Class Stories

Bruce Brothers
 by Patrick Mader on January 10, 2023

Growing up in Morningside, Minnesota, a village sandwiched between St. Louis Park and Minneapolis (annexed by Edina in 1966), Bruce Brothers always loved sports, but he did not consider himself athletic.  Getting hooked on baseball when his grandfather took him to see the Minneapolis Millers play at Metropolitan Stadium, Bruce, born in 1946, admits he “became pretty good at spectating.”  One of his first summer jobs was as an usher at Twins’ games.

The youngest of two sons of a father in sales and a mother who worked as a bookkeeper, Bruce did venture into sports his senior year at Edina-Morningside High School in 1963, running barefoot on the cross country team when races were a modest 1.8 miles.  The 6’ 1” student fell in love with the sport which led to a lifetime passion and was proud to earn a varsity letter.  Bruce also was a sportswriter for the high school newspaper and vividly remembers a trip to a hockey game.  “I talked legendary coach Willard Ikola into taking me on the team bus to cover a game between the Hornets [Edina] and Eveleth, where Ikola grew up.  It was then as I walked into the Eveleth Hippodrome and encountered eight-foot-tall posters of Ikola and other local hockey legends that I realized I was in the company of greatness.”

While taking journalism classes at the University of Minnesota (U of M), Bruce got married and was expecting a baby when he left college in 1967 to accept a job as the sports editor of the International Falls Daily Journal based on a recommendation of John Gilbert, a compatriot at the Minnesota Daily then working as a sportswriter in Duluth.  Covering all sports, Bruce learned on the fly and grew in the profession where he learned to accept challenges, focus, and be flexible and calm amid the chaos of deadlines and distractions.  Two years later, Bruce was covering all sports at the Duluth News-Tribune.  Gaining growth and experience, Bruce eventually landed at the Minneapolis Tribune for 13 years and another 20 years across the river at the St. Paul Pioneer Press. 
 
Along the way, Bruce covered memorable events such as the U of M’s 2003 national men’s hockey championship, the 2004 and 2005 U of M women’s hockey national titles, the 1991 Stanley Cup Final at Met Center, Minnesota Wild wing Marion Gaborik scoring 5 goals in a 2007 NHL game (the only time it occurred in the decade from 2000-10), and the Twin Cities and Grandma’s Marathon races.  He interviewed many sports celebrities whom he found gracious:  Jesse Owens, Harmon Killebrew, Mickey Mantle, many notable hockey figures, the recently deceased soccer star Pelé, Evel Knievel, George Mikan, and Olympian runners Frank Shorter, Garry Bjorklund, Bill Rodgers, Janis Klecker, Lorraine Moller, and Ron Daws.  It is Daws, a 1968 marathon Olympian from Minneapolis, who Bruce singles out as a friend, mentor, and coach.  “I introduced myself to him at Grandma’s Marathon one year, and not long after he agreed to outline a training program for me that helped me qualify for a spot in the Boston Marathon.  He enabled me to recognize that most obstacles we face are self-constructed.  Ron walked the talk, which is something we all need to do.”  

Bruce qualified for the 1982 Boston Marathon, the famous “Duel in the Sun” race to the finish line with a separation of a mere two seconds between winner Alberto Salazar and runner-up Dick Beardsley (then of Excelsior, Minnesota).  Finishing about 18 minutes ahead of Bruce was Jack Moran (3:09:37), one of the unsung heroes of the running community that Bruce has most appreciated.  “I truly enjoyed meeting the people behind the scenes such as Jeff Winter, Jack Moran, Scott Keenan, Fred Lebow, and Virginia Brophy Achman, all people in charge of running events who had much more to think about than a sportswriter’s questions.”

Passion for the sport of running is evident in Bruce’s own activity, an estimated 35 marathons with a best time of 2:49:15 and 30-40 ultramarathons, in addition to his professional life.  “After I began running marathons, I spent most of a year talking the Tribune [Minneapolis] into allowing me to write a running column.  Eventually I also produced a running column for the Pioneer Press that happily evolved from a news-and-notes piece to a philosophical meditation that seemed to appeal to many.”

