January 8, 2025 • 25 mins
Kate Waldera brings on Bismarck Historical Society board members Carolyn Twingley, Mike LaLonde, & Tory Jackson, to talk about the illustrious Mike McCormack.
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to History Hot Dish, a casual conversation about the
historic people and events that give Bismarket's unique flavor. History
Hot Dish is brought to you by the Bismarck Historical Society,
a local nonprofit whose mission is to learn, preserve, and
promote the history of Bismarck. Sit back, turn up the
volume and enjoy another helping of History Hot Dish.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Well, welcome to another episode of History Hot Dish. I'm
your host, Kate Waldera, a member of the Bismarck Historical
Society's Board of Directors. Today is a very special episode
because three of my fellow Historical Society board members are
joining me, Carolyn Twinley, Mike Lalande, and Tory Jackson. Together
(00:46):
we're going to share some of our favorite memories of
a dear friend and fellow board member, Mike McCormick. As
many of you know, Mike passed away on August twenty eighth,
twenty four, twenty twenty four, leaving many memories and stories
for everyone to share at Carolyn and Mike, this is
your first time joining me on the episode of History
(01:08):
Hot Dish. A hearty welcome to both of you. Thank
you and to Tory, welcome back for another helping Thanks Kate,
good to be back for our audience. Please introduce yourself
and share your role as a board member for the
Historical Society, and more importantly, tell our listeners how you
came to know Mike McCormick and Carolyn.
Speaker 3 (01:31):
I'll let you start, Okay.
Speaker 4 (01:33):
I've been on the board about ten years, and I
take care of the archives for the Bismark Historical Society,
and I was on the committee that created the Bismarck
Historical Cookbook, and we're in our second printing and I
make sure that our vendors have copies.
Speaker 3 (01:54):
To sell, right.
Speaker 5 (01:56):
And I'm michae laland I've been on the board I
think around ten years. I was not a charter member,
but Mike recruited me. I think the society was like
a couple of years old when I came on the board.
And I do the photography for the newsletter occasionally.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
And Toy I've been on the board I think four
years or so, so a relative newcomer. For the last
two years, I've served as president of the board and
I've just been I guess roped into another term of
as presidents I'll be doing that for at least one
more year.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
Yeah, Mike, it sounds like you and Michael grew up
together and remained close friends throughout your lives. Do you
have any fond memories with Mike as you grew up
in Bismarck.
Speaker 5 (02:43):
Well, there's many, many of them of seventy years of worth,
I guess. But I moved to Bismarck when I was
between the sixth and seventh grade, and Mike was the
first friend. We both grew up in the Cathedral district
and two or three blocks apart, and we went to
the same grade school, Cathedral School, and Mike was my
first friend when I moved here as a kind of
(03:04):
a nerdy kid, didn't know anybody in Bismarck at all.
But anyway, that's how we linked up, and we turned
it out. We had the same birthdays the same year,
different different mothers. However, I was born in Los Angeles
and Mike was born in Duluth, too far away places
(03:25):
from here, but anyway, so we've been friends since grade school,
went to high school together, BJC, Bismarck Junior College together,
and also grad school of U and D SO all
the way through and I.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
Know both of you shared a love of photography. Well,
so that was another connection.
Speaker 5 (03:45):
There was another connection, not right away, but we grew
up building a lot of air planes and living in
World War two history because actually when I moved here,
world War two was only over like ten years, so
we had a lot of war stuff, built models of dioramas,
all that kind of thing. Same interest, same hobbies, I
(04:05):
guess yeh.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
Basically, it sounds like, yeah, there were a lot of
common interests that you had, and Carolyn, you had the
pleasure of working with Mike for many years at Bismarck
State College formerly Bismarck Junior College. Many of us know
that Mike was a part of that institution for more
than fifty years. What memories would you like to share
(04:28):
with your audience about your connection with Michael.
Speaker 4 (04:32):
I have met many memories. I met Mike when I
started working at BJC. I was twenty six. I think
Mike was about thirty one, so it's been a fifty
year friendship between the two of us. Mike's office was
in the library building and as well as his classroom,
so he was in and out of the library a lot,
(04:54):
and every morning ten o'clock sharp. We had a little
coffee room off of the library staff room, and whoever
could make it would come in for coffee, and we'd
say Mike pretty much held court in that coffee room,
and we came to calling him in the oracle because
(05:16):
if there was something going on on campus we needed
to know about, or even in Bismarck, he often would
know right away, or if he did, or if he didn't,
he'd find out for us. One story, he and Laurie
had one child when I first met Mike, and they
(05:38):
would add four more to the family over the years.
And I don't know which baby it was, but Mike
was away at a history conference, his annual history conference,
and Laurie went into labor and she called Rosemary Thinky
I believe, whose husband was also at this history conference,
(05:58):
to get her to the hospital.
Speaker 3 (06:00):
And in those days, we didn't have.
Speaker 4 (06:01):
Cell phones to help us contact people, so it took
a while. And as soon as Mike found out you
were back to Bismarck.
Speaker 3 (06:13):
I don't know if he made it.
