Arneson, Alice Margrete

(Alice Hamre Arneson)

Twins, Arthur and Alice Arneson

Alice Margrete Arneson was the seventh child of Ole Tolef and Inger (Tobiason) Arneson. She and her twin brother, Arthur, were born 12 Jan 1893 in Decorah. The family, with the 4 youngest children, moved to Chicago in 1904. After finishing grammar school, Alice enrolled in the Pestalozzi-Froebel Kindergarten Training School in Chicago. After graduation, being too young to teach in a regular school system, she taught in a number of different institutions, namely The Association Home, Hull House, Lutheran Homefinding Society and Edison Park Children’s Home. For a time she had a private kindergarten. Alice then made up her high school work at the Lewis Institute in Chicago. Alice taught in Spring Grove, MN for 2 years. In 1921 she returned to Chicago and entered the Oak Park School system where she taught kindergarten and primary grades for 37 years, retiring in 1958.

After her brother, Bert, married Alice Johnson in 1921, Alice Margrete lived with them for 20 years. The original Alice became known as “Sister Alice" or “Aunt Alice". Bert's wife became either "Bert’s Alice” or “Alice II”. Years later Marc Arneson’s wife became ‘Alice III”.

Alice retired to San Diego for 2 years and heard about the new Leisure World Retirement Center being built at Seal Beach, CA. She lived there for 8 years. Her cousins, Margaret and Randvi Schjeldahl also lived there. She had a series of strokes and was in a coma for about 4 weeks before she died 20 Nov 1969. She is buried in a crypt at Forest Lawn Cemetery at Cypress, CA. She never married.

Arneson, Arthur Herman and Sylvia (Mikelson)

(Alice (Hamre) Arneson)

Arthur Herman Arneson was the sixth son of Ole Tolef and Inger (Tobiason) Arneson. He and his twin sister Alice were born 12 Jan 1893 in Decorah. The family, with the youngest children, moved to Chicago in 1904. Arthur graduated from LaFayette Grammar School followed by one year at Murray F. Tuley High School. He worked at Continental and Commercial National Bank for 3 years starting in 1909. Sep 1912 Arthur enrolled in the preparatory department at Luther College in Decorah. Schooling was interrupted by 2 years in the Navy in World War I. There he played in a band directed by John Philip Sousa. In Jun of 1920, Arthur received his B.A. degree from Luther College.

Sep of 1920, Arthur went to Clarkfield, MN to teach in the high school. He played clarinet solos around the area and needed an accompanist. The landlord said his sister could do it. Arthur and Sylvia Mikelson (16 Jan 1897-9 Apr 1991) were married 8 Aug 1923. After a wedding trip to Yellowstone Park, they moved to Madison, MN. For 9 years Arthur taught at the Lutheran Normal School: Latin, history, coached basketball and football, directed the orchestra and band and was Dean of Men. A son Marcus Waldemar was born 30 Apr 1927. (See separate article.) Marcus married Alice Hamre of Decorah.

In 1931 when his wife's father died, Arthur and Sylvia moved back to Clarkfield to live with her mother. Sylvia