History 21 The Podcast - 4.05 Burton Dupre

Listen to Burton Dupre's stories as he remembers growing up in Centerville in the 1920s and 30s and the farm chores and shenanigans he and his friends got up to (including when they were arrested by the Anoka Game Warden for fishing without a license.) Burton also shares his time in the service during WWII as a medic at an English hospital, and then bartender for the Company Bar in Germany.

Stories taken from his collection of short stories, “Sincerely, Burton” printed in 2001 and read by ACHS volunteer Brian Boldt.

Host Rebecca Desens, ACHS Director and Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator.

Burton Dupre Obituary

1923 - 2013

“Burton Mitchel Louis Dupré was born 9/2/1923 in Centerville MN to Joseph and Marie (Dufresne) Dupré. Burton was the middle of five children: Orella Gallivan (deceased), Melvin, Andrew (deceased) and Stanley. As a youth he enjoyed looking for arrowheads, fishing and hunting in the beautiful surroundings. He formed life-long friendships and returned often to Minnesota to visit.

Burton graduated from White Bear Lake High School in 1941. He served his country in WWII in the army. On his Army paperwork he wrote this as his civilian occupation: “Worked on father’s 100-acre farm in Centerville for ten years. Drove a 1.5 ton box truck, harvested ice for homes and stores, hauled supplies and rubbish, and drove short hauls on tar, gravel and dirt roads. On the farm, did all sorts of field and chore work. Drove 10-20 wheel for two years each summer. Put in rings and bearings. Drove two to four horses in a hitch. Painted farm buildings.”

Following his training in Fitzsimmons General Hospital in Colorado, he was stationed in England as a medic. Later he went to Germany and was assigned to work in the motor pool, until it was learned he had tended bar in Centerville. He and a staff sergeant started a company bar, and Burton never did get to drive anyone anywhere.

After his discharge from the army he attended the Airline Training division of the Central Radio and Television College in Kansas City, MI. After a brief stint at Wisconsin Central Airlines in St. Cloud MN he began a 38-year career with Northwest Airlines in Seattle. He worked in many roles, from Transportation Agent, to Load Control Agent, to Customer Service Agent, and even Chief Mail Expediter. He retired as a Supervisor in Cargo….”

Read the full obituary here

Sincerely, Burton

Burton Dupre gathered and wrote the stories included in this small memoir over the course of a few years. In 2001 his daughter Rebecca along with her husband Mike McIver assembled them all into book form. In his acknowledgments Burton noted “without [their] persistent encouragement, these stories would never have been written.”

Read the entire book at the Anoka County History Center.

Anoka County Library Minute

Among the stories told by Burton Dupre in this episode of History21, his upbringing on a farm and the way that shaped him seems to permeate throughout. In one particular story, he speaks about the variety of chores and responsibilities he had in order to contribute to the farm and his household – from cooking and cleaning, to tending to crops and farm animals. If learning more about farm life is of interest, the library has plenty of materials to enjoy. The following list are just some of the resources available on the topic.