Charlotte Hansen

Charlotte H. Hansen, long time resident of Jamestown, ND and Sun Lakes, AZ, passed away peacefully on September 28th at her home in St Anthony, MN. Charlotte was born on June 1, 1922 in Jamestown. She was preceded in death by her husband, Gordon H. Hansen. Her mother and stepfather were Ida E. (Clough) and Daniel MacDavid. Her father was Louis S. Helgeson. She graduated from Jamestown High School in 1940, attended Jamestown College (now University of Jamestown) and received her BS in Bacteriology with a minor in Chemistry from the University of Minnesota (U of M) in 1944. She also completed graduate work in x-ray technology at the University of Minnesota. She belonged to Alpha Delta Theta sorority, was president of Comstock Hall Dormitory, and sang in the Chorus. She made headline news in the Twin Cities newspapers as a junior in college when she became the U of M?s first woman to receive the Experts Award in Riflery from the National Rifle Association. In high school she was active in band, science club and Latin club; belonged to a pot luck group called The Harpies, who became life long friends, and she served as Worthy Advisor of Rainbow for Girls. Charlotte and Gordon were married in 1945 and had one daughter, Dr. Jo-Ida C. Hansen. They owned the Jamestown Sun where Gordon served as President and Publisher and Charlotte as Vice President and Food and Travel Editor. She was an avid traveler along with her husband, Gordon, visiting over 100 countries and seven continents, which qualified them for membership in the Travelers? Century Club. Their international travels began innocently enough in 1965 when their daughter graduated from high school and they all went on a 21 day ?If it?s Tuesday, this must be Belgium tour.? Among her favorite destinations were China in 1979, Antarctica and the North Pole in 2001, and Italy on numerous occasions. Many of her trips were with a group of food editors organized by her dear friend, Eleanor Ostman of the St Paul Pioneer Press. She won several state and national awards from the National Food Writers Association and the National Press Women for her photographs and travel and food stories based on these trips. She also published 4 cook books. She and Gordon traveled to the Soviet Union, Africa, and many Middle Eastern countries with the American Publishers Association and had the opportunity to meet many world leaders through their international travels. Charlotte?s first job after college was with du Pont Hanford Engineer Works in Richland, Washington where she worked as a hematologist engaged in medical monitoring of employees working on the atomic project. Charlotte and Gordon were married in Lubbock, TX in 1945 where Gordon was serving in the Army Air Force. After Gordon completed military duty they moved to Washington, DC so he could finish his college degree at George Washington University. During their time in Texas and in DC, Charlotte worked as a medical technologist in several medical clinic laboratories. After their return to Jamestown, she taught microbiology and directed the biology labs at UJ. She also started a food column, The Clearinghouse, for the Jamestown Sun that morphed into a weekly four page spread featuring food and travel. Once they began to spend their winters in Sun Lakes, AZ, Charlotte wrote a food column for The Splash. She was deeply involved in professional, community, educational and philanthropic activities. She served as a powerful role model for many including nurses at the University of Jamestown (UJ), where she taught for 11 years, members of Rainbow for Girls for whom she served as Mother Advisor, and her dear ?girls? of Girl Scout Troop 40. Charlotte and Gordon were heavily invested in raising their daughter, Jo-Ida. Friday evenings were reserved for board games in front of the fireplace, they hosted many youth parties and slumber parties in their basement recreation room, and were willing chaperones for any event that came along. They also fostered in Jo-Ida a love for reading, research, education, theater, music and dance. They converted part of their basement into a lab for her Science Fair research projects, endured research mice living in the lab, and drove her science exhibits to state and national competitions. Charlotte and Gordon were leaders of the scandalous young students who introduced the Jitter Bug to Jamestown College (UJ) in the 1940s, and they belonged to several dance clubs in Jamestown and Sun Lakes, AZ. Among Charlotte?s fondest memories were those of the 18 girls who belonged to Girl Scout Troop 40 for which she was leader for 11 years. She led them on a two week trip to Washington, DC, the New York World?s Fair, Niagara Falls, and the headwaters of the Mississippi between their junior and senior years in high school. This past May, Troop 40 gathered in Minneapolis-St Paul for a 50th anniversary reunion of that trip and to celebrate Charlotte?s 92nd birthday. She was well known for the high expectations she set for the young women she mentored; this was true even the past four years as she encouraged her caregivers to pursue their education and their dreams. She was the first woman director of First Bank-Jamestown (now US Bank) as well as the first woman elected to the Board of Directors of the First Bank System (US Bank Corporation) in Minneapolis, MN. Her many community and civic activities included: President of the Chamber of Commerce; Board of Trustees of the University of Jamestown; Board of Directors of the National Food Writers and Editors Association; Jamestown Industrial Development Council Board of Directors; President of the Jamestown Area Foundation; President of Chapter AB of PEO; Foundation Board for the ND United Methodist Church; President of the Jamestown Girl Scout Council; President of the Jamestown United Way; President Jamestown Shrine Auxiliary; Board of Directors James River Senior Citizens; State Rainbow Mother Advisor; Board of Trustees and choir member of the United Methodist Church in Jamestown and in Sun Lakes, AZ; Bush Foundation Fellowship Selection Committee; North Dakota Governor?s Council on Human Resources; National Press Women; Rotary International; Wednesday Club; Holly Homemakers; American Association of University Women; Zonta; Eastern Star; Daughters of the Nile; American Legion Auxiliary; James River Humane Society; Jamestown Fine Arts Association; Sun Lakes Southwest Singers, and University of Minnesota Alumni Association and President?s Club. Charlotte was named Outstanding Citizen of North Dakota in Community Service in 1974; Citizen of the Year of Jamestown in 1978; appeared in Who?s Who in America; was a recipient of the YMCA Founders Award, and was inducted into the UJ Hall of Fame in 1997and received an honorary doctorate, along with Gordon, from UJ in 2010 in recognition of their long service and commitment to the University. Simply put, Charlotte who accomplished so much herself, served as an inspiration to others with her leadership and her commitment to contributing to her community. She loved Jamestown and North Dakota and was an ardent advocate for the community and state wherever she traveled or lived. Charlotte is survived by her daughter, Jo-Ida, a professor at the University of Minnesota, her son-in-law, John P. Campbell, also a professor at the University of Minnesota, and the 18 members of her Girl Scout Troop 40. Heartfelt thanks goes to Charlotte?s friends in North Dakota and Arizona who kept in touch with her even when she could no longer travel outside of the Twin Cities. Special thanks to her friend Eleanor Ostman, who kept her supplied with ice cream sundaes, Wendy Banister, who sent her hundreds of well crafted e-mails, Jean Heuvel and Char Olson, who called her frequently, and Kathleen Dempsey and her wonderful colleagues at Pathfinders, the nursing staff and care givers with Living Life Home Care, the physical therapists with Above & Beyond, and all of the folks at Chandler Place Assisted Living. These incredible people worked as a team to ensure that Charlotte?s life was full and meaningful, and they showed her tremendous respect and love during her time in the Twin Cities. Charlotte, along with her husband Gordon, was a generous philanthropist and fund raiser for many organizations and charitable causes. Memorial gifts in Charlotte?s memory can be made to Jamestown College (6000 College Lane), the James River Humane Society (P.O. Box 636), or the Jamestown Arts Center (115 2nd Street SW). Funeral services will be held in Jamestown on October 4th, 2014 at 1:30pm at the First United Methodist Church. Visitation will be at Eddy Funeral Home on October 3rd from 1:00 to 5:00 and prior to the service on Oct 4th at the First United Methodist Church from 12:30 to 1:30. Arrangements by Eddy Funeral Home.