Sioux Falls (SD) Argus-Leader, Sunday, Dec. 3, 1972, Section B:
YOUNG ACTORS TO HONOR L. R. KREMER, VETERAN OF 28 DIRECTING YEARS
By John S. Jacobson, Argus-Leader Staff Writer
The Young People's Theater Group in Sioux Falls will pay honor next Monday to one of the most "dramatic" people in the city - L. R. "Barney" Kremer.
Kremer was the drama director at Washington High School from 1943until last year when he stepped down for health reasons. Since 1952, hehas been producing plays for the Sioux Falls grade schools with the drama students of Washington and more recently Lincoln high schools.
Encores have been a way of life for Kremer during his tenure at Washington High. He came to Washington in 1943 as the debate coach, but when school officials found out about his drama background, he was asked to help produce plays.
Originally, Kremer said, he would have time for only one play a year, but later on when Dean Berkley took over his debate duties, Kremer became the full-time director of the Washington drama department. "I enjoy the theater, but debate was also a challenge. I was the coach for three state high school championships during the time I coached debate" he said.
Kremer is still teaching at Washington High. "I hope to be here one more year. I started an experimental theater class this year, and I would like to stay long enough to see it developed" Kremer said. He estimates that he has produced approximately 150 plays, including his Theatre-In-The-Round plays, since he has been in Sioux Falls.
Before coming to Sioux Falls, the Yankton native earned his bachelor's degree at Yankton College in 1933. In 1956, he was awarded his master's degree from the University of South Dakota at Vermillion. "I guess my whole life revolves around the theater. I even met my wife in a play I was in while attending Yankton College. I remember we drove up to the University of South Dakota in Vermillion to present the play, and my wife-to-be and I had to ride in different cars because of one of the rules of the school," he said.
Kremer and his wife, Hildred, were married in Kansas in 1934. "I'll never forget that play Hildred and I were in in Yankton; she was the only good thing to come out of it - it was the lousiest play I've ever been in," Kremer said.
Barney and Hildred toured together for 3 1/2 years in Kansas, Arkansas, and Minnesota with stock and repertory companies. In addition to writing a speech workbook in 1946, Kremer also has a successful play to his credit. Throngs of Sioux Falls citizens cried "Author!" in 1969 when the Sioux Falls Community Playhouse produced his play "The Song of the Morning Star." The play was the winner of the South Dakota playwriting contest in 1968 - or at least a co-winner. Kremer's play, along with a play written by Ronald Robinson, a professor at Augustana, were both judged as first place winners. Robinson requested that Kremer's play be produced and withdrew his.
Other honors given Kremer include publicity director for the South Dakota Speech Teachers Association, president of the North Central Theater Association, archivist of the Secondary School Theater Conference, president of the Sioux Falls Community Playhouse and being listed in Who's Who in the Midwest.
Kremer says that one of his most satisfying experiences at Washington was in the late 40's when he produced "The Willow and I." "Theschool needed a sound system at that time, so I suggested that the students be admitted free if they sold one ticket each. We took in enough money from that play to buy the first sound system for the high school," he said.
The biggest money-maker for Kremer at Washington was "Time Out For Ginger," in the 1950s. "The play was about a girl who wanted to play football, so we dedicated the play to coach Bob Burns, who was the football coach at that time. Coach Burns had a fantastic win streak at that time, and I guess you could say we had a pretty good win streak with 'Ginger'," Kremer said.
"The Diary of Anne Frank" in 1959 was Kremer's big "scoop" in the theater. "We beat everybody to the punch with that play. I was in Washington, D.C., at the time they released the play to the public for use by high schools, and immediately came back to Sioux Falls and put it on in the spring of 1960," he said.
Kremer started the Children's Theater 21 years ago with "Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater." Originally the plays were produced at Washington for the elementary school children, but as the city grew, the students started to take the plays to the elementary schools. "I produced my last Children's Theater play last year, and it was appropriate that my final play was the same as my first - "Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater," he said.
Kremer has had a long and exciting life, and for sure there are many, many exciting years to come, but the Young People's Theater group in Sioux Falls decided they wanted to honor Kremer now. So Monday, Dec.11 at 7 p.m. at the Downtown Holiday Inn, many of Kremer's old friends and students will gather to pay tribute to a living legend in Sioux Falls.L. R. (Barney) Kremer died at his home (10301 Desert Hills Drive, SunCity, AZ) after a short hospital stay on June 16, 1992. The following was read at the memorial service on June 20, 1992 at the First Presbyterian Church on 103rd Street in Sun City.
L. R. "Barney" Kremer
Lester Roland Kremer was born on September 1, 1908 to Emma Swanson Kremer and Nicholas Kremer at Lesterville, South Dakota. He attended Yankton High School and graduated from Yankton College, Yankton, South Dakota. He earned his Master's degree from the University of South Dakota, Vermilion, South Dakota. He also attended the University of Minnesota.
He married Hildred Ross on September 19, 1934 at Quenemo, Kansas.
He taught in Tracy, Minnesota and Philip, South Dakota. From 1943-1973 he taught speech and drama in Washington High School, SiouxFalls, South Dakota. Throughout his career he was active in forensic and dramatic organizations, locally, state-wide, and nationally.
His awards included the National Forensic League Diamond Key, the Founders Award by the Secondary School Theatre Conference, and the Distinguished Service Award from the Speech Communications Association of South Dakota.