Running has continued to be a way of life for Bruce in retirement.  “It becomes a magical place to be.  Time and distance become irrelevant,” he says of long distance running.  He cites the Voyager 50-Mile Trail Ultramarathon founded in 1982 from Carlton, Minnesota to Duluth and back as a favorite running memory.  

Today the father of three children, Steve, Lori Perpich, and Brian, lives in Minneapolis with his partner Denise Dohrmann and cat, Charlie.  His home running course is Lake Nokomis, the Minnehaha Parkway, or the river roads.   

Summarizing his 76 years of life, Bruce states, “I have few regrets; my life has been blessed with incredible journeys, experiences, and acquaintances.  Every time I’ve fallen—and some were big ones—I’ve managed to figure out how to get back up.  My glass has almost always been half full.  What could be better than that?”

Interested in reading about other people who have contributed to Minnesota's rich heritage of sports?  Please visit the free website www.mnathletes.com for other articles on runners and media members such as Mary Lahammer, Robb Leer, and Stew Thornley.

Bruce Brothers:  SPORTSWRITER AND MARATHONER SEES GLASS ALMOST ALWAYS HALF-FULL; WHAT COULD BE BETTER THAN THAT?

Growing up in Morningside, Minnesota, a village sandwiched between St. Louis Park and Minneapolis (annexed by Edina in 1966), Bruce Brothers always loved sports, but he did not consider himself athletic.  Getting hooked on baseball when his grandfather took him to see the Minneapolis Millers play at Metropolitan Stadium, Bruce, born in 1946, admits he “became pretty good at spectating.”  One of his first summer jobs was as an usher at Twins’ games.

The youngest of two sons of a father in sales and a mother who worked as a bookkeeper, Bruce did venture into sports his senior year at Edina-Morningside High School in 1963, running barefoot on the cross country team when races were a modest 1.8 miles.  The 6’ 1” student fell in love with the sport which led to a lifetime passion and was proud to earn a varsity letter.  Bruce also was a sportswriter for the high school newspaper and vividly remembers a trip to a hockey game.  “I talked legendary coach Willard Ikola into taking me on the team bus to cover a game between the Hornets [Edina] and Eveleth, where Ikola grew up.  It was then as I walked into the Eveleth Hippodrome and encountered eight-foot-tall posters of Ikola and other local hockey legends that I realized I was in the company of greatness.”

While taking journalism classes at the University of Minnesota (U of M), Bruce got married and was expecting a baby when he left college in 1967 to accept a job as the sports editor of the International Falls Daily Journal based on a recommendation of John Gilbert, a compatriot at the Minnesota Daily then working as a sportswriter in Duluth.  Covering all sports, Bruce learned on the fly and grew in the profession where he learned to accept challenges, focus, and be flexible and calm amid the chaos of deadlines and distractions.  Two years later, Bruce was covering all sports at the Duluth News-Tribune.  Gaining growth and experience, Bruce eventually landed at the Minneapolis Tribune for 13 years and another 20 years across the river at the St. Paul Pioneer Press. 
 
Along the way, Bruce covered memorable events such as the U of M’s 2003 national men’s hockey championship, the 2004 and 2005 U of M women’s hockey national titles, the 1991 Stanley Cup Final at Met Center, Minnesota Wild wing Marion Gaborik scoring 5 goals in a 2007 NHL game (the only time it occurred in the decade from 2000-10), and the Twin Cities and Grandma’s Marathon races.  He interviewed many sports celebrities whom he found gracious:  Jesse Owens, Harmon Killebrew, Mickey Mantle, many notable hockey figures, the recently deceased soccer star Pelé, Evel Knievel, George Mikan, and Olympian runners Frank Shorter, Garry Bjorklund, Bill Rodgers, Janis Klecker, Lorraine Moller, and Ron Daws.  It is Daws, a 1968 marathon Olympian from Minneapolis, who Bruce singles out as a friend, mentor, and coach.  “I introduced myself to him at Grandma’s Marathon one year, and not long after he agreed to outline a training program for me that helped me qualify for a spot in the Boston Marathon.  He enabled me to recognize that most obstacles we face are self-constructed.  Ron walked the talk, which is something we all need to do.”  

