“I know I’m in the 4th of the ball game, but I’m praying for overtime because I’ve got a lot more things I’ve got to accomplish.” – Connie Hannesson
On Friday, the Golden Link will honor Hanneson as the Experienced American during a reception and program at the Golden Link Senior Center from 1:30 to 3:00 p.m. Coffee and cake will be available, and a short program will begin at 2:00 p.m. 
Hannesson grew up on a small grain and dairy farm three miles north of Ada, Minnesota with her parents and younger sister. “As the oldest child I was Dad’s hired man so to speak,” commented Hannesson. “One thing on a dairy farm is cows don’t give you a break, our family trips were day trips, but I always told my parents that life on the farm gave me experiences I could never give to my children.”
Hanneson attended school in Ada and always knew she wanted to be a teacher. She remembers how here second and fifth-grade teachers made learning fun and who along with her Aunt Lorraine, a first and second-grade teacher in Lockhart, Minnesota, were a big influence in her life.
In high school, there were no girl’s athletics in those years, but there were plenty of activities that Hannesson did participate in. “Even though we were a small school, we only graduated 66, we had a well-rounded background,” said Hannesson. “My main activity was speech and I was blessed to have two fantastic speech coaches that guided me through different contests like declamation, the Voice of Democracy contest, all of those things were marvelous experiences.” (pictured right – Connie giving her Path to Auschwitz presentation at the Crookston Public library. Connie will do a repeat performance in January of 2019)
Hannesson won the state WCCO Radio Speaking Contest, the state 4-H Radio Speaking Contest, the regional American Legion Oratorical Contest, the district Voice of Democracy Contest and took part in the state competition for declamation (storytelling division) as a senior. She also joined the Medical Careers Club through which she volunteered as a candy striper at the hospital, the FHA, Junior Classical League for Latin students, National Forensic League, National Honor Society, was co-editor of the high school yearbook and was involved in one-act and class plays. Hannesson did say, “Had there been girl’s athletics, I definitely would’ve been participating in volleyball and basketball.”
Hannesson attended Moorhead State, now the University of Minnesota Moorhead, where she majored in elementary education with a concentration in physical education and health. As she was getting towards graduation, she remembers her classmates trying to find jobs near the cities, but Hanneson was engaged and decided to look around the local area. “My fiancée was just out of the navy and planning on attending UMC. I remember walking into the placement office in April and seeing the sign-up sheet for interviews with Crookston. The sheet was already full, but I was quite persistent in begging the secretary until she added another slot to the bottom of the list, probably to just get me out of her office.”
After her on-campus interview with Norm Arneson, she was invited to Crookston to for a follow-up interview and was hired with a yearly salary of $6,800. Her first year she taught fifth grade at McKinley Elementary, her first year of students just celebrated their fortieth reunion this past summer. When McKinley closes, she taught at Highland Middle School and later Highland Elementary School. Hannesson taught fifth through eighth-grade classes and was an assistant junior high volleyball coach until the birth of her third child.
“I was blessed to have a job I loved for over three decades,” expressed Hannesson. “Each student that came into our classroom was my responsibility for the next nine months. That meant imparting as much knowledge as I could for each student at his or her level, disciplining when I felt the need, and loving each and every one of them, no matter what their IQ, their appearance when they arrived at school, or their demeanor. Some were a bit more challenging than others, but they were all my kids, part of our classroom family for the year.”
Connie has continued to substitute teach since her retirement and says she sometimes feels she is busier now than when she had her children at home. “I do two historical presentations, one on Sarah Sibley, the wife of our first governor,” said Hannesson. The second presentation is titled “Path to Auschwitz” and draws on the two-week holocaust curriculum she used as a teacher and her August 2016 visit to Auschwitz and Berkenau. “I’ve have done these presentations in Crookston, Fosston, Gary, Ulen-Hitterdahl and have been asked to come to Inver Grove Heights,” Hannesson said, adding she is very passionate about these two presentations. “I also, do a party, every month at a homeless shelter for drug addicts and alcoholics,” said Hannesson. “I have been reprimanded by some individuals who think I’m wasting my time. But I see abused children in these residents, almost all of whom were physically and sexually abused.“
Hannesson also stays busy with gardening and yard work both at home and at her cabin on Maple Lake. She loves baking, especially during the holidays, and enjoys reading and traveling. She has been to 38 states including Alaska and Hawaii – the remaining twelve are on her bucket list. Her international travels include Mexico, Canada, the Bahamas, Italy (her dream trip since high school,) Peru (with daughter Jeanna to see the ancient ruins of Manchu Picchu,) Poland (homeland of her paternal ancestors,) Russia where she was the guest of her foreign exchange student, Eugene Vorobiev and his wife Eugenia, and a cruise through the Panama Canal which included stops in Aruba, Columbia, Costa Rica, and Jamaica.
“My first priority is my family,” Hannesson stated. “I was blessed with four beautiful children: Wendy (Scott) are in Grand Forks, Darby (Beka) live near Waubun, Jeanna (Steve) reside in Minneapolis, and Andrew (Tami) are in Moorhead. They have given me seven precious grandchildren and a great-granddaughter: Riley, Lexie, Thomas, Brenna, Jacob, Cole, Brianna, and Alli.”
“I was also blessed to find love twice in my life,” she added. “When I married my husband Lee in 1999 I gained two stepchildren: Pam lives in Minot and Brad recently relocated to Weatherford, Texas. They gave me five more beautiful grandchildren: Alexandra, Juleah, Abby, Noah, and Veronique who we lost to a brain tumor at the tender age of 14, and three great-granddaughters: Isabella, Ryleigh, and Reese.”
Lee passed away from lung cancer on February 22, 2016. “We were married for 17 years – I wish there could have been more, but I am grateful for the time we had together.”
Hannesson said she was very surprised and honored when she received the call she was being honored as the Experienced American. “I’m very honored to have this title, and I appreciate all the effort that goes into this program.
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