A history of Rolla, North Dakota

• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: North Dakota State Library
• Subjects: Canada; Dolores; Ferris; Mabel; Roland; Two Brothers; Northern lights
• Online Access: http://cdm16921.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/ndsl-books/id/37034

Paul (Bun) and Alice Bateson PAUL(BUN)BATESON Paul (Bun) Bateson was born in Rolla in 1902 to Mr. and Mrs. William (Mary Rooney) Bateson. Paul grew up in Rolla and attended school in Rolla. Bun, as he was known as, was a barber for 56 years and barbered in Rolla all but four years when he barbered in Bowbells and Eveleth, Minnesota. He came back to Rolla in 1927 and operated his own shop, Bun's White Way Barber Shop. When Bun retired he became the last of the longtime business people in Rolla to drop out of the commercial atmosphere of this community. He sold the building housing his barber shop to Mrs. Roland Thompson, operator of Bea's Beauty Shop. In addition to his barbering career, Bateson had an even longer career in what was sort of a hobby and vocation combined, the orchestra business. He showed a definite talent for playing drums at an early age. When he finally put a hole in his mother's copper boiler, she informed William Bateson that he must purchase a set of drums for Paul. Well, he continued to play drums all of his life. In his youth he organized his own orchestra of which he remained the leader of for 50 years. In the late 20s Paul had a very fine orchestra comprised of several musicians from Canada. Just as they were doing very well, the war came along and broke them up. They never did get back together again as a group. Buck Dolman played the trumpet and later turned out to be considered Canada's best trumpet player of his time. Sid Foden had some tragedy in his life. He became listed as missing in action and when he finally turned up safe and returned home his wife had remarried thinking him dead. He later went on to play piano with Red Nickels and the Five Pennies. Foden and Bateson continued their friendship until Foden's death in the early 1970s. On of Bun's fondest hobbies was decorating for Christmas. He would decorate the whole house and the barber shop inside and out. Christmas was his favorite time of year and he would even play Christmas carols that could be heard all over Rolla's main street area. He won the city trophy for Christmas decoration so many times he finally got to keep it. Paul (Bun) married Alice Endreson at Bowbells on September 27, 1926. They had two daughters, Mrs. Harvey Nielsen (Dolores) of Mesa, Arizona, and Sharon Ferris, who owns and operates the Northern Lights Motel in Rolla. Bun had one sister, Mabel Bateson who died in 1980. He is survived by two daughters and two brothers, Howard of Weslaco, Texas, and Albert (Bert) of Mesa, Arizona. Bun retired in Mesa, Arizona and died December 28, 1978. Alice passed away in Rolla on August 12, 1987. W. Howard Bateson WILLIAM HOWARD BATESON William Howard Bateson, eldest son of Judge William and Mary Bateson, was born in Luverne, Minnesota, October 23, 1897. The family moved to Rolla in 1901. Following graduation from Rolla High School in 1916, Howard worked that summer as a substitute teacher in the Couture School District. Asked about his early experience in Rolette County, he said, "The happiest days of my life were in the Turtle Mountain area of Rolette County." In September 1917, he continued his education at Mayville State Normal School. In 1918, he volunteered and served in the U.S. Army. When the war was over, he returned to Rolla and worked in Oxford School District until 1921. Then he entered the State University of North Dakota and graduated June 1924 with a bachelor of science degree in education. Post graduate studies followed at Colorado State University where he received the master's degree in administration. 194 Howard began his career at St. John, where he Scanned with a Zeutschel Zeta book scanner at 300 dpi. Edited with Multi-Page TIFF Editor.