| Summary: | In front (L-R): Gunna, Leatrice McGuigan, Richard (Dick), Donna Lou Chapman. Back: William Sr., W.C. (Bill). In Bill's youth, he worked as a mechanic for Clarke Farup, in 1917. In 1927, he started his own garage and machine shop, including selling of Dodge and Plymouth cars and trucks. Bill married Gudrun Thorsteinson of Mountain, N.D. in 1922 and four children were born to this union. During World War II, Bill and Ed Colwell operated a War Plant in Park River, producing bomb caps, machine gun cleaning rods and other items for the Armed Forces. Bill, Sr., was active in community affairs, served on the City Council and a volunteer fireman for many years. He is a member of Our Saviour's Lutheran Church. In 1968, Bill took another trip to Norway with a Sons of Norway group. While in Oslo, they toured Vigeland Park and at the instigation of Thelma and Sylvia Wick, they located the monument of Abraham Lincoln and Bill had his picture taken in front of it. In 1983, Bill's grandson, David and his family also toured the Park and the following excerpt is from a letter David wrote to his mother: "Besides all of the beautiful statues of Vigeland, we found the statue that Grandpa Skjerven helped dedicate in 1914 to be really the most impressive. It's a bust of Abraham Lincoln set up on a marble monument with two brass plaques. The monument is in a very cool, quiet part of the Vigeland Park, with plenty of beautiful shade trees all around it. It was here in the shadow of the "monument from the people of North Dakota to the people of Norway" that we had a really impressive, yet totally native, and very relaxing picnic lunch. I think Tore was kind of surprised and yet very pleased that we'd enjoy doing something so insignificant." Bill's great grandchildren are also pictured in front of the monument in 1983. Gudrun (Gunna) Thorsteinson was born in Iceland and came to the United States when she was six years old. She graduated from the Park River City High School. She was active in the Lutheran Church, American Legion Auxiliary, Harmony Homemakers, Rebekahs, and other community clubs. She was also Police Magistrate for many years. She died June 15,1964. Bill and Gunna's four children are as follows: W.C (Bill) is married to Margrete Meberg of Park River. They have five children, David, Dawn, Theresa, Ann and Wendy. Bill and Margrete live in Park River. Donna Lou, who is a teacher, married Blair Chapman, a former Park Riverite, and they now live in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. Leatrice, who is a teacher, is married to James McGuigan and they live in South Bend, Indiana. Richard, who is a lawyer, married to Carol Ann Braund, a former Adams girl, and they now live in Los Gatos, California. On January 11, 1969, Bill Sr. married Stella Knudson Staven and they are now retired and living in Park River. Carrie and Karmen Skjerven. Great granddaughters of William Skjerven who carried the American flag at the dedication of this statue, May 17, 1914. W.C. SKJERVEN JR. Seated in front (L-R): Ann M., David, Margrete, W.C. (Bill), Wendy C. In back: Teresa Chase, Dawne Renner. William C. Skjerven, son of William and Gunna Thorsteinson Skjerven was born May 29, 1923. He attended school in Park River and one year of College at NDSU in Fargo, before entering the Army during World War II. He was in the Army four years attaining the rank of Captain and returned to Park River to go into business with his father. He started the Airport and Flying Service in 1947 and was one of the pioneers in aerial dusting and spraying. W.C. (Bill) married Margrete Meberg, daughter of David and Alice Flaten Meberg on January 4, 1947 and went on their honeymoon in a two-place Taylorcraft airplane W.C. has served on the City Council, Park Board, Airport Authority, Hospital Board, County Planning Commission and many service organizations. He is a partner of S.K.M. which put cable TV in Cavalier and Park River. His hobbies now are jewelry-making and working with silver. 354 Scanned with a Zeutschel Zeta book scanner at 300 dpi. Edited with Multi-Page TIFF Editor.
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