Bruce qualified for the 1982 Boston Marathon, the famous “Duel in the Sun” race to the finish line with a separation of a mere two seconds between winner Alberto Salazar and runner-up Dick Beardsley (then of Excelsior, Minnesota).  Finishing about 18 minutes ahead of Bruce was Jack Moran (3:09:37), one of the unsung heroes of the running community that Bruce has most appreciated.  “I truly enjoyed meeting the people behind the scenes such as Jeff Winter, Jack Moran, Scott Keenan, Fred Lebow, and Virginia Brophy Achman, all people in charge of running events who had much more to think about than a sportswriter’s questions.”

Passion for the sport of running is evident in Bruce’s own activity, an estimated 35 marathons with a best time of 2:49:15 and 30-40 ultramarathons, in addition to his professional life.  “After I began running marathons, I spent most of a year talking the Tribune [Minneapolis] into allowing me to write a running column.  Eventually I also produced a running column for the Pioneer Press that happily evolved from a news-and-notes piece to a philosophical meditation that seemed to appeal to many.”

Running has continued to be a way of life for Bruce in retirement.  “It becomes a magical place to be.  Time and distance become irrelevant,” he says of long distance running.  He cites the Voyager 50-Mile Trail Ultramarathon founded in 1982 from Carlton, Minnesota to Duluth and back as a favorite running memory.  

Today the father of three children, Steve, Lori Perpich, and Brian, lives in Minneapolis with his partner Denise Dohrmann and cat, Charlie.  His home running course is Lake Nokomis, the Minnehaha Parkway, or the river roads.   

Summarizing his 76 years of life, Bruce states, “I have few regrets; my life has been blessed with incredible journeys, experiences, and acquaintances.  Every time I’ve fallen—and some were big ones—I’ve managed to figure out how to get back up.  My glass has almost always been half full.  What could be better than that?”

Growing up in Morningside, Minnesota, a village sandwiched between St. Louis Park and Minneapolis (annexed by Edina in 1966), Bruce Brothers always loved sports, but he did not consider himself athletic.  Getting hooked on baseball when his grandfather took him to see the Minneapolis Millers play at Metropolitan Stadium, Bruce, born in 1946, admits he “became pretty good at spectating.”  One of his first summer jobs was as an usher at Twins’ games.

The youngest of two sons of a father in sales and a mother who worked as a bookkeeper, Bruce did venture into sports his senior year at Edina-Morningside High School in 1963, running barefoot on the cross country team when races were a modest 1.8 miles.  The 6’ 1” student fell in love with the sport which led to a lifetime passion and was proud to earn a varsity letter.  Bruce also was a sportswriter for the high school newspaper and vividly remembers a trip to a hockey game.  “I talked legendary coach Willard Ikola into taking me on the team bus to cover a game between the Hornets [Edina] and Eveleth, where Ikola grew up.  It was then as I walked into the Eveleth Hippodrome and encountered eight-foot-tall posters of Ikola and other local hockey legends that I realized I was in the company of greatness.”

While taking journalism classes at the University of Minnesota (U of M), Bruce got married and was expecting a baby when he left college in 1967 to accept a job as the sports editor of the International Falls Daily Journal based on a recommendation of John Gilbert, a compatriot at the Minnesota Daily then working as a sportswriter in Duluth.  Covering all sports, Bruce learned on the fly and grew in the profession where he learned to accept challenges, focus, and be flexible and calm amid the chaos of deadlines and distractions.  Two years later, Bruce was covering all sports at the Duluth News-Tribune.  Gaining growth and experience, Bruce eventually landed at the Minneapolis Tribune for 13 years and another 20 years across the river at the St. Paul Pioneer Press. 
 
