Arnold & Clara Haake Scholarship

Arnold Haake, born 21 June 1901, was a lifelong resident of Winona. He attended St. Martin’s School, with classes mostly in
German, through eighth grade. At Winona High School he was known for his poetry. He attended the Univ. of Minnesota, but was called home to help with the family business because of the death in rapid succession of his brother Clarence, who was killed in WWI a few days after the armistice, and his sister Amelia, who died in the 1918 influenza epidemic. His father had started Paul Haake and Co, a pioneer food retailer in Winona. Arnold Haake continued the business until his death in 1966. Throughout his life, he was able to converse in German. He was a loyal booster of Winona and its institutions including Winona State University and its sport programs.

Clara Olson Haake, born 2 Aug 1901, grew up in Pickwick Valley. As a child, on Sundays, she walked with her family over the hills to Cedar Valley Lutheran Church where Norwegian was the
preferred language. She attended the one room school near the family farm through eighth grade. Then, with effort and family sacrifices, she managed to attend Winona High School and Winona Business School. She worked and lived in Winona for the rest of her life. Married to Arnold Haake for over 40 years, after Arnold’s death she was the proprietor of Paul Haake and Co. for some years. She was known in Winona as an astute bridge player. She was devoted to her large, extended Olson family and to Central Lutheran Church.

Scholarship contact is Mary Klonoski.