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| Dr. Tony Hansen, MHS '71 |
Trump derides Dr. Fauci as "a Democrat" (or at least the president thinks he is, or whatever). Let's simplify issues to Republican: good, and Democrat: bad. Such is the orientation of a large slice of our population out here in western Minnesota. Somehow we have hung on to a congressman who calls himself a Democrat: Collin Peterson. Seems more and more anomalous all the time. He'll probably win again.
Consider the horrifying wind in Iowa not long ago. Strange stuff is happening with the weather. We ignore scientists at our peril. There is hope, if we should happen to elect Joe Biden. He respects science and would put in place experts to oversee the proper adjustments to what is happening, if it's not too late. Re-elect Trump and it may be game over.
But Trump defies expectation so much, who knows? Maybe if re-elected he'll announce he's aligned with the Democrats, "Chuck and Nancy." Wouldn't that be incredible? Of course, the mere volatility of the president is what's dangerous in the first place.
Scientists like Dr. Tony Hansen are the epitome of what's needed now. I did not know him as "Dr." in my background. He was Tony Hansen, Class of 1971 graduate of Morris High School. He played "trap" drums with the Morris High School "stage band." It was actually the jazz ensemble but director John Woell I'm sure felt the world was not ready for "jazz" in mainstream. I have no recollection of MHS music having jazz before 1970. So Tony may have been the first-ever drummer in that mold. Important distinction, Tony. It ranks up there with what you have accomplished since, as a science genius in meteorology.
The discipline gets traction
I'm not sure we ever heard the term "meteorology" much before the mid-1970s. I think many of us were introduced to it when WCCO-TV hired Mike Fairbourne. Before the days of Fairbourne, your "weatherman" on TV was an agreeable sort of guy who felt comfortable in the media. It was more of a communications profession than science.
Before Fairbourne we watched the agreeable Bud Kraehling on WCCO-TV news. Those were the Dave Moore and Hal Scott days. Oh, and Al Austin with his "editorial comment." Al was left-leaning and not at all like Johnny Carson's "Floyd R. Turbo." Dave was pretty liberal too. Liberal people in general felt their oats in the 1970s. Liberals are on the defensive today. But liberals are the type we depend on to respect climate change and its ramifications. Heaven help us if we have to rely on our local Apostolics.
I wonder if Tony still plays the drums. He must be 67 years old now, an age which in my youth spelled "retirement." Maybe 67 is the new 57. Or 47.
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| St. Cloud State, in middle of Minnesota |
Homecoming became quite the piece of work. Many of us would want to laugh or smirk at mention of this. Maybe this type of reaction has become shelved too. I remember one year when our UMM brought in an official "poet laureate" to speak at graduation, and she began sharing an anecdote that was set at St. Cloud State. Immediately I thought to myself "uh-oh, we'll hear about the party thing." And that's exactly what happened! To a smattering of amused reaction of course. I thought to myself "dammit, this isn't funny any more."
To put aside the barbs
The years roll by. I am now 65 years old, graduated two years after Tony, and I think over time our perception of MN colleges has escaped the shackles of stereotype. It used to be you could "sell" UMM by deriding St. Cloud State as the frivolous party place. And St. Cloud people would "sell" their school by saying we here in Morris were in a desolate place out near the edge of the world! I would suggest it's quaint now to recall such talk. All institutions of higher learning must have a focused mission and set meaningful standards for all their students.
UMM and SCSU may not attract the same type of student. So what? Young people vary in their talents and potential. But the State of Minnesota should ensure that all the institutions it supports get maximum respect. Don't laugh. Forget about the infamous "Homecoming riots" at St. Cloud State. Or, all the police blotter info from SCSU Homecoming weekend that the media would salivate over getting each year. Oh yes, it happened.
UMM and St. Cloud State should actually have a feeling of partnership. Tony Hansen - I can't get in the habit of calling him "Dr." - has quotes in the SCSU Magazine article. The article was written by Anna Kurth. I'm pleased to share a portion here:
Professors Dr. Alan Srock and Dr. Tony Hansen have been teaching Numerical Weather Prediction for more than a decade. Two years ago they updated the curriculum to make it required.
"Most of our students were taking it anyway, and there's certainly demand in the field for people who know how modeling works," Srock said. "The field of meteorology is shifting hugely toward data and processing, analysis and visualization."
With satellite technology there are millions of observations now that meteorologists need to get into a computer model and have them output something useful.
