ELWYN B. ROBINSON DEPARTMENT OF SPECIAL COLLECTIONS
CHESTER FRITZ LIBRARY
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH DAKOTA
GRAND FORKS, NORTH DAKOTA 58202

HERMAN STERN PAPERS

COLLECTION: OGL #217

DATES: 1904-1971

SIZE: 10.5 linear feet

INTRODUCTION

ACQUISITION: The Herman Stern Papers were deposited in the Orin G. Libby Manuscript Collection. The acquisition records are unavailable.

ACCESS: Available for inspection under the rules and regulations of the Department of Special Collections.

RELATED PUBLICATION:

" You Have Been Kind Enough to Assist Me": Herman Stern and the Jewish Refugee Crisis, by Terry Shoptaugh. Fargo: North Dakota Institute for Regional Studies, 2008.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

Hermann Stern was born in Oberbrechen, Germany, on August 9, 1887, to Samuel Loeb Stern and Mina (Strauss) Stern. The Orthodox Jewish family was very poor, as Samuel Stern was forced to ike out a meager existence by selling slaughtered cattle to a paste factory. As the youngest of eight children, Hermann Stern worked odd jobs until 1901 when he apprenticed with a clothing merchant in Mainz. In 1902, Stern's uncle, Morris G. Straus, asked him to come to America and enter the clothing business. Straus had left Germany many years before, and ran a successful clothing store in Casselton, North Dakota. Unable to receive permission from his employer, Stern quit his training and set sail for America. He arrived in New York City on October 10, 1903, and traveled to Casselton later that year.

In Casselton, Stern dropped the second "n" from his first name, and thrived in the business of men's clothing. Working at Morris Straus's Casselton store, he became manager of the store in 1907, when Straus moved to Valley City to open a second location. In 1910, the two men switched positions, and Stern moved to the Valley City store to take charge of it.

Two years later, Stern married Adeline Roth, Straus's sister-in-law. Straus retired in 1920, and Stern purchased half interest in the Valley City and Casselton stores. Stores were then opened in LaMoure and Carrington. Stern had earned a strong reputation in the business community, and became an active member in the Valley City Chamber of Commerce. He was a founding member of the Greater North Dakota Association (the North Dakota State Chamber of Commerce), and served for many years as the President of the group.

The Great Depression brought tough times to Stern and his business. The stores in Casselton, LaMoure, and Carrington struggled to be profitable. Stern also grew increasingly concerned with Adolf Hitler's anti-Semitic ideology and the effect it had on his relatives back in Germany. In 1933, his niece Klara Stern wrote to him requesting a visit to America for her and her brother, Erich. Stern requested the assistance of North Dakota Governor William Langer and Senator Gerald Nye in acquiring a visa. Nye was especially helpful in helping Stern cut through the red tape, allowing Klara and Erich to enter the United States in 1934. In 1935, Stern's nephew, Julius, wrote and asked his uncle to arrange for him to come to the United States. Julius also requested that Gustav Stern and his wife, Selma, also receive visas. Again with the assistance of Nye, visas were issued to all three. Gustav and Selma Stern were then reunited with their children, Klara and Erich.

By 1937, Stern's success in acquiring exit visas had spread. He began to receive letters from distant relatives, as well as complete strangers, asking for work affidavits in the United States. Not only did Stern supply the affidavits, he also helped them find work. He secured jobs in North Dakota, Minnesota, Chicago, and elsewhere. Stern sponsored 50 people at one point in time, and another 50 already had jobs.

Individual effort could only go so far, and in 1938, Stern agreed to act as an organizer for the Hebrew Sheltering and Immigration Aid Society. While raising money and sponsors for the Society, Stern also led efforts to send Jews to the Middle East. He spoke to Jewish groups in every major city in North Dakota, as well as in the Twin Cities and other parts of Minnesota.

In 1940, Stern's brother, Adolf, with his wife and children, who had left Germany and traveled to France, asked for Stern's help. Slowed down by red tape, he again asked Nye for assistance. Both Stern and Nye personally contacted Secretary of State Cordell Hull in an attempt to expedite the process. Two weeks before Pearl Harbor was bombed on December 7, 1941, the visas were issued.

When America entered the war, contact with much of Europe was completely cut off. Stern's other two brothers, Moses and Julius, as well as Julius's wife Frieda were unable to be saved. All three of them perished in the Holocaust. All told, Stern had assisted 125 Jews in escaping Germany from 1933-1941, although knowledge his involvement was confined to a few relatives and friends.