Speaker 4 (06:14):
For the birth of that little baby or not, but
the next week he gave Mike such grief. Michael, could
you not have been there? And shame on you. You
just really had fun with it, and he said, well,
I was there for the launching of the ship and
that's the most important part. And of course he would
(06:38):
laugh as.
Speaker 3 (06:38):
Much as absolutely his humor was something I remember.
Speaker 4 (06:45):
And as Mike mentioned, Mike McCormick also was an amateur photographer.
Speaker 3 (06:52):
I did a beautiful job.
Speaker 4 (06:54):
And he would take pictures of the athletic events at
b J CBS. He'd take pictures of all the drama
productions and headshots of those students that were involved. And
at Christmas time, often our Baccaly staff Christmas party would
be at the Elks or someplace that could accommodate all
(07:15):
of us. He would set up his camera in front
of a Christmas tree and then people could come and
get their pictures taken. And the next week he would
get those developed at Bob's Photo and come and distribute
all those And.
Speaker 3 (07:29):
You know, he never got paid for any of that stuff.
Speaker 5 (07:31):
All those I'm sure he paid for the processing of
his pocket too, you know, but just.
Speaker 4 (07:39):
For the good of the college. That's the way Mike worked.
And he also was our master of ceremonies at several
things staff development days, and I know one year when
doctor Krimit Lidstrom was president, he referred to Kermit as
(08:00):
Kermit the Frog in front of everybody and got away
with it, you know.
Speaker 3 (08:08):
And then he would laugh.
Speaker 4 (08:09):
And Kermit never took offense to that as far as
I know. And Kermit's replacement was doctor Donna Thigpen, our
first female president. Well I don't know if it was
drink last named fig Pen, but anyway, Mike took to
calling her miss Piggy. So we had Kermit the Frog
(08:30):
and then Miss Piggy and and this was, yeah.
Speaker 3 (08:34):
In front of everybody.
Speaker 4 (08:35):
He didn't you know, this wasn't a secret, but we
would all laugh, and so did Donna thig Pan.
Speaker 3 (08:42):
So Kermit the Frog. So that was That was Mike.
Speaker 4 (08:47):
And I'm sure Tory can attest to Mike as a teacher,
but he wasn't, I don't want to say, a pushover
by any means. You learned, You learned history, and often
I think his tests, and for sure his final test
(09:09):
was essay, and that wasn't easy for students, but it
wasn't easy for the professor either, who had to read
through all those cassays. And I was going by his
office and he'd have that left hand with his red pen,
and he'd be scratching notes on the tests and making
(09:31):
comments and feedback to the students, and he'd go over
them two three times before he'd settle on a grade. So,
you know, he was a wonderful, wonderful professor. And I
know right after he passed, I was talking to his
youngest daughter, Kelly, and she said, you know, Dad always
(09:55):
thought of BJC and BSc as his second family. And
I I said, absolutely, I said, that's exactly the way
I have always felt about my years there. There was
little turnover there. You know, we worked with people for
twenty thirty forty years and they were family, and that
(10:17):
was a real blessing, a real blessing.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
Well, a reminder for our guests that have just joined us.
You're listening to History Hot Dish on Radio Access one
O two point five FM. I'm your host, Kate Waldera,
and today our guests are Carolyn Twinley, Mike Leland, and
Tory Jackson. Together we are sharing our memories of a
dearly departed friend. Bismarck Historical Society member and past host
(10:47):
of History Hot.
Speaker 3 (10:48):
Dish, Michael McCormick.
Speaker 2 (10:51):
Yeah, Tore it's my understanding that you got to know
Mike is a history student at BSc.
Speaker 3 (10:57):
In the late nineties.
Speaker 2 (10:59):
Mike's love and passion for history is clearly rubbed off
on you. Since today you are the president of the
Bismartorical Society. What memories stand out today when you think
back to the way that Mike taught history and how
meaningful his passion was to you.
Speaker 1 (11:16):
Yeah. So I first met Mike in his classroom. It
would have been on a fall semester of nineteen ninety
eight at BSc, and I came out of Century High School.
I graduated from Century in ninety eight, and I was
never the most serious student, but I always liked history,
and I started to become a more serious student, you know,
(11:37):
probably my senior year in high school, and then decided
to start my college career at BSc. So I took
Western CIV that fall from Mike McCormick, as so many
students did over the years over his fifty year teaching career.
And you know, by the time I got there, he
had been teaching for decades already, so he had he
had really mastered his craft, and it was it was
(12:00):
very clear to me from the first day that this
was a guy who really knew the material, really cared
about his students, really cared about making sure we learned
the material. And you know, coming out of high school.
History classes in high school were different. They were more
dates and facts and multiple choice tests exactly, and not
(12:24):
a lot of really you know, critical thinking and analysis
and making sense of history. It was more just learning
the facts. But he was different. His classes were They
were serious studies of history. Like I said, it was
clear that he really knew the material and he had
such a passion for it. And even though by that
(12:45):
time he had been doing this for a long time,
you know, he came to it with such a joy
and such a passion and it was just so obvious,
and it was it was inspiring as a young student
who's kind of just starting your college career exactly so.
