Bidney Bergie, who died at the Albert Lea Medical Center on Tuesday, Feb.

Thursday, February 28, 2002

Bidney Bergie, who died at the Albert Lea Medical Center on Tuesday, Feb. 26, will be remembered for his many contributions to life in Albert Lea and his appreciation of its historical heritage.

For over six decades Bergie was a close observer and preservationist of city and county history. The retired utility company executive strived to perpetuate interest in the area’s heritage with his popular slide shows, plus work at the Freeborn County Museum and Historical Village.

These slide shows were presented to various groups more than 700 times. This combination of scenes from the past and his narratives were based on Bergie’s collection of 800 to 900 slides.

The photos, which were converted to slides for these shows, came from several sources. Some had been given to Bergie by area citizens. Some were historic photos collected earlier in the 20th century by Lester Spicer. Others were from his personal collection of photographs taken through the years of various landmarks in and around Albert Lea.

For years Bergie used a darkroom and equipment in his home to develop and print films and duplicate photos for both his personal collection of 1,000 or more scenes from the past, plus copies for the extensive files of the Freeborn County Historical Society Library.

A major facet of Bergie’s life, and an important contribution to the area’s appreciation of the past, was his close affiliation with the Freeborn County Historical Society. This started, he once explained, when the group held its meetings during the 1950s in the courthouse.

As the president and officer of both the society and its foundation for many years, he participated in the creation of the museum’s collection of structures, especially the main building in 1968, at the fairgrounds on North Bridge Avenue.

Many of the exhibits in this building and elsewhere in the historical village were organized and set up by Bergie and his associates. He was also very involved with the creation and publication of the Freeborn County Heritage Book which was issued in 1988.

Bev Jackson, executive director of the Freeborn County Historical Society, commented, &uot;Bidney was president of the Board of Directors when I was hired in 1987. He was at the museum almost every day from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., treating his volunteer position as a part time job, keeping specific records of when each building was painted, or the roof was repaired, or when an item was restored; and he was always there to answer my questions and help when I needed it. His slide collection of Freeborn County’s architecture is an irreplaceable asset to our history, and his enthusiasm for historic preservation was an inspiration to all of us. Bidney, too, is an irreplaceable part of Freeborn County’s history.&uot;

Bergie was born in Forest City, Iowa. While in high school he formed a family orchestra which played dance jobs in the area. He worked in a canning factory, as a lathe plasterer, and started his Interstate Power Co. career as a power plant operator in 1936 at Forest City.

He was transferred in 1939 from Forest City to Albert Lea and given the assignment of being the local meter reader. It was this assignment which really enhanced his interest in local history. As a meter reader, Bergie could get into the various buildings around the city, including parts of several historic structures not available for public access.

&uot;Going into those buildings was like going on a hunting trip,&uot; he once said.

Bergie became a member of the U.S. Army in 1942 and married Marie A. Cady of Albert Lea on Aug. 19, 1943, at Langley Field, Va., where he was temporarily stationed.

He served in North Africa, Sicily, and Italy with the 426th Signal Construction Battalion. This unit provided communications for the American and British air forces.

After his discharge from military service, Bergie resumed his employment with Interstate Power Co. He served 12 years as Interstate’s Albert Lea district manager and retired in 1982.

After his discharge from active military service, Bergie became a member of the U.S. Army Reserve. This required attendance at summer camps, usually at Fort McCoy, Wis., and additional training in the specialities of the Signal Corps. He said one of the highlights of this reserve duty was attending the U.S. Army’s Command and General Staff College in Fort Leavenworth, Kan. Bergie retired with the rank of a full colonel in 1977.

During what have been described as his &uot;active years,&uot; Bergie served as the city’s Civil Defense Director, as part of the United Way campaigns, and was involved with the Boy Scouts and Lions Club. He was a member of the Albert Lea-Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce and served for many years on the boards of the Naeve Health Care Association, the First National Bank, Jobs Inc., and the Freeborn County Historical Society and Foundation.

Roger Lonning, retired Albert Lea High School librarian, said he had known Bidney since 1966, and commented that they worked together on the historical society board for 20 years.

&uot;He was a good friend with a good sense of humor, a real gentleman, very meticulous, a hard worker, generous with his time, and very cooperative. He had a lot of information about county history. We shared a lot of pleasant memories. … I saw many of his slide presentations, and they were never really duplicated,&uot; Lonning said.