"That is one of the big challenges in our field right now, and we're getting better at it, but there's certainly more to do," Srock said.
Hansen agreed.
"We adapt the curriculum to meet the needs of the marketplace," Hansen said. "To meet the needs and to equip the students with skills that will serve them when they need to go out in the world."
The class is helping students learn modeling by teaching them how they can use the software to learn about the weather and how human actions can influence weather in unexpected ways.
This spring students modeled cases such as the influence changing corn hybrids has on the intensity of rainstorms in the Upper Midwest.
With new corn hybrids, farmers can plant crops in much higher density than in the past, and each plant creates more stalks, which requires more irrigation. With increased irrigation more water is lost through evaporation and ends up as higher moisture content in the air. Does that lead to more powerful thunderstorms?
It's questions like these students are able to explore through modeling, Hansen said.
Size isn't everything
I wonder how St. Cloud State is faring in the face of the pandemic. Enrollment was already sliding and that's not a bad thing. The doors swung open for massive waves of the boomer-age youth in the 1970s, and it was a mixed bag with outcomes. There will always be a share of students who show the proper seriousness and set the stage for a productive career. It's as true at SCSU as anywhere.
Facing that reality was the dubious reputation of being a place for unserious students who wanted to party. I can affirm this was not myth.
Our society determined before the '70s that college opportunity was too limited. So society decided to so something about it. And that's how we got St. Cloud State, amigo. I think the institution went through a catharsis where Homecoming activity had to be canceled. My reaction was that this drastic action only underscored the extent of the problem leading up to it.
I don't mean to suggest that the problems were confined to one weekend called "Homecoming" because they weren't. People like me who attended a state school in the '70s would probably admit there was a lack of accountability in many places. To the extent that a lot of students needed to be straightened out (or expelled), the instructors weren't fulfilling their role with that. Most of them seemed aloof and pretty uncaring about the rank and file students. They were happy we were there and to get paid for herding us into their classrooms. I think as private money got more and more into the mix, it solved a lot of serious problems. Nothing is worse than a government monopoly.
A background with music, fun
Hansen's colleagues of today should know that he "supplied the beat" for what I'm sure was the first-ever jazz ensemble for Morris High School. They should know he could be a pretty ardent fan of the Morris Tigers teams. I remember a tournament basketball game at another town, where Tony held up a sign that was judged inappropriate. I suspect it was a consolation game because the sign complained of officiating in the previous game. It read "we got screwed." Yes, Tony feels commitment in his heart.
I'm sure I'm in the dwindling circle of people who remember Tony's mother Daisy as a violin player supreme. She anchored the violin section of the UMM orchestra when the ensemble was brand new. The director was my father Ralph E. Williams, and concerts were at Edson Auditorium, now part of the Edward and Helen Jane Morrison Performing Arts Center. I wish the Morrisons hadn't beaten me to purchase naming rights, seriously. I would have outbid them. But that's water under the bridge or whatever.
The last time I saw Tony he was here in Morris for a UMM concert at the HFA. We talked briefly. In his high school years he was part of a little group that went on "Dead Beat Soul Society" crusades, like to the old Papa John's restaurant. He played on recordings with "Joe Banana and the Bunch." You might say those were "the good old days." He and I were active musically for the Morris Centennial in the summer of 1971. Morris is approaching what should be its Sesquicentennial. The pandemic might erase any celebration, not that I hear of any celebration anyway. Times have changed.
Oh, I remember Tony's dad as custodian at the old school. He'll forever be in my memory in his tan-colored (top and bottom) custodial engineer uniform. I remember one day he pulled away a wastebasket just as I was trying to scrape some uneaten food into it. He got really upset. Today I never leave any food behind. We all evolve.
Society would be blessed if listening to Tony's perspective relative to climate change. Will it happen? Let's see first if our denier-in-chief gets re-elected.
Addendum: Tony was a big fan of the Minnesota Vikings in the Fran Tarkenton years!
My podcast for October 23
Yes it's Friday but hardly a time for looking forward to the weekend. The pandemic news is too sobering. Also, the news about how Trump has a chance at re-election.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com
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| Tony Hansen is drummer at top-left. This is the Morris MN Centennial "German band," 1971. Your blog host is trumpet player at bottom-left. The other drummer is Tracy Dunnum. Let's go left to right in front: Kathy Graff, yours truly, Scott Groth, Del Sarlette, Lynn Christiansen, Terry Rice, Ken Johnson and John Woell Jr. |
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