History 21 The Podcast - 4.10 Rediscovering "Anguish"

In 2005, ACHS produced an award-winning exhibit focusing on the veterans of the Vietnam War. One of these veterans, Bruce Sommer, created a piece of art titled “Anguish” as part of his healing process. In this episode, Collections Manager Kassandra Mackenthun visits with Gather Committee member Jo Rhoady to hear more about the art, Jo’s connection, and how ACHS plans to revisit the exhibit material.

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

The ACHS collection contains an 18-page description of “Anguish,” which details what each item within the piece means and where to find them. Bruce graduated from Fridley High School in 1967 and served in the US Marine Corp until 1971. He was stationed in Vietnam for nearly one half of his duty and came home bitter and skeptical of “big business” and Government. He worked through and around his mental health challenges while managing the Mermaid supper club and raising a family in Fridley. Bruce passed away September 27, 2004 from complications of Agent Orange exposure. The original “Anguish” is housed at the National Vietnam Veterans Art Museum in Chicago.

Anoka County Library Minute

Library Highlight:

This year’s Summer Adventures theme at the library is Blast Off! We have a summer jam-packed with stellar programming including UFO Minnesota – Watch the Sky with author Chad Lewis. This program will take place on Saturday June, 8th from 2-3pm at the Northtown Library.

This program, led by author Chad Lewis, looks at some of the most amazing UFO encounters Minnesota has to offer. Minnesota has a rich history of UFO and alien encounters. Each year hundreds of people witness something in the sky that they can't explain. Even more bizarre are those who believe that they have come face to face with creatures not of this earth. Registration is not required, but it may be useful to register in order to receive a reminder email about the event.

Throughout the summer, in place of the typical list of resources, we’ll highlight one or two exciting programs or other updates of interest. Stay tuned for more!