And his lectures, they were entertaining, they were thought provoking.
(13:07):
He really challenged you to think about history, not just
to remember the dates and facts, but really think about
it deeply, think about how it explains how we got
to where we are today, what the lessons are for
the future. And you know, his as Carolyn mentioned, his
tests always included essay questions, and when you come out
of high school, that's not something you're used to in
(13:27):
a history class necessarily choice, but that that forces you
to really grapple with the material and figure it out
and gain some understanding of it. And I've always told people,
you know, after I graduated from BSc, I was fortunate
to go to a couple of really good schools on
the East Coast. So I've had a lot of really
top notch professors, and I'd put him right up there
(13:49):
as as good or better than any I've had anywhere else.
Speaker 4 (13:52):
He was.
Speaker 1 (13:52):
He was that good. I mean, he was of the caliber.
He could have taught history anywhere he was good enough
to teach him. But we were so fortunate that someone
of his talent and his passion was willing to devote
his whole career to this school, into this community. A
lot of small two year schools maybe don't have that.
So he was a real gem, he really was. But
(14:15):
I also remember, you know, aside from how great it
was to be in his classroom, it was the times
outside of the classroom where he was always willing to
talk to you if you stop by his office or
you know, his classes were in the old library building
at BSc, and at the time, I was a smoker,
so I'd be out there before and after class smoking
(14:35):
in that little plaza area, and he'd come by and
he'd sit down and we'd chat about you know, sometimes
about class, sometimes about other things about life and you
know where I might end up after BSc. So he
became kind of a friend as well as a professor
during those interest in he did, absolutely, he absolutely did.
(14:56):
So it was it was a wonderful experience. It was
you know it having someone like him at the beginning
of your college career when you start out at a
two year school, really prepared you to move on to
a bigger university. And when I moved on to the
University of Virginia, I felt like I was ready because
I had taken classes from him, and my professors at
(15:16):
the University of Virginia taught history and much the way
he did in a very serious way well, and it.
Speaker 2 (15:21):
Was just, you know, a benchmark where you measured another
professor that you had against his talent absolutely.
Speaker 3 (15:31):
Well.
Speaker 2 (15:31):
In addition to his years of service to the Bismarck
Historical Society, many of our listeners may recall Mike as
a very active member of the Bismarck Rotary Club and
the Bismarck Mandan Elks Men's Course. In the time that
we have left, I'm sure we can share some other
stories about Michael, who would like.
Speaker 3 (15:52):
To go first.
Speaker 5 (15:54):
He recruited me for Roadary Club and also saying that
elks Men's course with him, We always always standing next
to each other. We were both baritones. Those just things
we did. We were just involved in things. Same with BJC.
We were officers in Circle K which was a Kawanis
College organization and went to national meetings there and so on.
(16:17):
So we were involved in a lot of similar interest areas,
all volunteer volunteers of.
Speaker 2 (16:23):
Course, absolutely. And Carolyn, did you have any other fun
stories to tell about Michael.
Speaker 4 (16:33):
Well, A touching story I have when nine to eleven happened.
I had a son living in New York City, my
Caada's daughter, Heather, living in New York Steph Borrud who
worked in our library. Her daughter Katie was there and
(16:53):
we were all frantic that morning trying to phone. Lines
were jawned, but we finally heard from our kids and
everybody was okay. But one thing that I thought was
really a neat idea. Mike went back to his classrooms
classroom and he had students pull a lot of blank
(17:14):
piece of paper and he said, now you write down
how you feel today, what has happened, your thoughts about it,
and then you take that home and you say that
because that's going to be very important.
Speaker 3 (17:29):
That's an excellent idea.
Speaker 2 (17:31):
So you can get that mental snapshot of where you were,
how you were feeling, your interpretation of what happened, put
it in an envelope, and then maybe ten to fifteen
years later, pull it out and read it and see
if you still feel the same.
Speaker 3 (17:46):
Way about that day.
Speaker 2 (17:48):
Yeah, it was a very excellent teaching tool that he used,
and that could be used for any major historical event.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
So, like I said, I you know, I first knew
him as a professor, and at that time, I don't
think I realized and appreciated, first of all, how important
he was to BSc as an institution. I mean, I
knew him as a history professor, but he did so
many other things for that institution over the years, and
it's you know, he's one of those rare people who
(18:23):
almost become synonymous with the institution. You can't you almost
can't imagine it without him, right, So I came to
appreciate that, you know, years later, as I got to
know him more as an adult, and when I moved
back to Bismarck in twenty eighteen, I kind of reconnected
with Mike and you know, we went and had a
(18:44):
beer a couple times, and then I joined the board
of the Bismarck Historical Society. So it's been really a
special experience for me a little bit later in life
to sort of reconnect with my old professor on the
board of the Bismarck Historical Society and share our love
for history again. It's it's something I really treasured. I'm
glad that I had these these number of years with
(19:04):
him later in life, but it's it's also amazing to
me how involved he just was in the community at large.
I mean, he was there are so many you know,
the Bismarck Historical Society, it's a big void for us
now without him on our board. Apps but we're not
the only group in town feeling that. There are so
many other groups that have had him for so long
(19:26):
and he's been such a huge presence in their organizations.
