Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Don Hendrickson
Because Siri informs me that only 1.2 percent of people in the United States have earned a doctorate or Ph.D. degree, it is even more extraordinary that precisely 30.76 percent of the Sheyenne Class of 1960 holds this distinction. Yes, four of the 13 graduates in that class obtained not only their undergraduate and master's degrees, but also, in various fields, doctoral degrees, the highest college education to which one can aspire. The four are Duane Berglund, Allan Garnaas, Donald (Don) Hendrickson and Ken Throlson. Each of these men has an intriguing story, and this month's featured alumnus is Don Hendrickson. The others will be highlighted in future issues of "Where are they Now?," in the "New Rockford Transcript."
Don lives in Indiana, but when he was in New Rockford earlier this month on business, I met with him to ask several questions about his life in education. An amazing fact about his post-secondary education is that he was able to accomplish his degrees without any debt when he finished!
How was this possible? Don worked for the USDA during the summers, measuring crops while working on his undergraduate studies at Minot State University. This job allowed him to minimize loan applications to only one, which was paid off when he taught high school science, math and German at Trenton, N.D., along with coaching a couple of sports.
After two years of teaching in Center, N.D., where he met and married his wife Karen in June of 1966, the young couple decided to move to Colorado after Don had received a "full ride" National Defense Education Act scholarship. He worked on the next two levels of education, earning his doctorate degree in microbiology in 1970 from Colorado State University. While in Colorado, he remained close with two Sheyenne friends, Ken Throlson and Jerry Myhre.
Obtaining a doctoral degree at the young age of 28 allowed Don to teach microbiology at Ball State University in Muncie, Ind., for 29 years. Ball State is a public research university where over 22,000 students are offered a range of nearly 200 bachelor's degrees and about 140 graduate programs.
During the latter part of his teaching career, he and his wife decided to start an environmental testing business named Hoosier Microbiological Laboratory, or HML. HML's website states that the company was established in 1976. Testing services include water and wastewater analyses, air monitoring, soil and biosolids (sludge) analyses, bioassays, bioremediation, landfill monitoring and TCLP analyses."
Don says, "HML is one of the few labs in the world that tests for viruses. We also have DNA testing for bacteria in food and environmental samples." Don is still the president of HML, which he continues to operate after 42 years. Another achievement of his is the establishment of an oil exploration company called Phoenix Petroleum. He appreciates the fact that his two careers in teaching and environmental work benefit other people.
Aside from work, the Hendricksons love to travel, and they have traveled quite extensively. Three especially memorable trips include their honeymoon during which they drove all the way from North Dakota to Mexico, a trip to Australia to mark the couple's 40th wedding anniversary, and a Russian riverboat cruise they enjoyed on their 50th anniversary. Another fun interest that Don has is that he has been an avid snow and water skier for years. He also loves to play blackjack at a variety of casinos, he sings in several choral groups and loves to view the beautiful North Dakota sunsets. He admits, "North Dakota is a fantastic place to spend part of the summer, but I do not miss the winters!"
Due to his current position as a member of the New Rockford based W-E Wind, LLC Board of Governors, Don travels back to North Dakota on occasion for business. He has spent the past three years working to interest wind farm developers in the project that is anticipated to take place in Eddy and Wells Counties along the Continental Divide. Just recently, one wind developer has signed a letter of intent, advancing the progress on this enormous venture.
Being related to all of the Myhre families and many of the Hendricksons in the Sheyenne-New Rockford area, Don has quite a few people he could visit when he arrives back in the state. He always spends time with his sister Marlys Fleming when he is back "home." He also likes to make a point of checking in with Amy Wobbema, owner and publisher of the "New Rockford Transcript," as she is his nephew's daughter.
When he gets together with these and other relatives, they like to reminisce about the "good ol' days" when life was simpler and easier. Don recalls with a smile living on the farm west of Sheyenne. He had his driver's permit at the tender age of 12 and would drive tractor and haul grain. Even while living in Indiana years ago, he would drive back to North Dakota to work on the farm near Sheyenne with his brother. The Hendricksons still own a Grandfield Township section of land that he had farmed at one time.
One humorous memory that surfaced when Don thought back to his high school years was the time when the students climbed out on the roof of the school when their young, rather inexperienced, shop teacher was called to the office. Puzzled because there were no students left in the classroom when he came back, the teacher went again to the office to report his missing learners. Arriving back in his room a second time, he was greeted by a quiet class of studious pupils, all earnestly working at their desks. This harmless prank that left an indelible impression, I'm sure, on Don and perhaps his teacher, too!
For someone who never had the opportunity to take a physics class because he attended such a small school, Don decided not to let that or anything else stand in the way of his goals. A goal-oriented person, Don Hendrickson's principal reason for his immense success is stated in his own well-known philosophy of life: "If at first you don't succeed, try and try again."
