Oral history interview with Kenneth L. Heck

Author / Creator

Heck, Kenneth L

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Summary

Kenneth Heck (b. 1912) was born and raised on a farm 5 1/2 miles south-west of Viroqua on County Road N in the Township of Franklin. The farm was purchased by Kenneth's grandfather, German immigran...

Kenneth Heck (b. 1912) was born and raised on a farm 5 1/2 miles south-west of Viroqua on County Road N in the Township of Franklin. The farm was purchased by Kenneth's grandfather, German immigrant who settled in the area in 1866. Kenneth's father, John Heck (1869-1948) farmed the same property. Kenneth's mother, Julia Sommerfield (1878-1970) was also of German ancestry and grew up in the Asbury Ridge area north-east of Viroqua. Kenneth had a brother who died in 1914 from tetanus at age 11. His two sisters lived to adulthood in the Viroqua area. One of his sisters married and took over the family farm with her husband in the early 1920s. Kenneth and his parents then moved to Viroqua where he went to public schools in town. He graduated from Viroqua High School in 1930. When his sister's marriage ended, Kenneth and his parents moved back to the farm and Kenneth helped with the farm from 1929 through 1936. In 1936 he took a civil service exam and got a job as a US Postal Clerk at age 24. He worked in St. Paul for a while and then was sent to Chicago at the central Post Office where he worked sorting mail. While in Chicago he met his future wife, Lois Bernhard, at a dance at the Aragon Ballroom. They were married in 1939 and moved to Des Plaines, Illinois. He entered the US Army in 1942 and served for 3 years in the western Pacific theater. He was discharged in December 1945. He contracted malaria while he was in the service. After the war, he returned to his job with the Postal Service, now working as a railroad mail clerk on the route between La Crosse and Chicago. He and his wife re-located to Viroqua and in 1950 they bought the Lindemann House at 305 East Terhune, a large 2 1/2 story late Victorian home of the Queen Anne style. Lois and Kenneth Heck had three children: Martha (b. 1944), Julie (b. 1949) and John (b. 1950). Kenneth retired from the Postal Service in 1964 because of eye problems. His wife worked in the office at Viroqua High School from 1962-1983. In 1969 they moved to their current location at 312 West Decker. Comments: Kenneth was 91 years old at the time of the interview, but seemed to have a good memory of people, places and events. He has memories of working on the farm and living in Viroqua during the Depression Era. He did not speak much about his WWII experience, but spent most of the interview responding to questions about his personal history and impressions of life in the first half of the 20th century.

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