Along the way, Bruce covered memorable events such as the U of M’s 2003 national men’s hockey championship, the 2004 and 2005 U of M women’s hockey national titles, the 1991 Stanley Cup Final at Met Center, Minnesota Wild wing Marion Gaborik scoring 5 goals in a 2007 NHL game (the only time it occurred in the decade from 2000-10), and the Twin Cities and Grandma’s Marathon races.  He interviewed many sports celebrities whom he found gracious:  Jesse Owens, Harmon Killebrew, Mickey Mantle, many notable hockey figures, the recently deceased soccer star Pelé, Evel Knievel, George Mikan, and Olympian runners Frank Shorter, Garry Bjorklund, Bill Rodgers, Janis Klecker, Lorraine Moller, and Ron Daws.  It is Daws, a 1968 marathon Olympian from Minneapolis, who Bruce singles out as a friend, mentor, and coach.  “I introduced myself to him at Grandma’s Marathon one year, and not long after he agreed to outline a training program for me that helped me qualify for a spot in the Boston Marathon.  He enabled me to recognize that most obstacles we face are self-constructed.  Ron walked the talk, which is something we all need to do.”  

Bruce qualified for the 1982 Boston Marathon, the famous “Duel in the Sun” race to the finish line with a separation of a mere two seconds between winner Alberto Salazar and runner-up Dick Beardsley (then of Excelsior, Minnesota).  Finishing about 18 minutes ahead of Bruce was Jack Moran (3:09:37), one of the unsung heroes of the running community that Bruce has most appreciated.  “I truly enjoyed meeting the people behind the scenes such as Jeff Winter, Jack Moran, Scott Keenan, Fred Lebow, and Virginia Brophy Achman, all people in charge of running events who had much more to think about than a sportswriter’s questions.”

Passion for the sport of running is evident in Bruce’s own activity, an estimated 35 marathons with a best time of 2:49:15 and 30-40 ultramarathons, in addition to his professional life.  “After I began running marathons, I spent most of a year talking the Tribune [Minneapolis] into allowing me to write a running column.  Eventually I also produced a running column for the Pioneer Press that happily evolved from a news-and-notes piece to a philosophical meditation that seemed to appeal to many.”

Running has continued to be a way of life for Bruce in retirement.  “It becomes a magical place to be.  Time and distance become irrelevant,” he says of long distance running.  He cites the Voyager 50-Mile Trail Ultramarathon founded in 1982 from Carlton, Minnesota to Duluth and back as a favorite running memory.  

Today the father of three children, Steve, Lori Perpich, and Brian, lives in Minneapolis with his partner Denise Dohrmann and cat, Charlie.  His home running course is Lake Nokomis, the Minnehaha Parkway, or the river roads.   

Summarizing his 76 years of life, Bruce states, “I have few regrets; my life has been blessed with incredible journeys, experiences, and acquaintances.  Every time I’ve fallen—and some were big ones—I’ve managed to figure out how to get back up.  My glass has almost always been half full.  What could be better than that?”


Interested in reading about other people who have contributed to Minnesota's rich heritage of sports?  Please visit the free website www.mnathletes.com for other articles on runners and media members such as Mary Lahammer, Robb Leer

 

Class of 64 and a time in history
 
While we were juniors, looking forward to our senior year, a British Knight, a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, and world famous director opened a brand new, repertory theater in Minneapolis.  Named for him, the Tyrone Guthrie Theatre, was an instant success locally and nationally.  

Edina High School played an important part in helping launch the new theater.  Six students became ushers, Dale Copps (63), John Freeman (63), Ric Hinkie (64), Robert Hyde (65), Vic Koivumaki (64), and Greg Long (64). Over 130 students attended a first year presentation of The Miser featuring Hume Cronyn. Cronyn had just completed a leading role in the film Cleopatra with Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, but left Hollywood to help launch the Guthrie.