So the Bismarck Historical Society, like other organizations, are really
feeling that loss because he's he's really sort of a giant.
He's a big personality. He did so many things for
so many organizations, So it's a it's a big loss
for the community obviously.
Speaker 2 (19:43):
Yeah, you know, it's just you know, I still have
to pinch myself to remember that he's not there. I
expect him to come walking into our board memory meeting
with some Irish joke or some other quip. You know.
He always had something to cheer people up and lighten
the atmosphere and make people.
Speaker 3 (20:04):
Laugh and relax.
Speaker 2 (20:06):
And you know, and I still have, Like I said,
I still have a hard time thinking that he's not
here anymore.
Speaker 3 (20:14):
It makes me.
Speaker 2 (20:15):
Sad, it really does, because he had so much more
to give for everything. Well, I know, sharing co hosting
duties with Michael for the podcast was one of the
unique experiences that I'm always going to treasure. He was
a generous and kind mentor to me, a teacher through
(20:37):
and through, and I learned so much by just observing
his approach to conversing with people, how he set them
at ease with a bit of humor, and he brought
out the best in them during the interview by being
himself an enthusiastic advocate for the sharing of history.
Speaker 3 (20:58):
And that's how I feel about Michael.
Speaker 5 (21:00):
Well, we agree, you know.
Speaker 1 (21:01):
I know when we when we first came up with
this idea for History Hot Dish, Jason Timonic, our fellow
board member, and I were talking about it and it
was we both had the same immediate ideas, like, you know,
who could be a potential host for History Hot Dish,
And of course Mike's name was at the top of
the list because he's just a natural people person. He's
(21:22):
great at talking to people. He makes them feel comfortable.
So it's I feel fortunate that we have all these
episodes that he was able to record over the last
year or so, and they're all preserved, and I went
back to listen to some of those and it's there's
some it's kind of a treasure to have those.
Speaker 2 (21:40):
Well, I know one of the first, you know, I
was sat on the other side of the table for
the second podcast that we did. I'm talking about the
history of the Bismarck Public Library, and I think he
could sense that I was a little nervous doing that
because this is just not something that I ever thought
of myself as doing, and he was. He just put
(22:01):
me at ease.
Speaker 3 (22:02):
And I know during the interview he made one comment.
Speaker 2 (22:05):
He said, if you could just see how enthusiastic she
is about the library, you.
Speaker 3 (22:08):
Know, and that kind of made me well.
Speaker 2 (22:11):
But he had that gift, you know, of of helping
people become more relaxed and give up themselves and make
a quality interview.
Speaker 1 (22:20):
That that episode that you two did about the public
Library is still one of my favorites that we've done
so far. I absolutely loved that that interview. I think
that was wonderful.
Speaker 3 (22:28):
Ye that worked. I think that worked really well.
Speaker 2 (22:31):
He brought out the best in me and of course Mike,
who was unnatural, you know, so he did a great
job without saying.
Speaker 1 (22:39):
Yeah, I think you know, at the Bismarck Historical Siding
in particular, you're lucky to have someone like Mike on
your board for as long as we had him, because he's,
you know, if you need someone to be the MC
of an event, he's the guy to do it, and
he's gonna he's going to volunteer to do it, and
he does such a great job. But he also you know,
(22:59):
he took on this project, the History Hot Dish project.
He did such a wonderful job. He did a lot
of interviews for our oral history projects.
Speaker 3 (23:07):
Yeah, the Prairie pioneers exactly.
Speaker 1 (23:09):
And just does a wonderful job in those interviews. But
he does he puts people at ease when he interviews,
or he did, and he he brought out the best
of them and got the best out of them. So
we've been so fortunate to have him in this organization.
And he'st and.
Speaker 3 (23:26):
Like you said, you know, it's a hole that may
never be filled. You know, he left some pretty big.
Speaker 2 (23:32):
Shoes, absolutely pretty big shoes behind, and you know, and
I just feel so privileged, as I've said, to have
been able to work with him as co host for
the podcast, because whether he knew it or not, I
was watching what he did, how he did it, you know.
On I just want to make Michael proudt Yeah.
Speaker 5 (23:54):
You're doing well.
Speaker 2 (23:57):
Well, Mike and Carolyn and Tory. I just want to
take a moment and thank you for coming and joining
me today on History Hot Dish and sharing the wonderful,
happy memories of an amazing colleague, friend, mentor, and fellow
board member Michael McCormick. There will be never be another
(24:20):
another person I count absolutely not. So thank you all
for taking time out of your day to come and
visit with us and share these lovely.
Speaker 5 (24:28):
Memories, and thank you for your leadership.
Speaker 1 (24:30):
Thanks Kate, you bet, thank you for listening to History
Hot Dish if you like what you heard. Thesmark Historical
Society hosts programs and events throughout the year. We welcome
all those with an interest in local history to join us.
