LAMOINE BROWN'S ORAL HISTORY STORY

REGARDING MONTROSE IN LATE 1969 AND THE 1970S

 

Based on an interview with Mr. Brown by Barbara & Jack Rairden at his home on May 9, 2019 and includes his history notes.

 

I was born and raised in Pauline, Nebraska, which is a small farm community about 12 miles south of Hastings. It’s a little community about like Colona. I lived there until March 1956, at which time my wife Donna and I moved here to Montrose. I was hired as a Director, Instructor of Grand Island Business College here.  

They had Grand Island Business College in Grand Island, Nebraska. It was a Trade school. Our Secretarial Junior Business and Junior Accounting School in Grand Island had been there for years, and had a really good reputation - and that's where I attended Business College at the Hastings branch.

They asked if I would come to Montrose and open-up the Business College for them, which I did. It was located upstairs in the 300 block, where Dr. Bob Brethouwer’s grandfather had practiced. It was above Austin Drug store on Main Street, which is on the north side. I can’t think what businesses are there right now, but Glenn Andrew, the CPA in later years, built a big condominium out of the whole thing, and I think that’s what its current use is.

I was the only instructor. I taught shorthand, typing, business English, business spelling, business math, accounting I, and accounting II. I had approximately 20 students. A lot of them were farm wives who were looking for something to do. I had three or four recent high school graduates who took the courses.

The one little interesting part of this story is - I found out after I had moved my family to Montrose, the guy who had recently purchased Grand Island Business College took bankruptcy. He was not really a legitimate businessman and I worked my first year in Montrose without a paycheck.