Herman Stern then turned his focus back to the clothing business. Not only a successful business leader, Stern was a life-long patron to the Boy Scouts. He was awarded three distinguished service awards from the Boy Scouts: the Silver Beaver, the Silver Antelope, and the Silver Buffalo. Stern was also a member of the Red River Valley Council and the Northern Lights Council. He was a founding member of the North Dakota Automobile Association, and was also instrumental in the creation of the North Dakota Winter Show at Valley City.

Herman Stern died on June 20, 1980, in Fargo.

Sources:

Shoptaugh, Terry L. "You Have Been Kind Enough to Assist Me: Herman Stern's Personal Crusade to Help German Jews, 1932-1941." North Dakota History. v64, n4 (Fall 1997): 2-15.

"Herman Stern Dies at Age 92." Fargo Forum. 22 June 1980: A-1.

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

The Herman Stern Papers were reprocessed in July 2003. The folders were rearranged to place them in proper Series and Subseries order. Prior to this, the folders were scattered throughout the collection in random order. The collection dates from 1904 to 1970, and is divided into six series as follows:

Series I: Greater North Dakota Association
The Greater North Dakota Association functions as the North Dakota State Chamber of Commerce. The group was organized in 1924, and Herman Stern was a founding member. Material related to the GNDA dates from 1935-1962, and is divided into four subseries: correspondence; administration, finance and membership; the executive board; and miscellaneous. A scrapbook related to the GNDA was placed in Series 6, Subseries E. Box 1, Folder - Box 2, Folder 2

Series II:World War II - Domestic War Effort
This series records Stern's activities in the domestic war effort during World War II. The series documents Stern's work as the Barnes County Chairman of the North Dakota War Chest, 1943- 1944, as well as his work in war loan bond drives, 1943-1945, and USO fund drives, 1941-1947. Several scrapbooks related to Stern’s activities in the domestic war effort were placed in Series 6, Subseries E. Box 2, Folder 3 - Box 2, Folder 14

Series III:Boy Scouts of America
Stern was an active leader in the Boy Scouts of America. This series is divided into five subseries. Subseries A documents Stern's activities in the BSA on the local and regional levels. Subseries B contains financial information, while Subseries C documents Stern's fund raising work for the Wilderness Camp (Park Rapids, Minnesota). Subseries D consists of correspondence, while miscellaneous material is included in Subseries E. A scrapbook related to the BSA was placed in Series 6, Subseries E. Box 2, Folder 15 - Box 4, Folder 13

Series IV:North Dakota Winter Show
Stern helped found the North Dakota Winter Show, and continued to an active member for many years. The Winter Show sough to promote and expand agriculture and agri-business. The series includes introductory and descriptive materials, correspondence, financial information, and miscellaneous materials. A scrapbook related to the Winter Show was placed in Series 6, Subseries E. Box 4, Folder 14 - Box 5, Folder 26

Series V: Straus Company and Rotary Club This series includes materials related to the Straus Company, including correspondence and materials related to the opening of a new store in Valley City in 1950. Also included are publications and correspondence related to the Rotary Club. Several scrapbooks related both to the Straus Company as well as the Rotary Club, were placed in Series 6, Subseries E. Box 5, Folder 27 - Box 5, Folder 31

Series VI:General Correspondence, Scrapbooks, and Miscellaneous
This general series is divided into five subseries. Subseries A contains Stern's correspondence with specific individuals, including North Dakota Governors Fred Aandahl and Norman Brunsdale. Subseries B contains correspondence files divided up by subject, while Subseries C consists of miscellaneous correspondence. Subseries D contains miscellaneous documents, including Upper Midwest Economic Studies and a report to the Midwestern Governors' Conference. Subseries E contains oversize scrapbooks. The scrapbooks are housed in boxes 7 and 8, although three of them were wrapped in paper and placed on the shelves adjacent to the collection. Box 6, Folder 1 - Box 8

BOX AND FOLDER INVENTORY

Box 1
Folder
SERIES I: GREATER NORTH DAKOTA ASSOCIATION
Subseries A: Correspondence

  1. 1938, Miscellaneous
  2. 1935 Grasshopper plague and economic situation in North Dakota
  3. 1940 President of the GNDA
  4. 1940 -1941, President of the GNDA
  5. 1941, Agriculture and the ND Automobile Club
  6. 1941, Soil Conservation, Agriculture, ND Automobile Club
  7. 1945, Miscellaneous
  8. 1954-1956, Homer Ludwick, President of the GNDA
  9. 1961-1962, Mr. Don Gackle