For more information about programs or membership, visit our website
Bismarkhistory dot org or find us on Facebook. You can
find History Hot Dish on one o two point five FM,
(24:53):
Radioaccess dot org, and anywhere you find great podcasts. History
Hot Dish is produced by the Bismarck Historical Society in
partnership with Dakota Media Access
Welcome to History Hot Dish, a casual conversation about the
historic people and events that give Bismarket's unique flavor. History
Hot Dish is brought to you by the Bismarck Historical Society,
a local nonprofit whose mission is to learn, preserve, and
promote the history of Bismarck. Sit back, turn up the
volume and enjoy another helping of History Hot Dish.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Well, welcome to another episode of History Hot Dish. I'm
your host, Kate Waldera, a member of the Bismarck Historical
Society's Board of Directors. Today is a very special episode
because three of my fellow Historical Society board members are
joining me, Carolyn Twinley, Mike Lalande, and Tory Jackson. Together
(00:46):
we're going to share some of our favorite memories of
a dear friend and fellow board member, Mike McCormick. As
many of you know, Mike passed away on August twenty eighth,
twenty four, twenty twenty four, leaving many memories and stories
for everyone to share at Carolyn and Mike, this is
your first time joining me on the episode of History
(01:08):
Hot Dish. A hearty welcome to both of you. Thank
you and to Tory, welcome back for another helping Thanks Kate,
good to be back for our audience. Please introduce yourself
and share your role as a board member for the
Historical Society, and more importantly, tell our listeners how you
came to know Mike McCormick and Carolyn.
Speaker 3 (01:31):
I'll let you start, Okay.
Speaker 4 (01:33):
I've been on the board about ten years, and I
take care of the archives for the Bismark Historical Society,
and I was on the committee that created the Bismarck
Historical Cookbook, and we're in our second printing and I
make sure that our vendors have copies.
Speaker 3 (01:54):
To sell, right.
Speaker 5 (01:56):
And I'm michae laland I've been on the board I
think around ten years. I was not a charter member,
but Mike recruited me. I think the society was like
a couple of years old when I came on the board.
And I do the photography for the newsletter occasionally.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
And Toy I've been on the board I think four
years or so, so a relative newcomer. For the last
two years, I've served as president of the board and
I've just been I guess roped into another term of
as presidents I'll be doing that for at least one
more year.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
Yeah, Mike, it sounds like you and Michael grew up
together and remained close friends throughout your lives. Do you
have any fond memories with Mike as you grew up
in Bismarck.
Speaker 5 (02:43):
Well, there's many, many of them of seventy years of worth,
I guess. But I moved to Bismarck when I was
between the sixth and seventh grade, and Mike was the
first friend. We both grew up in the Cathedral district
and two or three blocks apart, and we went to
the same grade school, Cathedral School, and Mike was my
first friend when I moved here as a kind of
(03:04):
a nerdy kid, didn't know anybody in Bismarck at all.
But anyway, that's how we linked up, and we turned
it out. We had the same birthdays the same year,
different different mothers. However, I was born in Los Angeles
and Mike was born in Duluth, too far away places
(03:25):
from here, but anyway, so we've been friends since grade school,
went to high school together, BJC, Bismarck Junior College together,
and also grad school of U and D SO all
the way through and I.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
Know both of you shared a love of photography. Well,
so that was another connection.
Speaker 5 (03:45):
There was another connection, not right away, but we grew
up building a lot of air planes and living in
World War two history because actually when I moved here,
world War two was only over like ten years, so
we had a lot of war stuff, built models of dioramas,
all that kind of thing. Same interest, same hobbies, I
(04:05):
guess yeh.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
Basically, it sounds like, yeah, there were a lot of
common interests that you had, and Carolyn, you had the
pleasure of working with Mike for many years at Bismarck
State College formerly Bismarck Junior College. Many of us know
that Mike was a part of that institution for more
than fifty years. What memories would you like to share
(04:28):
with your audience about your connection with Michael.
Speaker 4 (04:32):
I have met many memories. I met Mike when I
started working at BJC. I was twenty six. I think
Mike was about thirty one, so it's been a fifty
year friendship between the two of us. Mike's office was
in the library building and as well as his classroom,
so he was in and out of the library a lot,
(04:54):
and every morning ten o'clock sharp. We had a little
coffee room off of the library staff room, and whoever
could make it would come in for coffee, and we'd
say Mike pretty much held court in that coffee room,
and we came to calling him in the oracle because
(05:16):
if there was something going on on campus we needed
to know about, or even in Bismarck, he often would
know right away, or if he did, or if he didn't,
he'd find out for us. One story, he and Laurie
had one child when I first met Mike, and they
(05:38):
would add four more to the family over the years.
And I don't know which baby it was, but Mike
was away at a history conference, his annual history conference,
and Laurie went into labor and she called Rosemary Thinky
I believe, whose husband was also at this history conference,
(05:58):
to get her to the hospital.
Speaker 3 (06:00):
And in those days, we didn't have.
Speaker 4 (06:01):
Cell phones to help us contact people, so it took
a while. And as soon as Mike found out you
were back to Bismarck.
Speaker 3 (06:13):
I don't know if he made it.
Speaker 4 (06:14):
For the birth of that little baby or not, but
the next week he gave Mike such grief. Michael, could
you not have been there? And shame on you. You
just really had fun with it, and he said, well,
I was there for the launching of the ship and
that's the most important part. And of course he would
(06:38):
laugh as.
