Tenney Family Reunion
August 19-20, 2006
Southern Minnesota
The 2006 Tenney Family Association, Inc. Family Reunion was held on the
beautiful prairies of southwestern Minnesota. Our family began gathering in
the lobby of the Mankato Best Western Conference Center on Friday evening
for our informal gathering. The inevitable question of “You look like a
Tenney” started the introduction among the attendees who participated in our
evening meal that night. We had a wonderful dinner before adjourning for the
evening.
Saturday dawned cloudy, but after registration in the Best Western Lobby and
pickup of member packets, we boarded an air conditioned tour bus and were off
for a day-long tour of the southern Minnesota locale. Our first stop was the
Hubbard House and Heritage Center.
Our
tour was led by Suzanne and Ken and they provided information on how the house
was built, being electrified and having central heating at a time when the
remainder of Mankato still did not have those luxuries.
We saw the wall covering which is similar to linoleum and three stained glass
transom windows in the house. The architecture of this home was truly wonderful
and the craftsmanship something to be amazed at.
Our time there was so very interesting that we ran out of time to see the
inside of the carriage house with the Hubbard House, however we were able to
spend a brief time walking around the outside of it and within the gardens
around the house.
We then proceeded to the Blue Earth County Historical Society building where
we perused the exhibits and were treated with a personal recollection of the
items from the Dubke farm from Duane Dubke. This added to our visit there and
the extensive rural history of the region. Special thanks to Anna & Sara at the
Blue Earth County Historical Society.
We then departed for Faribault and Dundas. We stopped for a brief lunch
before heading for the Maple Lawn and Groveland Cemeteries. Roger H. Tenney,
Dorothea A. Tenney, David and Duane Dubke, Dick Vangerud and Gary & Jane
Bachmann added a lot to our tour by being our guides for the history of the
Tenney’s buried in the cemeteries as well as some of the rich stories they could
provide of the family history in the area. Gary Bachmann kept us amused with
jokes on the bus as well in his wry Minnesota style. Roger H. Tenney was the
National Teacher of the Year in 1967, so his travelogue was a natural extension
of his previous experience.
We
first visited the Maple Lawn and Groveland Cemeteries. Jane Bachmann proved to
be an exceptional locator of headstones that could not be found and located the
headstone for Maywood Tenney which Roger H. & Company had not been able to find!
She found it under a couple of inches of rich Minnesota soil and grass! Thanks
so much for your talent at locating this headstone and others, Jane. We need to
provide her with a shovel and whisk broom for our next cemetery excursion!
We continued our touring with a trip to Northfield home of Carleton College
and St. Olaf. Both Roger H. Tenney and Roger Phenix were able to provide unique
perspectives on the campuses. Carleton boasts the following Tenneys as having
attended the institution, Ansel Arthur Tenney ’23, Bess Merritt Tenney ’22, Mary
Simpson Tenney ‘ 06 (Mrs. Howard B. Tenney, parent of Helen Tenney West ’45),
Helen Tenney West ’45 (Mrs. Richard J. West) and Robert Lee Tenney ’40. Becky
Zrimsek, the Director of the Alumni Affairs Office at Carleton College was very
gracious in providing this information to both Dick and Elaine Vangerud
(brother-in-law and sister of Roger H. Tenney).
Our group photo was taken at Carleton in front of the faculty house that
Roger Phenix lived in for five years. His father, Dr. Philip H. Phenix,
(1915-2002) was Chaplain of Carleton College in 1949-1951, taught religion and
philosophy there later in the fifties, and was Dean of the College 1958-60. The
house is just two blocks from the campus, and one block from the public school
Roger and his brother Morgan attended. His mother, Gena Tenney Phenix, now
living in Stanley, Virginia, was choir director of our church in Northfield when
we first arrived, was an active community leader in the town, working to create
dialog and consensus on town, school, and church matters. Roger was able to
provide us with many anecdotes of what it was like growing up on the campus and
how it brought back a lot of good memories for him.
Our next stop was St. Olaf College. We visited the Memorial for the students
who had died while attending school there and the Music School Building. The
memorial is a wonderful place to sit in quiet reflection to the pleasant sound
of wind chimes as the wind gently wafts through the tower. We were also treated
to the family’s talent for song when our group broke into song in the Music
School building, led by whom else, Roger H. Tenney our tour guide for this
segment of our visit.