Subseries B: Administration, Finance, Membership

  1. County Reports and Related Correspondence
  2. Good Roads Committee, membership and Subscriptions 1937-1938
  3. ND Auto Club Reports , Subscription Reports 1938
  4. Subscription Reports, 1939
  5. Budget, Subscription Reports, 1940
  6. Budget (including Auto Club), 1943-1945.
  7. Budget, Subscription Reports, ND Auto Club, 1946
  8. Membership Lists, Audits, District Meetings, 1947
  9. Miscellaneous Finance, Committee Meetings, Membership lists, Auto Club, 1948-1951.
  10. Membership and Contribution Lists, 1956
  11. Financial statements, Fund-raising Materials, 1957

Subseries C: GNDA Executive Board

  1. 1938 Meeting and Board correspondence with Minneapolis St. Paul firms (1934)
  2. 1940 Meeting, correspondence on tourism in N.D.
  3. Correspondence Auto Club and finance, 1941-1947
  4. 1945 Meeting, by-laws miscellaneous correspondence (1950-1954)

Box 2
Folder
Subseries D: Miscellaneous

  1. Industrial Development Program for N.D. (1956) clippings (1956-1959), Annual Meeting, Minneapolis - 1959
  2. GNDA correspondence with Minneapolis St. Paul firms, agriculture studies, 1960

SERIES II:WORLD WAR II - WAR EFFORT
Subseries A: North Dakota War Chest (National War Fund) Barnes County Chairman

  1. Bulletins and correspondence 1943-1944
  2. Correspondence, clippings, some USO, 1943-1944
  3. State Board minutes, correspondence, pamphlets, 1943-1944
  4. Scrap Book War Chest Drive clippings, 1944
  5. Bulletins of national, state, and local drives, 1944

Subseries B: War Loan Bond Drives

  1. Fifth Bond Drive correspondence, 1943
  2. Fifth and Sixth Bond Drives correspondence 1944-1945

Subseries C: USO Fund Drives

  1. Pamphlets, correspondence 1941-1942
  2. Correspondence and county contribution lists, 1942-1943
  3. Correspondence and county contribution lists, 1944-1945
  4. Correspondence, state organization, state quotas, 1945-1947
  5. Correspondence, newspaper articles, clippings, 1946

SERIES III:BOY SCOUT ACTIVITIES
Subseries A: Activities in Scout Organization
Chairman of the Rural Scouting Program - Red River Valley Council

  1. Correspondence - administration and finance, 1934-1939
  2. Correspondence - administration and finance, 1935-1936
  3. Project proposals

Regional Affairs (Region 10 Vice-Chairman)

  1. 1955, regional meeting - St. Paul
  2. Correspondence as Regional Vice President, 1955-1956
  3. 1957, regional meeting - Valley City
  4. 1960, regional meeting- St. Paul
  5. 1961, regional meeting- Minneapolis
  6. Correspondence as Regional Vice President, 1961-1965
  7. Region 10 reports, 1962

Box 3
Folder

  1. 1962, regional meeting- St. Paul
  2. 1963, regional meeting - Minneapolis
  3. 1964, regional meeting- St. Paul
  4. 1965, regional meeting- Minneapolis

Section Meetings (Regional Executive Committee)

  1. 1960
  2. 1961
  3. 1962

Annual Council Meetings

  1. Yellowstone Valley Council, Billings, 1957
  2. Red River Valley Council, 1967-1968

District Organization

  1. Correspondence - District Presidents and committees, 1948-1951
  2. Valley City District Organization and Extension Committee, 1949-1950

Subseries B: Finance - Red River Valley Council
Sustaining Membership Finance Plan

  1. 1959-1963
  2. 1960-1965
  3. 1965
  4. 1965-1966
  5. 1967
  6. 1967-1969
  7. 1969-1970
  8. 1970

Council Audits, Budgets, Reports

  1. Miscellaneous, 1948-1950
  2. Miscellaneous, 1948-1950
  3. Budget, 1964-1965
  4. Audits and reports, 1966, 1969-1970
  5. Budget, 1967-1968

Miscellaneous Finance

  1. Fargo Board finance campaign 1945-1953
  2. District reports, 1946-1948
  3. Christmas Fund campaign, 1949-1950
  4. Correspondence with Allen King, Council Finance Chairman, 1949-1951
  5. Trading post receipt statements, 1951-1954
  6. Correspondence with elevator managers - fund raising, 1954