Speaker 3 (06:38):
Much as absolutely his humor was something I remember.
Speaker 4 (06:45):
And as Mike mentioned, Mike McCormick also was an amateur photographer.
Speaker 3 (06:52):
I did a beautiful job.
Speaker 4 (06:54):
And he would take pictures of the athletic events at
b J CBS. He'd take pictures of all the drama
productions and headshots of those students that were involved. And
at Christmas time, often our Baccaly staff Christmas party would
be at the Elks or someplace that could accommodate all
(07:15):
of us. He would set up his camera in front
of a Christmas tree and then people could come and
get their pictures taken. And the next week he would
get those developed at Bob's Photo and come and distribute
all those And.
Speaker 3 (07:29):
You know, he never got paid for any of that stuff.
Speaker 5 (07:31):
All those I'm sure he paid for the processing of
his pocket too, you know, but just.
Speaker 4 (07:39):
For the good of the college. That's the way Mike worked.
And he also was our master of ceremonies at several
things staff development days, and I know one year when
doctor Krimit Lidstrom was president, he referred to Kermit as
(08:00):
Kermit the Frog in front of everybody and got away
with it, you know.
Speaker 3 (08:08):
And then he would laugh.
Speaker 4 (08:09):
And Kermit never took offense to that as far as
I know. And Kermit's replacement was doctor Donna Thigpen, our
first female president. Well I don't know if it was
drink last named fig Pen, but anyway, Mike took to
calling her miss Piggy. So we had Kermit the Frog
(08:30):
and then Miss Piggy and and this was, yeah.
Speaker 3 (08:34):
In front of everybody.
Speaker 4 (08:35):
He didn't you know, this wasn't a secret, but we
would all laugh, and so did Donna thig Pan.
Speaker 3 (08:42):
So Kermit the Frog. So that was That was Mike.
Speaker 4 (08:47):
And I'm sure Tory can attest to Mike as a teacher,
but he wasn't, I don't want to say, a pushover
by any means. You learned, You learned history, and often
I think his tests, and for sure his final test
(09:09):
was essay, and that wasn't easy for students, but it
wasn't easy for the professor either, who had to read
through all those cassays. And I was going by his
office and he'd have that left hand with his red pen,
and he'd be scratching notes on the tests and making
(09:31):
comments and feedback to the students, and he'd go over
them two three times before he'd settle on a grade. So,
you know, he was a wonderful, wonderful professor. And I
know right after he passed, I was talking to his
youngest daughter, Kelly, and she said, you know, Dad always
(09:55):
thought of BJC and BSc as his second family. And
I I said, absolutely, I said, that's exactly the way
I have always felt about my years there. There was
little turnover there. You know, we worked with people for
twenty thirty forty years and they were family, and that
(10:17):
was a real blessing, a real blessing.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
Well, a reminder for our guests that have just joined us.
You're listening to History Hot Dish on Radio Access one
O two point five FM. I'm your host, Kate Waldera,
and today our guests are Carolyn Twinley, Mike Leland, and
Tory Jackson. Together we are sharing our memories of a
dearly departed friend. Bismarck Historical Society member and past host
(10:47):
of History Hot.
Speaker 3 (10:48):
Dish, Michael McCormick.
Speaker 2 (10:51):
Yeah, Tore it's my understanding that you got to know
Mike is a history student at BSc.
Speaker 3 (10:57):
In the late nineties.
Speaker 2 (10:59):
Mike's love and passion for history is clearly rubbed off
on you. Since today you are the president of the
Bismartorical Society. What memories stand out today when you think
back to the way that Mike taught history and how
meaningful his passion was to you.
Speaker 1 (11:16):
Yeah. So I first met Mike in his classroom. It
would have been on a fall semester of nineteen ninety
eight at BSc, and I came out of Century High School.
I graduated from Century in ninety eight, and I was
never the most serious student, but I always liked history,
and I started to become a more serious student, you know,
(11:37):
probably my senior year in high school, and then decided
to start my college career at BSc. So I took
Western CIV that fall from Mike McCormick, as so many
students did over the years over his fifty year teaching career.
And you know, by the time I got there, he
had been teaching for decades already, so he had he
had really mastered his craft, and it was it was
(12:00):
very clear to me from the first day that this
was a guy who really knew the material, really cared
about his students, really cared about making sure we learned
the material. And you know, coming out of high school.
History classes in high school were different. They were more
dates and facts and multiple choice tests exactly, and not
(12:24):
a lot of really you know, critical thinking and analysis
and making sense of history. It was more just learning
the facts. But he was different. His classes were They
were serious studies of history. Like I said, it was
clear that he really knew the material and he had
such a passion for it. And even though by that
(12:45):
time he had been doing this for a long time,
you know, he came to it with such a joy
and such a passion and it was just so obvious,
and it was it was inspiring as a young student
who's kind of just starting your college career exactly so.
And his lectures, they were entertaining, they were thought provoking.
