Her face became familiar to three generations of Hubbard County students. Her "little black book" was legendary, feared by the unruly and mischievous.
Grace Olson, teacher, pioneer resort owner and civic leader has died at 92.
Amazing Grace, as she was lovingly referred to by fellow educators, continued to arrive as a substitute teacher at Century School until last year. A party was held at the school to fete her 90-year milestone.
She held a wealth of knowledge, middle school principal Bruce Gravalin said. Anyone with questions on the history of the area or the school tracked her down, the Park Rapids native providing a firsthand account.
She'd headed off for teacher's training after her 1934 graduation from high school but did not immediately take up the profession. The $25 a month salary and a remote one-room schoolhouse was not a lure. She remained in town, working at a restaurant.
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Grace Wilson married the late Carl Olson in 1936 and the newlyweds began to carve a piece of local tourism history, opening Pine Cone Lodge on Big Sand the same summer.
The couple began construction of Olson's Lodge on Big Mantrap in 1939. When World War II began, and lumber became scarce, they purchased a sawmill to finish construction.
The resort was the first on the lake to boast indoor bathrooms. And the cabins sat on hand-constructed rock foundations.
Twenty-one years after tossing her mortarboard skyward, she headed back to school, graduating with honors from Bemidji State in 1960.
She began her 26-year teaching career in Osage, where her grandmother had taught.
Her next stop: Dorset for 12 years. A visit by husband Carl with the family's pet fox, coons and skunk on Fridays served as incentive for learning and good behavior during weekdays.
After earning a master's degree, she moved to the Park Rapids School District in 1970 to teach sixth grade and later, math.
The mother of three believed there are no bad children; they simply need love and attention.
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Olson monitored her students' facial expressions as they disembarked from the school bus each morning, gauging fatigue, anxiety or sadness.
A seventh grader summed it up long ago: "Mrs. Olson, you respect us; we respect you."
"She was an incredible lady," Gravalin said. "To see someone in their 70s (substitute teaching) is rare. But 90 and still effective.... that's amazing."
Olson's ability to determine the severity of winter - using a deer's spleen - became a school tradition.
Her demeanor, while caring and compassionate, was always that of a professional.
"Kids can call me Grace after they graduate," she'd said. "Until then, it's Mrs. Olson."