Subseries C: Wilderness Camp
Finance and Fund Raising

  1. Correspondence - contributions and fund raising, 1945-1946
  2. Correspondence - contributions, 1945 -1947
  3. Correspondence - fund raising campaigns, 1945-1948
  4. Correspondence - fund raising articles, clippings, 1945-1948
  5. Subscription forms - 1948
  6. Fund raising drive, 1948-1949
  7. Facilities improvement - donations 1956
  8. Fund raising drive - lists and correspondence, 1957-1958, 1964

Correspondence Following Dedication

  1. 1949-1951, 1954

Box 4
Folder
Subseries D: Correspondence
Specific correspondence files

  1. Edger M. Olson, leadership training programs 1948-1952
  2. Max B. Jensen (council executive) 1948-1954
  3. Ralph Kowalke, Henry Schreiber, Clifford Peterson, 1949
  4. Correspondence with Scout Field Representatives, 1949-1950
  5. Correspondence and lists concerning the Silver Beaver award, 1949-1951

Miscellaneous correspondence

  1. 1935-1936
  2. 1935-1936
  3. 1941-1942
  4. 1945-1952
  5. 1949-1955, mainly with the Fargo Scout office
  6. 1958

Subseries E: Miscellaneous

  1. Clippings on Scouting, 1946-1954
  2. "Jamboree Journal," 1960 National Jamboree

SERIES IV: NORTH DAKOTA WINTER SHOW Subseries A: Introduction and description
Descriptive booklets

  1. 1948-1952
  2. 1957-1958, 1960, 1963, 1967

Newspaper articles and clippings

  1. 1961 and 1963
  2. Scattered

Articles of incorporation and By-laws

  1. 1961-1968

Subseries B: Correspondence
Invitations to the Winter Show and responses

  1. 1963 and 1965
  2. 1966
  3. 1966

Specific correspondence files

  1. Craig Montgomery, (4-H), 1961
  2. Ernest L. De Alton (crops section), 1961
  3. Sears and Roebuck - Minneapolis, 1961-1964
  4. P.M. Rustan, William and Tom Davidson, 1961-1964
  5. "The St. Paul Insurance Companies," 1962 and 1968
  6. Standard Oil managers - Fargo, 1964

Correspondence, alphabetized by file

  1. B - 1961-1967
  2. C - 1961-1964
  3. D - 1961-1963
  4. E - 1961-1964
  5. F - 1963-1964
  6. G - 1961-1964
  7. H - 1961-1969
  8. J - 1961-1963
  9. K - l961-l962
  10. L - 1961-1963
  11. M - 1961-1963
  12. N - 1961-1963
  13. O - 1961-1963
  14. P - 1961-1964
  15. R - 1961-1963
  16. S - 1961-1965
  17. T - 1961-1962
  18. W - 1961-1963

Miscellaneous correspondence

  1. Recognition dinner for Herman Stern -invitations and related materials, 1960- 1966
  2. Acknowledgments of gifts to the Winter Show, 1961-1967, 1962 and 1965
  3. 1962-1965

Box 5
Folder

  1. Relating to Lawrence Welk's possible visits to the Winter Show, 1963-1969, 1964-1965
  2. 1964-1965

Subseries C: Finance
Development Committee

  1. Correspondence - also Finance and Building committees, 1961
  2. Publicity sub-Committee, 1961
  3. Correspondence - also Finance committee, 1961
  4. Conference, June, 1961
  5. Correspondence with county chairmen of the 1961 fund drive
  6. New building contribution list, 1961-1967
  7. Paying off of building indebtedness, 1962-1963
  8. Pledge lists and budget, 1962.1969
  9. Pledge lists - payments, 1965-1966
  10. Pledge lists and miscellanea

Correspondence - A.J. Dexter

  1. Suggestions for county development campaigns, 1961
  2. Agricultural and rural development committee work, unpaid pledge reports 1961- 1962
  3. Western North Dakota fund-raising campaign, 1963-1964
  4. Pledge collection and new pledges, 1965

Correspondence - Henry O. Putman

  1. Pledge collection reports, 1962-1965
  2. Pledge collection reports, 1963-1965
  3. Fund-raising drive, 1964-1965
  4. 1965

