Halstead, Albert L. 1873-1941

HALSTEAD, KERR, ROSDAIL, HART

Posted By: Lydia Lucas - Volunteer (email)
Date: 7/15/2022 at 08:00:53

From the Rock Valley Bee, February 21, 1941:

AL. HALSTEAD PASSES AWAY WEDNESDAY
Former Editor Bee Loses Grim Struggle

Albert Leslie Halstead, editor of the Rock Valley Bee for 33 years, died Wednesday morning at about 9:40 o’clock in the Methodist hospital in Sioux City after an illness of two months. Pneumonia claimed the life of the veteran educator and editor. He was about 65 years of age.

Funeral arrangements had not been made when The Bee went to press, and further details about the interesting and useful life of the loyal Rock Valley citizen will have to await next week’s issue.

He grew up, we believe, in the vicinity of Coggon, Iowa, where his parents were pioneer residents, and his boyhood days were filled with work and the determination to win an education. He taught in country schools to earn the money to go to college, and later became a Public school superintendent. Mr. Halstead was head of the schools for some time at Renwick, Kingsley and Ireton.

W. B. Hausen was one of his pupils at Kingslay. The gracious lady, Mrs. Christina Hart Rosdail, of Springville, who became Mrs. Halstead about 12 years ago, survives him.

He came to Rock Valley in 1907, buying The Bee from E. D. Brown and publishing the paper for 33 years until he sold it last October because of ill health.

Mr. Halstead was secretary of the Rock Valley Independent school district for many years, and also town clerk for a long period. He was vice-president of the Valley State bank here. Much of his time was given to civic affairs and he took part in all movements aimed to benefit the community. His advice and judgment were much sought after. A testimonial dinner given in his honor at the high school auditorium last fall was attended by a large crowd.

The Bee will publish a more detailed and complete description of Mr. Halstead’s life the coming week.

He is survived by a brother residing in Canada; another brother, E. C. Halstead, of Central City; two sisters, Mrs. Ida File of Coggen and Mrs. Ernest Miller of Spencer.

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From the Rock Valley Bee, February 28, 1941:

ALBERT LESLIE HALSTEAD

A true friend, an honest gentleman, and a loyal citizen, A. L. Halstead of Rock Valley, Iowa, passed to the Great Beyond on February 19, 1941.

Albert Leslie Halstead was born August 22, 1873, on a farm near Coggon, Linn county, Iowa. His parents were William Celah Halstead of Johnstown, N.Y., and Margaret Ann Kerr of Quebec, Canada. The deceased passed his early childhood on the farm and attended the country school, finishing a collegiate course later at Cedar Falls, where he took the training necessary to become a teacher in the public schools. To earn tuition for this education he taught in a number of rural schools.

Following college he served as superintendent of the Public schools at Renwick, Ireton and Kingsley. Thirty-four years ago, Mr. Halstead came to Rock Valley where he purchased the Rock Valley Bee and has been the efficient publisher of this weekly until October 1, 1940. On November 9, 1929, he was married at the Little Brown church to Mary Christina Hart Rosdail, of Springfield, Iowa.

In all the years of an industrious, useful life, his tact, courtesy, and kindness made him one of the best loved citizens of this locality and it would be difficult to find anyone who is not a friend. As a testimonial to this fact a large public gathering and banquet was held in his honor in the new auditorium of the high school on his retirement from the newspaper field.

Mr. Halstead has helped greatly in promoting improvements in the civic life of this community. He has been town clerk of Rock Valley for more than 20 years. He has been secretary of the board of education for a number of years and in that capacity has aided in a very large measure in securing the new addition and auditorium of the Rock Valley Public school, in which the funeral services were held.

At the time of his death, Mr. Halstead was chairman of the board of trustees and stewards of the Methodist church, of which he was a loyal member. He belonged to the I.O.O.F. lodge, an organization which recently tendered him a jewel in recognition of more than 35 years of continuous service. He was a member of the Masonic order for many years, vice-president of the Valley State bank, a member of the Commercial club, and a Rotarian. Not only in these various ways did he keep in touch with his fellow citizens, but as a wise counselor to the many who sought his advice, Mr. Halstead won and kept the confidence of his friends and neighbors.