(13:07):
He really challenged you to think about history, not just
to remember the dates and facts, but really think about
it deeply, think about how it explains how we got
to where we are today, what the lessons are for
the future. And you know, his as Carolyn mentioned, his
tests always included essay questions, and when you come out
of high school, that's not something you're used to in
(13:27):
a history class necessarily choice, but that that forces you
to really grapple with the material and figure it out
and gain some understanding of it. And I've always told people,
you know, after I graduated from BSc, I was fortunate
to go to a couple of really good schools on
the East Coast. So I've had a lot of really
top notch professors, and I'd put him right up there
(13:49):
as as good or better than any I've had anywhere else.
Speaker 4 (13:52):
He was.
Speaker 1 (13:52):
He was that good. I mean, he was of the caliber.
He could have taught history anywhere he was good enough
to teach him. But we were so fortunate that someone
of his talent and his passion was willing to devote
his whole career to this school, into this community. A
lot of small two year schools maybe don't have that.
So he was a real gem, he really was. But
(14:15):
I also remember, you know, aside from how great it
was to be in his classroom, it was the times
outside of the classroom where he was always willing to
talk to you if you stop by his office or
you know, his classes were in the old library building
at BSc, and at the time, I was a smoker,
so I'd be out there before and after class smoking
(14:35):
in that little plaza area, and he'd come by and
he'd sit down and we'd chat about you know, sometimes
about class, sometimes about other things about life and you
know where I might end up after BSc. So he
became kind of a friend as well as a professor
during those interest in he did, absolutely, he absolutely did.
(14:56):
So it was it was a wonderful experience. It was
you know it having someone like him at the beginning
of your college career when you start out at a
two year school, really prepared you to move on to
a bigger university. And when I moved on to the
University of Virginia, I felt like I was ready because
I had taken classes from him, and my professors at
(15:16):
the University of Virginia taught history and much the way
he did in a very serious way well, and it.
Speaker 2 (15:21):
Was just, you know, a benchmark where you measured another
professor that you had against his talent absolutely.
Speaker 3 (15:31):
Well.
Speaker 2 (15:31):
In addition to his years of service to the Bismarck
Historical Society, many of our listeners may recall Mike as
a very active member of the Bismarck Rotary Club and
the Bismarck Mandan Elks Men's Course. In the time that
we have left, I'm sure we can share some other
stories about Michael, who would like.
Speaker 3 (15:52):
To go first.
Speaker 5 (15:54):
He recruited me for Roadary Club and also saying that
elks Men's course with him, We always always standing next
to each other. We were both baritones. Those just things
we did. We were just involved in things. Same with BJC.
We were officers in Circle K which was a Kawanis
College organization and went to national meetings there and so on.
(16:17):
So we were involved in a lot of similar interest areas,
all volunteer volunteers of.
Speaker 2 (16:23):
Course, absolutely. And Carolyn, did you have any other fun
stories to tell about Michael.
Speaker 4 (16:33):
Well, A touching story I have when nine to eleven happened.
I had a son living in New York City, my
Caada's daughter, Heather, living in New York Steph Borrud who
worked in our library. Her daughter Katie was there and
(16:53):
we were all frantic that morning trying to phone. Lines
were jawned, but we finally heard from our kids and
everybody was okay. But one thing that I thought was
really a neat idea. Mike went back to his classrooms
classroom and he had students pull a lot of blank
(17:14):
piece of paper and he said, now you write down
how you feel today, what has happened, your thoughts about it,
and then you take that home and you say that
because that's going to be very important.
Speaker 3 (17:29):
That's an excellent idea.
Speaker 2 (17:31):
So you can get that mental snapshot of where you were,
how you were feeling, your interpretation of what happened, put
it in an envelope, and then maybe ten to fifteen
years later, pull it out and read it and see
if you still feel the same.
Speaker 3 (17:46):
Way about that day.
Speaker 2 (17:48):
Yeah, it was a very excellent teaching tool that he used,
and that could be used for any major historical event.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
So, like I said, I you know, I first knew
him as a professor, and at that time, I don't
think I realized and appreciated, first of all, how important
he was to BSc as an institution. I mean, I
knew him as a history professor, but he did so
many other things for that institution over the years, and
it's you know, he's one of those rare people who
(18:23):
almost become synonymous with the institution. You can't you almost
can't imagine it without him, right, So I came to
appreciate that, you know, years later, as I got to
know him more as an adult, and when I moved
back to Bismarck in twenty eighteen, I kind of reconnected
with Mike and you know, we went and had a
(18:44):
beer a couple times, and then I joined the board
of the Bismarck Historical Society. So it's been really a
special experience for me a little bit later in life
to sort of reconnect with my old professor on the
board of the Bismarck Historical Society and share our love
for history again. It's it's something I really treasured. I'm
glad that I had these these number of years with
(19:04):
him later in life, but it's it's also amazing to
me how involved he just was in the community at large.
I mean, he was there are so many you know,
the Bismarck Historical Society, it's a big void for us
now without him on our board. Apps but we're not
the only group in town feeling that. There are so
many other groups that have had him for so long
(19:26):
and he's been such a huge presence in their organizations.
