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Note: y Normal School and entered the education profession for a few years followed by a very successful transition to the field of business. Fred was school principal at Enderlin, North Dakota, for two years and then served as Ransom County superintendent of schools four years. He went into the abstract business in La Moure, North Dakota, after leaving education. Fred sold out and went to Fargo intending to buy an interest in an abstract business there. While waiting to see the abstractor, Fred stopped to visit William L. Stockwell (who had served as superintendent of public instruction for North Dakota) who suggested they establish a school supply business. Fred agreed and the Northern School Supply Company of Fargo was formed in 1911. This was the same year he married Blanche Boyden in Lisbon, North Dakota.
In 1929 Fred and Blanche moved to Portland, Oregon, where Fred was manager, president, and later chairman of the board of the Northern School Supply Company of Oregon, a subsidiary of the Fargo company. He continued as president and general manager of the Fargo firm until his retirement in 1927. After his retirement Fred continued to serve on the board of directors. The Northern School Supply Co. became the parent company of four wholly-owned subsidiaries.
During the years from 1911 to 1929 when Fred and Blanche lived in Fargo, Fred was president of the Kiwanis Club and the Chamber of Commerce. He had also served as president of the National School Supply Associoation.
Fred suffered a heart attack while playing golf and died in Portland, Oregon, at the age of 78, only two years after his retirement. He was the family photographer and many of the pictures appearing in this book can be credited to him. Fred was also a favorite among the children and Fred enjoyed spending time with children. Grace Dowen's memories of Fred include the following:
Fred was Mother's darling boy and he was a darling to all of us. He was especially attentive to Mother--writing to her 2 or 3 time a week as long as she lived and was with her in Minneapolis when she died. When they lived in Fargo, they visited La Moure quite often and were always "home" for Christmas. I can see the picture now of the whole family assembled at the church for the Christmas program on Christmas Eve--always considered the proper time for the program. Afterwards home to light the candles on the spindly Christmas tree--that tree must have been extremely dry as the needles fell off in showers. I can't imagine why we didn't burn the house down. Jean and I had many lovely books from the Northern School Supply. They were given to the library when Mother sold the house.
Note: Fred followed the pattern of his father and graduated from Valley Cit
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