Bio: Fenske, Herb - Granton Citizen of the Year (1981)

Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon
E-mail: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org 

Surnames: Fenske, Dahl, Johnson, Elmhorst, Braatz, Pushek, Berg, Kleinschmidt

----Source: Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark Co., WI) 9/10/1981

Herb Fenske-Granton Citizen of the Year (- 1981)

Herb Fenske, a retired businessman who lives in Chili and a man instrumental in the construction of the Sportsman’s Clubhouse in Granton, has been selected as “Citizen of the Year” for Granton. He will be honored at the annual Granton Fall Festival this weekend, September 11 to 13.

Fenske was nominated for the honor by Erlin and Irene Dahl of Granton and selected by the Granton Rotary Club.

Herb was born in 1923 in Menasha. His mother died when he was three years old, and he entered as orphanage at Waukau near Oshkosh. He came to live with his uncle, Charles Fenske, east of Chili, when eleven. He graduated from Forestside School and when 16, he started working at Ludwig Johnson’s cheese factory, located at Chili Corners on U.S.10.

Following three years of service, he returned home and bought the Clarence Elmhorst milk route and hauled milk to the Neillsville Milk Products until 1949 when he purchased the Chili Corner Tavern. Five years later he began farming on the Donald Braatz farm and in 1960 he worked for Herb Puschek, built Butler buildings and the sold cars for Berg Pontiac for twelve years. For the past seven years he has had a battle against cancer that has sapped much of his strength.

On June 10, 1944, he married Idora Kleinschmidt. They have three daughters, Doreen, Judy and Linda, and three grandchildren.

The past three years Herb has spent almost as much time in Granton as in Chili as he supervised the building and operation of the Southern Clark County Sportsman’s Clubhouse. The club has been looking for a clubhouse and five years ago they were offered the old opera house in Granton. The club removed the old building but saved the foundation on which to rebuild a modern 34 x 102 clubhouse, which has a bar room, kitchen, bathrooms and meeting room or dance hall. The majority of the labor and materials for the clubhouse was donated. Herb supervised the entire rebuilding program and was honored at the dedication of the building on May 19, 1979, with a plaque.

Herb served as secretary of the club from 1956 to 1969 when he became president, an office he still holds. Membership in the club… (was cut-off, page 2 not found).