Miscellaneous correspondence

  1. Harold Schafer, possible contributions, 1961-1962
  2. Members of the Fargo Clinic -fund raising, 1963

Subseries D:Miscellaneous

  1. N.D. Century Code regulations, audit reports, contribution lists, 1958-1967
  2. Budgets, audit reports, contribution lists, 1959-1964
  3. Receipt books, pledge record cards, ca. 1961
  4. Contribution lists, operating lists, 1961-1963

SERIES V: STRAUS COMPANY AND ROTARY CLUB
Subseries A: Straus Company

  1. 1948
  2. Store opening 1950
  3. Store opening, congratulatory letters, cables, replies, 1950

Subseries: Rotary Club

  1. "Weekly Letter," 1932-1933
  2. Rotary International Correspondence, 1933

Box 6
Folder
SERIES VI:GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE, SCRAPBOOKS, MISCELLANEOUS
Subseries A: Correspondence With Specific individuals

  1. Alfred Stern and. unidentified. 1904-1906, 1922, 1927
  2. Dr. Stephen Wise, 1939
  3. F.L. Conklin, 1943-1946
  4. Governor Fred Aandahl, 1945-1653, and death notices, 1966
  5. Governor Norman Brunsdale, 1945-1954
  6. John Cowles - Minneapolis Tribune, 1946-1951
  7. R. J. Hughes (also clippings), 1948-1961
  8. Charles Ward - Brown and Bigelow, Minneapolis, 1952-1959, and death notices, 1959
  9. Henry H. Westler, 1954-1955
  10. Fred Fredrickson, soil conservation projects in N.D., 1957-1959
  11. Fred Fredrickson, oil refineries in N.D., 1957-1959
  12. Michael M. Miller, Lawrence Welk Strausburg reunion, 1965

Subseries B:Correspondence Regarding Specific Subjects

  1. North Dakota Highways, 1937
  2. State university salary increase drives, 1937 and 1953
  3. Christmas greetings, 1940
  4. Correspondence with retailers in butter-short areas, 1946 ("Butter for Clothing")
  5. "Butter for Clothing," 1946-1947
  6. National Association of Retail Clothiers, 1956-1964
  7. Upper Midwest Men's Apparel Club, INC., 1957
  8. North Dakota National Statuary Hall Commission, 1950-1960
  9. Vocational Education in North. Dakota, 1961 -1962
  10. Theodore Roosevelt State Park, 1963
  11. Correspondence relating to Herman Stern biographical article in the "North Dakotan," April, 1965
  12. Businessman of the Year Award 1970 - congratulatory letters

Subseries C:Miscellaneous Correspondence

  1. D - 1944-1954
  2. E - 1964-1969
  3. F - 1947-1950, 1966-1970
  4. G - 1945-1964
  5. H - 1945-1971
  6. J - 1948-1955
  7. K - 1945-1969
  8. K - 1944-1952
  9. L - 1944-1952
  10. General - 1943-1952
  11. General - 1944-1950 (mostly letters of condolence)
  12. General - 1949-1966

Subseries D:Miscellaneous Documents

  1. Blank U.S. Visa Applications and other immigration documents, 1940
  2. CARE materials and auto repair receipts, 1947, 1960
  3. Upper Midwest Economic Studies, 1962-1963
  4. Upper Midwest Economic Studies, 1963-1964
  5. U.S. News and World Report, June 8 and November 9, 1959
  6. Progress Report to the Midwestern Governors' Conference Committee on Economic Growth on Factors Influencing the Economic Growth Rate of the Midwestern States, 1963

Box 7
Subseries E: Scrapbooks

  1. Local clippings from the Rotarian, 1932-1933
  2. Clippings related to the N.D. Winter Show, Rotary, Straus Company, 1922-1963
  3. WWII North Dakota War Chest, Barnes County Chairman: clippings, 1944
  4. Sheyenne Manor (Valley City) clippings and articles, 1960-1961

Box 8

  1. Greater North Dakota Association
  2. Personal Clippings of Herman Stern, 1922-1956
  3. Display window settings (Straus Company and War Loan Drives), advertising, clippings, photos, and certificates from the Boy Scouts and the Treasury Department, 1941-1945

SEPARATIONS RECORD

Three oversize scrapbooks were wrapped in paper and placed on the shelves adjacent to the collection.

  1. Straus Company: Trade articles, advertising, clippings, photos, Valley City Trade News: 1923-1953
  2. Straus Company: Newspaper advertising, Valley City Trade News: 1936-1938
  3. Sheyenne Manor (Valley City), clippings and articles: 1960-1961
 Original Donation  First Addition: 1903-1979
 Second Addition: 1900-1979  

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