill a county nursing void.

While serving as the county's first nurse, MacGregor Given would travel the county by horse and buggy or by train with county school superintendent, checking the health of Beltrami's school children.

The chapter also awarded Lillian Wold, a 40-year-plus Beltrami Red Cross volunteer, a personal letter of appreciation signed by President Bill Clinton.

"This lady can be best explained by four words -- faith, compassion, service and integrity. She is probably the biggest giver in Bemidji and Beltrami County," said Howie Schultz, a local Red Cross board member who has worked with Wold for more than 30 years.

Schultz's voice cracked with emotion as he read the president's letter to the audience.

"I apologize for the emotion," he said, "but she is pretty special."