Dr. Dale Olsen

My Life StoryByDale O. OlsenAge 86 years, 11 month and 16 days old

“I was born November 18, 1916, 5 miles east of Sand Lake Michigan inside a converted chicken coop. My mother’s name was Lola Hudson, my father was Peter Olsen. My dad was a farmer on my grandpa Jorgen’s farm. Later came my sister Lillian and my brother Gordon.

Living with my family on the farm was a delightful experience. I was outdoors playing most of the time. I would watch my grandpa and some carpenters who came to help him convert the chicken coop into an additional room on to the house for my bedroom.

When I was very young my mother died. I moved off the farm and went to live in Grand Rapids with my aunt and uncle, Anna and Joel Arvidson. I started grade school in 1921. In 1928 I moved back to the Sand Lake area to live with my dad, his new wife Stella, my brother and my sister. I used to be the oldest, but I wasn’t anymore. I attended Blake School, 8 miles east of Sand Lake, for the 7th and 8th grades.

Before we could be admitted to the 9th grade we had to take a county test. That test divided us into two groups, one to which went to Trufant Schools, while the other went to Coral High School. I was in the Coral group. There were about 75 students in my whole school, divided into four different years. I liked high school very much because I could participate in sports. I was a regular player on the basketball team and the only pitcher on the baseball team, there were no substitutes.

I walked 6 miles to school every day for 3 years. In the 11th grade I met a wholesome girl from Trufant who was taking courses designed to get her into college. I started to date her in the spring. In her senior year she was accepted at Central Michigan University. Her name was Gladys Mortensen. In my senior year I moved in with Grace Baldwin and her daughter Eleanor, who had just graduated from Coral High. I stayed there throughout that year. It was nice not walking 6 miles to school and I had a great experience with this family. I helped wash their windows, took care of the pig, shoveled the snow off their sidewalks, cut the grass and generally helped around the house. I graduated from Coral High on May 27th 1936.

There was a man named DeYoung who worked for Grace Baldwin at the local grain elevator. He played a significant part in my life. The story is that it was getting to be about 6:00 at night when he came into my house and dismantled my bed. It was his way of telling me to leave the Baldwin house because school was over. I knew it would be hard to get a ride to the city so I started to hitchhike to Grand Rapids. But God was my co-pilot, and he led me to the right road to take. He never fails. The first car came along after I had walked a mile. The car stopped and I got in. They stopped because they thought I was their neighbor. They drove me all the way to my aunt and uncle’s home. I stayed there about a month.

I needed to get a job so I looked into selling Bibles in Grand Rapids. I bought two Bibles to show people but never sold even one. I thought I should go to Kalamazoo and enroll in Western State Teachers College, now called Western Michigan University. I was accepted as a student and was hired to work in the library. I came back to Grand Rapids in the summer and took a job at the John Widdicomb Furniture Co. making expensive new furniture look antique. I worked there all summer. I graduated from Western on June 17th 1940 with a Bachelor of Arts degree and a major in the sciences, a minor in physical education and a teaching certificate. I returned to Grand Rapids and took course work at the University of Michigan Center. I took a job with the Grand Rapids Public Schools as an evaluator of standardized tests. I continued to live with my aunt and uncle. I took a job at Fairview School, in an independent school district on Alpine Avenue. I taught history and mathematics and coached boys in basketball, football and track.

I entered the Army Air Corps as an instructor in October, 1942, 10 months after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. I was stationed, for most of my duty at Perrin Field, the air corps’ flying school in Sherman, Texas. I was an instructor in aircraft identification, basic math and basic writing skills. I continued to date Gladys until I married her on February 16, 1943.

Gladys lived and worked in Grand Rapids. I was honorably discharged on December 8, 1945, after 3 years and 2 months of service, and I returned to Grand Rapids to start my married life. Gladys and I took jobs teaching for Grand Rapids Public Schools. In 1949 I completed work on building our house on Houseman St., and our son Bill was born on October 10th that same year. Our second child, my daughter MaryAne , was born 4 years later on my 37th birthday, November 18, 1953. I was hired to teach at Ottawa Hills High School. Four years later I became principal at Congress Elementary School. After that, I became principal at Burton Junior high School. During this time I attended the University of Michigan Summer Ph.D program at their school of Education. I received my doctorate in education in 1966.

Seven years later, I resigned from the public schools and took a job as the Director of Teacher Education in the School of Education at Grand Valley State University. I had 32 employees and one of my proudest accomplishments was the establishment of a student teaching program in Venezuela. I worked for Grand Valley for 13 years and retired in 1986 as a full professor. I thus ended a 43 year career in education, 18 years as a teacher and 25 years as an administrator.

I started to enjoy life as a retired person. My son’s daughter Jennifer had a baby, Marissa. I bought a fishing boat and studied for and received a Sea Captain’s license. I helped Gladys with her garden, painted and repaired the house, updated the fence, drove my Cadillac’s, and saw friends and family. On December 30, 1990 my grandson Charlie was born to MaryAne and her husband Dick, and on May 16, 1997 his younger brother Oliver was born. Between the births of my grandsons however, a terrible thing happened. Gladys was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. That was in 1991. She died 8 years later on March 29, 1999. I kept her at home throughout her entire illness so that she could be in familiar surroundings.

In September of 2002 I moved into Pilgrim Manor. My life has been filled with goodness and mercy and been blessed in more ways that I ever imagined. Realizing God’s unconditional love liberates us from the image of the ledger-keeping God who condemns people to punishment in this life and the next. Even though my body suffered the ravages of disease, my heart still loves life to the fullest.”

If you were fortunate enough to know Dale, you would know that he was never too busy to listen or to or share a thought, a perspective or an opinion. He offered counsel freely and wisely, asking nothing in return, What better can be said of a man?

Dr. Dale O. Olsen, Ph.D, aged 86, a long time educator in the Grand Rapids Area, passed away Monday, November 3, 2003. He was preceded in death by his wife, Gladys Olsen and his son, William Olsen. Surviving are his daughter, MaryAne Olsen (Richard Gottlieb), his grandchildren: Charles Olaf Olsen, Oliver Jacob Olsen, Jennifer Sellon, his great granddaughter, Marissa Sellon. He honorably served his country during WWII in the United States Army Air Force. Dr. Olsen spent over 40 years in education teaching at Fairview Elementary, Ottawa Hill High School and Central High School. He was principal of Congress Elementary and Burton Junior High School and was director of teacher education for the extension services of Michigan State University, Western Michigan University and Central Michigan University. Dr. Olsen developed the student teaching program at Grand Valley State University and served as director for 13 years until his retirement. He also served in leadership positions in the Michigan Education Association. Dr. Olsen received his doctorate in Education from the University of Michigan. He was a life member of the Masonic Lodge F&AM, member of the Scottish Rite and the Shriners. He was a licensed Charter Fishing Captain on the Great Lakes and an antique Cadillac collector and enthusiast. Funeral services will be held Thursday at 11 a.m. at Second Congregational Church U.C.C. with Rev. Bonita Zobeck officiating. Interment will be in Fairplains Cemetery. Dr. Olsen reposes at the Van Strien – Creston Chapel, 1833 Plainfield N.E., where relatives and friends may meet his family Wednesday from 7 to 9 p.m. For those who wish, memorial contributions to the Parkinson's Association or the American Diabetes Association would be appreciated. To read Dr. Olsen's life story, leave a memory or make a memorial contribution, please go to www.lifestorynet.com

HERITAGE FUNERAL SERVICE A Life Story Funeral Home.