Later that summer, fifteen EMHS class of 1964 members were part of a promotional movie, entitled, 
"Miracle in Minnesota." (Click on the link to see the movie). During the movie, a number of classmates asked questions of Guthrie actors and staff as a video device to help explain to the viewing public interesting facts about the theatre. The guy way in the back is Hinkie who wore his letter sweater. The director told him to hide as he didn't want anyone to see the big green E.

Several of season one Edina ushers became 'extras' in performances in the second season. Vic Koivumaki, Bob Haskins and Gary Berg, were part of the casts of Henry V, which starred George Grizzard as Hamlet in season one.

AP English teacher, Ray Bechtle was enlisted to help arrange the student's participation. Ric Hinkie, by summer, was also working in the Communications Department under Brad Morison, Edina, a 1960's 'Mad Man' on loan from the advertising world. For three years, Hinkie and Bechtle worked together on both the movie project and, later on the educational guides which were produced to help students get more out of each season. 


Personal Sidebar by Ric Hinkie

From the initial job as usher, I was fortunate to parlay my Journalism course with EHS's John Sheldon into a job as Assistant Public Relations staffer, House Manager, and other positions. My duties included chauffeuring the lead actors to telelvision and radio interviews, taking photos of them for publicity during reherarsals, and greeting groups traveling to the theatre from outstate.  Imagine me calling Sir Tyrone, "Tony." 

In 1964, Morey Knutsen and I poured sherry one night for all 50 governors, including Mitt Romney's dad, George, then Governor of Michigan, during the National Governor's Conference reception at the Walker Art Center/Guthrie lobby.  

I was exposed to national celebrities from the world of theatre (I was bartender on Friday nights in the Dram Shop so I had my eyes opened about a lot of things); mentored by one of the leading Advertising and PR men in the US (and Ray Bechtle too), and since the Guthrie had no real budget for extra people I was asked to do projects as a 17-19 year-old that were at a very high level. Surviviing and thriving on those projects positioned me very well for intensive communications training in the military at a DOD school, for completing my junior and senior year at U of M in 12 months, and for launching my career at the Metro Council and then at Minnegasco in 1968. The confidence to speak before groups; communicate clearly; manage people and projects; relate to people of different ethnic, religious and personal lifestyles; all came from those early Guthrie years for me. 

I was privileged to stand on the Guthrie Theatre on May 7, 1963 for the first performance of Hamlet, as an usher. I was again privileged to stand on the same stage 43 years later for the last performance at the ofiginal Guthrie, also, ironically, Hamlet. This time I was there as a donor, the President of the National organization devoted to energy safety and productivity. The lessons learned in 1963-66 were instrumental in my life in the four decades in between those two nights.

Ric Hinkie

 

 

 
 
 

Winter Wonderful

Morningside Winter Carnival celebrated the season.
 

 

While St. Paul held its annual Winter Carnival, the tiny Village of Morningside celebrated the cold and ice in its own way in the 1950s and 1960s.

Beginning in January 1954, the Morningside School PTA and the Village Park Board planned a triumvirate of winter activities?hockey, speed skating and figure skating?that drew nearly every child in the village.

Medals were awarded to winners in each race. Bruce Carlson, who went on to skate for Edina High School’s first state championship hockey team in 1969, treasures those mementoes from his elementary school years.

“It was really special to see everyone in the neighborhood at Weber Park,” Carlson says

In addition to the sporting events, the school crowned an Ice King and Queen and a royal court, who walked under an archway formed by hockey sticks, “held by the sturdy arms of Morningside’s hustling hockey team,” the local newspaper reported in 1957.

The Winter Carnival ended sometime in the 1960s, perhaps when Morningside dissolved and rejoined the Village of Edina in 1966. However, the spirit of the event lives on with the neighborhood’s annual Winter Party at the Weber Park warming house.

Anyone from our class at Morningside remember who was our Ice King and Queen?