Author to Share Experiences Interviewing Scott County Veterans

(Editor's note: The following is a news release from the Scott County Historical Society.)

Author Tom Melchior will relate stories of his experiences gathering interviews and writing the book Never Forgotten: Stories by Scott County World War II Veterans at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 8 at the Scott County Historical Society.   

The book has been reprinted and is now on the shelves of the Society. Melchior spent nearly three years working with the SCHS to create this extraordinary book, interviewing over seventy World War II veterans to collect and preserve their stories. There will be a Q&A after his presentation, and Melchior will sign books. 

The presentation will take place at the Scott County Historical Society - Stans Museum, located at 235 South Fuller Street in Shakopee. Admission is free for SCHS Members, $4 for adults and $2 for students. For more details, contact SCHS at 952-445-0378, or info@scottcountyhistory.org.

The book is available at the Museum store for $30 plus tax. SCHS members receive a 10% discount. 

Background: The Society began its Scott County Greatest Generation Oral History Project in 2006 with the goal of collecting resident’s stories from the 1930-1950s. With financial help from Cargill and dedicated volunteers, it collected and transcribed over 160 individual interviews. A majority of those interviews were with Scott County veterans. The Society received a MN Arts and Cultural Heritage - Legacy Grant to create a manuscript from the veteran’s stories, and contracted with Tom Melchior to undertake this project. Melchior recorded most of the veteran’s oral histories and created an impressive manuscript faithful to the veteran’s voices. The book sold out in March 2011.

About the Author: Tom Melchior taught English and composition for 30 years at New Prague, Colegio San Antonio Abad, Humacao, Puerto Rico, Montgomery, and the Burnsville, Savage, Eagan School District (junior and senior high schools). In 1971 he was named Minnesota Teacher of the Year. After retirement in 1993, Melchior became an associate professor at Normandale Community College, where he taught three composition classes. He also taught graduate classes in Composition and Speech for St. Mary’s University in Minneapolis as well as three summer sessions in literature at Hamline University.

Melchior wrote and self-published the following books: "They Called Me Teacher: Stories of Minnesota Country School Teachers from 1915 to 1960," published in 1997. He also wrote the poems to introduce each chapter. "From Both Sides of the Desk" published in 2003, a memoir of Tom’s school experience from first grade to the end of his 34-year teaching career. Belle Plaine Baseball 1884-1960" published in 2004, a detailed history of the Belle Plaine amateur baseball team.  "Scott County Baseball" published in 2007, documents the history of every amateur baseball team in Scott County, going back to the late 1860’s.