I recently found out that Barbara Meyer Bistodeau, who was the original writer of this monthly history column in the Camden Community News, had passed away. I thought it only fitting that I dedicate this month’s article to her.
Barb had titled this history column “Behind the Victory Flagpole” which I knew had something to do with where she grew up but I hadn’t really thought much about it. I had acquired a few 1925 photos of the original Loring School when it was a wooden portable building and brought them to a meeting of the Camden Community Historical Society. We were having trouble trying to figure out how they were oriented, especially one photo in particular. It had a farm house on it and you could also faintly see a house in the background. A member of our group, Ron Manger, sent a copy of the photo to Barb, who was living in California, thinking that if anyone could help us, it would be her. Sure enough, she could. Even though she didn’t go to kindergarten at Loring until 1930 when it was already a brick building, she recognized that house in the background as that of her maternal grandparents, Albert and Margaret Nordby. That house still stands just a bit west of the flagpole and is painted a bright yellow. Barb also surmised that at that time the farmhouse was that of George W. Dow who was a big gardener and the originator of the “Early Dow” white corn. It was about this time I also found out that Barb’s parents Arthur and LuLu Meyer had bought a home nearby in 1924. That house where Barb and her sister Lorraine grew up is directly north of the Victory Memorial flagpole, thus the name of the history column!
Barb would become a person who I’d contact when I had questions about early Camden that I couldn’t figure out. She would also send me historical items so I could scan them and then return them. This was true of a booklet that was from the 25th reunion of the North High School class of 1943. Barb was amongst the students who were at Henry when it went from being a junior high to a combination junior and senior high. Those students were given a choice to either go on to North as had been happening or to stay and go to Henry for high school. Barb chose to stay at Henry, graduating in 1943. Her husband Ron Bistodeau, however, had graduated from North in 1943. Ron Birtodeau was a cheerleader and she also sent me photos of him doing that and of North’s band at the Minneapolis Aquatennial.
Later as Barb was getting older and her eyesight was fading she started sending me things to keep and to share with the community. This included much of her documents used to write her columns. One day I received a really special package from her. It was her mother’s 1916 North High Polaris yearbook, which I treasure.
In 2020 I received a card from Barb with a note in it. She said because of her failing eyesight it was becoming difficult to write the history column. She asked me to please take over writing this history column for which I was completely humbled. Barbara Meyer Bistodeau wrote her first column in 2005 and the final Behind the Victory Flagpole column for the January 2021 issue of the Camden Community News.