Minnesota's Greatest Generation Oral History Project: Part II: Interview with Norman Midthun

Titles: Minnesota's Greatest Generation Oral History Project: Part II: Interview with Norman Midthun (Supplied title)

Description: BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Norman Midthun was born in Minneapolis. His family suffered economically during the Great Depression. He developed a strong work ethic while attending Roosevelt High School, working part time as a butcher. Early in World War II he was too young to join the American military so he enlisted in the Norwegian Air Force where he served as a PBY pilot. After the war he flew the Norwegian Crown Prince around Norway to inspect war damage and boost morale of the population. Returning to Minnesota he found work with Northwest Airlines and attended St. Olaf College. He eventually became one of Northwest's leading pilots. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Spending several years with his grandparents after his mother's death; his family difficulties during the Great Depression and his father's struggle to provide for his family; neighborhood and school activities; working in several butcher shops as a teenager; joining the Norwegian Air Force; pilot's training; personalities encountered; flying agents and supplies into occupied Norway; experiences with the Norwegian Crown Prince; attending St. Olaf College; rising in position in Northwest airlines from mail delivery to one of the airline's top pilots; developments in the airline industry from 1945 through the mid 1980s.

Dates

• 12/20/2006 (Creation)

Creation

• interviewee: Midthun, Norman
• interviewer: Bekke, Douglas

Identifiers

• Library Call Number: OH 115
• Accession Number: AV2008.26.26

Holding Type: Oral History - Interview

Project

• Oral History - Project, MHS Collection, project: 'Minnesota's Greatest Generation Oral History Project: Part II' <OH 115>

Quantity: 5 hours sound cassettes 84 pages transcript

Format

• Content Category: sound recordings
• Content Category: text

Measurements

• 270 minutes length

Subjects

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