We left St. Olaf and Northfield, headed to Mapleton and our final two visits
to cemeteries. We were met by Wally Johnson at the Chase Cemetery where he had
all the information on Chase & Union Cemeteries. Our Minnesota cousins were all
wonderful in providing the history of the families buried in each. A feature of
each of the cemeteries was the beautiful pastoral view. Our Tenney ancestors in
Minnesota chose locations where those of us that follow can appreciate the vast
openness of the Minnesota prairie. A truly special place for our Tenney
ancestor’s final resting spots from toils of their exertions on the Minnesota
prairies.
We made our final stop at the Tenney Homestead. Duane and David Dubke
recounted tales of what the original homestead was like and it’s appearance. The
current owner uses many old farm implements to create whimsical designs. Quite a
variety of items were available for sale and many of them now grace our porches
and gardens. Those pictured here obviously did not make the trip home with
anyone, but were great to gander at as we completed our tour stops for the day.
Having had a wonderfully full day of history and ancestral burying grounds,
we began our ride back to Mankato for our evening meal and a wonderful
presentation by Dick Vangerud, entitled “Facing into the West Wind”. We enjoyed
our meal and listened to the Tenney’s struggles and triumphs as they settled in
southern Minnesota. His talk once again brought home the trials and tribulations
that were involved in settling the Midwest in the 1800’s. The evening was hosted
at the Cray Mansion in Mankato and is still another historic property in the
city of Mankato.
After our dinner, we returned to the Best Western in Mankato, full and still
interested in sharing history of the family in our gathering in the lobby.
Thanks again go to Roger Phenix for his wonderful collection of photographs from
Greycourt in Methuen, MA. Roger had the opportunity to be there as a child and
shared some wonderful photos of the interior of the house. What a special treat.
Front Row L-R: Duane Dubke (CA), Jo Ann & Roger Phenix (NY), Ruth
Burditt (OK), Emmelen Allen (OK), Roberta Lee (OK), Debbie Montgomery (CA) and
Kay Hartzell (MD).
Second Row L-R: Ken Bunting & Laura Bunting (PA), Meredith Tenney (IA),
Jane Bachmann (MN), Joyce & David Dubke (MN).
Third Row L-R: Roger & Joanne Tenney (TN), Bruce Dubke (CA), Thomas
Tenney (IA), Dorothea A. Tenney (MN), Roger H. Tenney (MN).
Fourth Row L-R: Mary Vangerud (MN), Caryn Dubke (CA), Mary Lou Tenney
(NY), Elaine Vangerud, (MN), Richard Tenney (NY)
Fifth Row L-R: Judy Vilhauer (ND), Jim Vangerud (MN), Dick Vangerud (MN).
Back Row L-R: Oscar Vilhauer (ND), Charles West (IA), Hal Tenney (CA).
Cousins from across the country renewed old acquaintances, and made new ones
to be continued. Thanks to everyone who made the trip and a special thanks to
the Reunion Committee that consisted of Roger H. Tenney, Dorothea A. Tenney,
Dick & Elaine Vangerud, Charles E. West, Duane Dubke, Lynn Casler, Jeff Tenney,
David & Joyce Dubke, Roger Phenix, Gary & Jane Bachmann and of course Debbie
Montgomery! A special hats off to you all. Without all your hard work and
effort, this wonderful gathering would have not been possible.
The results from the business meeting on Sunday are covered in my President’s
message from this issue.
Attendees at this year’s reunion included: Dorothea A. Tenney (MN), Ruth
Burditt (OK), Dick & Elaine Vangerud (MN), Roberta Lee (OK), Roger H. Tenney
(MN), Laura & Ken Bunting (PA), Emmelen Allen (OK), Roger & Joanne Tenney (TN),
Duane Dubke (CA), Kay Hartzell (MD), Charles E. West (IA), Richard & Mary Lou
Tenney (NY), Mary Vangerud (MN), Jim Vangerud (MN), Tom Tenney & daughter
Meredith Tenney (IA), Jane & Gary Bachmann (MN), Roger & Jo Ann Phenix (NY),
Judy & Oscar Vilhauer (ND), Mark & Michelle Tenney (CO), Dave & Joyce Dubke
(MN), Hal Tenney (CA), Caryn & Bruce Dubke (CA), Chuck & Barb Baker (New Members
from MN! Yea) and Debbie Montgomery (CA).