In 1972 the Young People's Theatre Board of the Community Playhouse, Sioux Falls, recognized him for outstanding achievements in Children's Theatre. In October, 1979, the Theatre in the Round at Washington High School, developed by him earlier, was dedicated to him and named the L. R. "Barney" Kremer Theatre. In that same year the Minnesota-Dakota District of Kiwanis named him a Life Fellow for contributing assistance to youth. He was inducted into theSouth Dakota Forensic Coaches Association Hall of Fame in its original year, 1980.
He completed the book "Theatre In Spite of Itself" in 1976. He was the author of the play "Song of the Morning Star."
He is a member of the First Presbyterian Church, Sun City, Arizona, a life-time member of the Elks, Sioux Falls, South Dakota and an associate member of the Sun City Elks Lodge.
He leaves his wife, Hildred, a son, Ross Kremer, Pasadena, California, two daughters, Mrs. G. W. (Leslee) Kattke, Naperville, Illinois, and Linda Kremer Tygar, St. Louis Park, Minnesota, eight grandchildren, sisters Mrs. Paul McKean (Charlotte), Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and Illa Kremer, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and one brother, Palmer Kremer, San Marcos,California.
written by Hildred (Ross) Kremer"Who's Who in the Midwest" 14th edition 1974-1975 (Marquis Who's Who,Inc., 200 East Ohio Street, Chicago Illinois 60611 USA) p. 376:
KREMER, LESTER ROLLAND, educator, b. Lesterville, S.D., Sept. 1, 1908; s.Nicholas Palmer and Emma (Swanson) K.; B.A., Yankton Coll., 1933; M.A.,U.S.D., 1956, postgrad., summers 1959-60, 62, 63; postgrad U. Minn.,1963; m. Hildred Elsie Ross, Sept 19, 1934; children- Ross Roland, LesleeLila (Mrs.
Gerald Kattke), Linda Lu (Mrs. Henry Tygar).
Dance musician, 1926-33; actor stock cos., Kan., Ark., Minn., 1933-37;debate coach, tchr. Philip (S.D.) pub. schs., 1939-42; tchr. Tracy(Minn.) pub. schs., 1942-43; tchr debate and drama Washington Sr. HighSch., Sioux Falls, S.D., 1943-57, dir. Theater Activities, 1950-72,instr. exptl. theatre course, 1972-73. Archivist, Secondary Sch. TheaterConf. Pres., bd. dirs. Sioux Falls Community Theater.
Recipient Nat. Forensic League Diamond Key award, 1950, Kiwanis ServiceAward,1966, Sioux Falls Tchr. Assn. Service award, 1968, Founders awardSecondary Sch. Theater Conf., 1970-, award Young Peoples Theatre, 1972,Alumni Achievement award Yankton Coll., 1973. Mem. N.E.A., S.D. Edn.Assn., Am. Ednl. Theater Assn., Am. Nat. Theater Acad., Secondary Sch.Theater Assn. (past chmn., dir.), S.D. Speech Tchrs. Assn. (past pres.),S.D. Speech Activities Assn. (past dir.), North Central Theater Assn.(past pres.).
Author: Sioux Falls Recreational Anniversary Pageant, 1957; Song of theMorning Star, 1968. Theatre editor S.D. State Speech Arts Course ofStudy, 1971.
Composer: Girl of Pioneer Day, 1933.
Home: 827 S Glendale Av Sioux Falls SD 57104
Office: 314 S Main St Sioux Falls SD 57104From the Yankton College Bulletin, November 1992:
Lester (Barney) Kremer '33 passed away June 16, 1992 at his home in Sun City.
Barney spent several years with dramatic stock companies right after his graduation from College and began his teaching career in Philip. He entered the Sioux Falls school system in 1943 and taught there for thirty years, retired in 1973. He married the former Hildred Ross '32, who survives him, in addition to three children, Linda '67, Leslie, and Ross.
To his many achievements in theater, we add that Barney wrote the words and music to "Girl of Pioneer Day" and we feel very fortunate to have in our memorabilia, the original manuscript of that music.Lights out at YC
Editor, Press & Dakotan:
As soon as we heard of the closing of Yankton College, my husband immediately wrote a composition.
This news has affected him. and he feels sad and deeply about it.
We both went to Yankton College, and he was graduated from there is 1933. This composition is:
ODE TO THE GARDEN
TERRACE THEATRE
By L. R. "Barney" Kremer
1933 YC Graduate
Turn off the master switchboard. There will be no need to light the numerous stages. Only scholars will recognize them as exact replica's of Shakespeare's Globe.
No need to determine whether it will be comedy or tragedy this year. Traditions were made to be broken.
Hock the lawn mowers. Throw in the clippers. The Terrace lawn will give way to weeds and dandelions. In the wet season the trim hedges will take on the aspect of ungainly trees.
In dry season their brown-ness will remind us of a coming winter.
Andy Schenk will look down and wonder why they fussed about a renovation in his name.
He may say, "It's more like the last days of Pompeii."
Linda and Henry were married in the Garden Terrace. They won't want to take their daughters there to show them. It will only lengthen the generation gap.
Turn the master switchboard off.
The Garden Terrace will be no more.
Mrs. L. R. Kremer
10301 Desert Hills Drive
Sun City, Ariz. 85351