Pone Trunk

This trunk belonged to the Pone family from Riga, Latvia.  They were displace persons during WWII. They were living in Germany when they left Latvia when the Russia pushed out the Germans. A church in Adams sponsored the family to come to the US but there was no housing available in Adams so they went to Wild Rose in August of 1950.  Dr  Janis Pone had to do his internship over to practice medicine. His wife and three boys were in Wild Rose.  She worked at the hospital.  Gundaris went to school at the Central State Teacher's College (now UW-Stevens Point). He was a talented violinist and his mother Elza often accompanied him even for college events.  Leon Deering used to drive his model A  car so Gundaris earned money by donations at events.   Gundaris got his PHD in Music from Minnesota. Gundaris was a Professor at SUNY at New Platz, NY. He was a concert violinist, a conductor and composer. In 1982 he won the Kennedy Center Friedheim 1st place award. He started the Pone' Ensemble.  Ervin the second son got a scholarship to go to Kansas and study electrical engineering.  The third son was Janis but he became John as did his father. The family moved to Minneapolis when Dr Pone could practice.  Mrs Pone was the organist at the biggest Latvian church in Minneapolis.  The trunk is in the Wild Rose Historical Museum.