Paul Anton Olson (1873-1954)

OLSON, JENSEN, ROSENBERGER

Posted By: Mark Christian
Date: 5/17/2021 at 16:53:14

Paul Anton Olson, editor, author, traveler and community leader, died at Story City, Iowa, November 15, 1954; born in Chicago, Illinois, September 5, 1873; son of Peder and Aletta Olsen, and came with them to Iowa at the age of three months; completed his education in Story City, having started handsetting type at the age of 12 in the office of the Story City Review; went to Chicago at the age of 15 where he lived 16 years; on the staff of the Western Fireman and Journal of Public Works for nine years, six of them as associate editor; for seven years editor and publisher of Ungdom Tidende and was owner and operator of his own Olson Printing Company in Chicago, and during many of these years found time to write a column for his old home town paper, coming back to Story City in 1905 and purchased the Story City Herald and on September 5 last year completed a 50-year guidance of its destinies as a tri-county weekly; united in marriage on January 1, 1898, with Hildora Jensen of Chicago, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Jensen of that city, and to this union were born three sons and one daughter, Paul Human, who preceded him in death in 1945, Earl in 1900, who died in infancy, Arthur Elwood, who joined him in the newspaper office, and Olive Octavia, now Mrs. August Rosenberger of Estherville; toured Norway, Sweden, Denmark and England in 1936, being a delegate to the World's Sunday School convention that year in Oslo; author of "Seeing the Old World Through New World Eyes" (1936), "Pictorial Souvenir of Story City" (1910), "Jubilee Book of Story City" (1931), "Panorama of Forty-Three Years as a Country Editor" (1948), the "History of Story County" for the Iowa Press Association's "Who's Who in Iowa" (1940), publisher of several pamphlets, radio speeches and newspaper articles which he wrote under the pen name of Lister Farsund; member of the Trades Council in Chicago two years; delegate to the International Typographic convention in Toronto, Canada, in 1904; charter member and president of the Story City Greater Community Congress six years, and its secretary 12 years; member of Story City library board since its organization up to his death, 32 years; member of Story City school board for six years; served as Story City precinct Republican committeeman for 30 years, and Story county Republican chairman for three terms; a member of the Modern Woodmen and the Story City Camp secretary for 40 years; on October 25, 1945, was signally honored when more than 250 persons including representatives of newspapers, churches, political and civic units gathered at the Story City Community hall at a banquet in his honor, sponsored by the Story City Greater Community Congress, being awarded a bronze plaque bearing the inscription "For wisdom, integrity and unselfish service in the community for 40 years as editor-publisher of the Story City Herald"; in 1946 received the Iowa Master Editor- Publisher award from the Iowa Press association at the annual banquet in Des Moines—the highest honor in his profession; in December 1951, honored nationally when he was named "Editor of the Week" by "The Publisher's Auxiliary," national trade publication, for his "contributions to community and country while serving faithfully the honor and honesty of the American press"; a member of the Methodist church in Chicago for 16 years; later was baptized and confirmed in the Lutheran church, and the past 49 years has been a member of the Grace Evangelical U.B. church in Story City; numerous official positions held in churches included delegate to the general conference of the M.E. church in Chicago in 1904, delegate to 6 general conferences of the Evangelical church at Cedar Falls in 1919, Detroit in 1922, Williamsport, Pennsylvania in 1926, Milwaukee in 1930, Akron, Ohio in 1934, Johnstown, Pennsylvania in 1938; served as trustee of the Grace Evangelical church for over 40 years, and its Sunday School superintendent for 33 years; president of the Chicago District of Epworth Leagues three years, and secretary of the same six years, and president of Chicago's District Choir Association four years; wedded to his profession and church, he likewise was aggressive in civic affairs and a leader in community movements.

Citation: "Iowa's Notable Dead …."The Annals of Iowa 32 (1955), 621-626.
Available at: https://doi.org/10.17077/0003-4827.7376