So the Bismarck Historical Society, like other organizations, are really
feeling that loss because he's he's really sort of a giant.
He's a big personality. He did so many things for
so many organizations, So it's a it's a big loss
for the community obviously.
Speaker 2 (19:43):
Yeah, you know, it's just you know, I still have
to pinch myself to remember that he's not there. I
expect him to come walking into our board memory meeting
with some Irish joke or some other quip. You know.
He always had something to cheer people up and lighten
the atmosphere and make people.
Speaker 3 (20:04):
Laugh and relax.
Speaker 2 (20:06):
And you know, and I still have, Like I said,
I still have a hard time thinking that he's not
here anymore.
Speaker 3 (20:14):
It makes me.
Speaker 2 (20:15):
Sad, it really does, because he had so much more
to give for everything. Well, I know, sharing co hosting
duties with Michael for the podcast was one of the
unique experiences that I'm always going to treasure. He was
a generous and kind mentor to me, a teacher through
(20:37):
and through, and I learned so much by just observing
his approach to conversing with people, how he set them
at ease with a bit of humor, and he brought
out the best in them during the interview by being
himself an enthusiastic advocate for the sharing of history.
Speaker 3 (20:58):
And that's how I feel about Michael.
Speaker 5 (21:00):
Well, we agree, you know.
Speaker 1 (21:01):
I know when we when we first came up with
this idea for History Hot Dish, Jason Timonic, our fellow
board member, and I were talking about it and it
was we both had the same immediate ideas, like, you know,
who could be a potential host for History Hot Dish,
And of course Mike's name was at the top of
the list because he's just a natural people person. He's
(21:22):
great at talking to people. He makes them feel comfortable.
So it's I feel fortunate that we have all these
episodes that he was able to record over the last
year or so, and they're all preserved, and I went
back to listen to some of those and it's there's
some it's kind of a treasure to have those.
Speaker 2 (21:40):
Well, I know one of the first, you know, I
was sat on the other side of the table for
the second podcast that we did. I'm talking about the
history of the Bismarck Public Library, and I think he
could sense that I was a little nervous doing that
because this is just not something that I ever thought
of myself as doing, and he was. He just put
(22:01):
me at ease.
Speaker 3 (22:02):
And I know during the interview he made one comment.
Speaker 2 (22:05):
He said, if you could just see how enthusiastic she
is about the library, you.
Speaker 3 (22:08):
Know, and that kind of made me well.
Speaker 2 (22:11):
But he had that gift, you know, of of helping
people become more relaxed and give up themselves and make
a quality interview.
Speaker 1 (22:20):
That that episode that you two did about the public
Library is still one of my favorites that we've done
so far. I absolutely loved that that interview. I think
that was wonderful.
Speaker 3 (22:28):
Ye that worked. I think that worked really well.
Speaker 2 (22:31):
He brought out the best in me and of course Mike,
who was unnatural, you know, so he did a great
job without saying.
Speaker 1 (22:39):
Yeah, I think you know, at the Bismarck Historical Siding
in particular, you're lucky to have someone like Mike on
your board for as long as we had him, because he's,
you know, if you need someone to be the MC
of an event, he's the guy to do it, and
he's gonna he's going to volunteer to do it, and
he does such a great job. But he also you know,
(22:59):
he took on this project, the History Hot Dish project.
He did such a wonderful job. He did a lot
of interviews for our oral history projects.
Speaker 3 (23:07):
Yeah, the Prairie pioneers exactly.
Speaker 1 (23:09):
And just does a wonderful job in those interviews. But
he does he puts people at ease when he interviews,
or he did, and he he brought out the best
of them and got the best out of them. So
we've been so fortunate to have him in this organization.
And he'st and.
Speaker 3 (23:26):
Like you said, you know, it's a hole that may
never be filled. You know, he left some pretty big.
Speaker 2 (23:32):
Shoes, absolutely pretty big shoes behind, and you know, and
I just feel so privileged, as I've said, to have
been able to work with him as co host for
the podcast, because whether he knew it or not, I
was watching what he did, how he did it, you know.
On I just want to make Michael proudt Yeah.
Speaker 5 (23:54):
You're doing well.
Speaker 2 (23:57):
Well, Mike and Carolyn and Tory. I just want to
take a moment and thank you for coming and joining
me today on History Hot Dish and sharing the wonderful,
happy memories of an amazing colleague, friend, mentor, and fellow
board member Michael McCormick. There will be never be another
(24:20):
another person I count absolutely not. So thank you all
for taking time out of your day to come and
visit with us and share these lovely.
Speaker 5 (24:28):
Memories, and thank you for your leadership.
Speaker 1 (24:30):
Thanks Kate, you bet, thank you for listening to History
Hot Dish if you like what you heard. Thesmark Historical
Society hosts programs and events throughout the year. We welcome
all those with an interest in local history to join us.
For more information about programs or membership, visit our website
Bismarkhistory dot org or find us on Facebook. You can
find History Hot Dish on one o two point five FM,
(24:53):
Radioaccess dot org, and anywhere you find great podcasts. History
Hot Dish is produced by the Bismarck Historical Society in
partnership with Dakota Media Access
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