The deceased became ill in October shortly after his retirement from newspaper work, and has spent the greater part of his time since December 17 in the Methodist hospital in Sioux City. Here he lost a brave and courageous fight for health on the morning of February 19. His friends were more than loyal, driving many miles to the hospital to offer their blood for transfusions for his recovery. He deeply appreciated this service.

Mr. Halstead leaves the following people bereaved indeed: his wife, Mrs. Christena Halstead; a step-son and wife, Mr. and Mrs. J. Hart Rosdail of Chicago; two brothers, Charles, of Wingard, Saskatchewan, and Edwin C., of Coggon, Iowa; and two sisters, Mrs. Ida File of Coggon, Iowa, and Mrs. Sadie Miller of Spencer, Iowa. An infant sister, Mary Ann, preceded him in death. A number of nieces and nephews and a multitude of friends also revere his memory.

The funeral services were held Saturday afternoon. A brief ceremony at the home was followed by a short service in the Methodist church of which the deceased had been a member for many years. The main service was held later in the auditorium of the Public school where the seating capacity was more ample for the many who wished to pay their last respects to a friend and neighbor.

Rev. L. A. Rachuy had charge of the services assisted by Rev. G. A. Tyler of Sioux City. The songs, “Abide With Me,” “In The Garden” and “Beautiful Land” were sung by Messrs. Wesselink, Christopherson, W. Vander Well, Jr., and Bajema, the quartette under the direction of Miss Zoa Smith. J. P. Schutt, W. B. Hausen, Harvey Carroll, Fred Relander, Sam Ver Hoef and J. H. Kearns acted as pall bearers. Members of the Town Council and Board of Education served as honorary pallbearers.

Interment was made Sunday afternoon in the Springville cemetery, at Springville, Iowa.

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Also from the Rock Valley Bee, February 28, 1941:

EDITORIAL: The Community Loses a Friend

For 33 years A. L. Halstead presided over the destinies of the Rock Valley Bee and in all that time, it is said on every hand, he had the enmity of no one. During all the time he lived here and published The Bee Mr. Halstead insisted on buying every material needed in Rock Valley that could possibly be purchased through local business houses.

Just prior to the bank difficulties about a decade ago, he had an opportunity to invest the sum of $10,000 which he had on deposit in a local bank in an attractive mortgage. Before concluding the deal he asked the officers of the bank if withdrawal of his deposit would cause any embarrassment to the bank. The expression on their faces must have been his answer. His money stayed in the bank and subsequent developments caused him some loss.

This instance, however, illustrates his loyalty to home institutions that is difficult to describe without citing such a concrete illustration. Although the bank was a solid financial institution as was eventually proven, Mr. Halstead had no means of knowing that definitely at the time. His bank deposits, totaling $10,000 in that one bank, represented long hours, days, months and years of toil and systematic saving. He gave up an attractive investment to avoid any possible weakening of the bank at a critical time by withdrawal of this large sum of money—large, at least, to the average person.

Many other instances of home-town loyalty on the part of Mr. Halstead are well known locally. It is probably an important reason for the fact that Rock Valley people are more loyal to their home town business institutions that the average town of its size. One good example carries a lot of weight in a community.

The editor was never known to publish any news item in his paper that would cause pain or injury to any local person….

Although the present editor of The Bee had been acquainted with Mr. Halstead for many years, it is a matter of profound regret to us that he has been taken away before we really learned to know him well. If the disability which led him to sell his newspaper last fall could have been successfully surmounted he would have had many happy years in the community he loved so well…. His integrity was a matter of common knowledge all over the county. The community loses a fine citizen in his death and everyone in Rock Valley loses a friend.

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His death certificate (informant J. Hart Rosdail, Chicago) adds his wife’s birth name, Mary Christina Hart, age 52; died in the Methodist Hospital, Sioux City, where he had been for 2 weeks, at 9:40 a.m. February 19, 1941; immediate cause of death, lung abscess, duration Feb. 12th; due to supra[?] right lobar pneumonia, duration Feb. 6th. There is no reference to any underlying condition or previous illness.