The Farmer Who Commuted 3,000 Miles

When I heard the sad news that our friend Lester G. Seibold passed away, I immediately thought back to the very first "Germans from Russia" class that Professor Bill Sherman and I taught at North Dakota State University. It was the winter of 1976-1977. And it was a really cold, "old-time" Dakota winter with lots of snow and below-zero temperatures.

But such adverse winter conditions did not deter a certain North Dakota farmer who wanted very much to enroll in NDSU's first "Germans from Russia" class. This student was none other than Lester G. Seibold, a soft-spoken farmer from the little prairie town of Cathay, North Dakota. Our class met once a week in the evening during those winter months, from 7:30 PM to 10:00 PM in Minard Hall on the NDSU campus. But Lester often kept me long after the class officially ended, asking questions and seeking guidance on various bibliographic sources. A couple of times, I did not get home until well after midnight. And by that time, my car in the Minard parking lot barely started!

Despite the incredible driving distance, Lester was there for every single class. And as I began each class, Lester would be sitting there with his trusty thermos, an opened notebook, and pen in hand. And oh, how he smiled. He did not smile as if he were in a university class. He smiled as if he were in heaven!

Lester drove or flew 160 miles from Cathay to Fargo and then back again each week, a total distance of about 320 miles. The traveling eventually added up to more than 3,000 miles. Usually he made the trip by driving on the kind of icy roads that would have discouraged even a seasoned truck driver. All of this just shows how determined —and appreciative—Lester was to take the course. He was a great inspiration to me and to many others in the class.