April 22, 1999 - Edward Kennedy 'Duke' Ellington wanted to be known as more than a jazz composer. Ellington is remembered by many for his hundreds of jazz hits. But he also composed longer works for the concert hall and sacred music as well. Saturday evening at Hamline University in St. Paul the Leigh Morris Chorale pays tribute to Duke Ellington who was born one hundred years ago this month. Leigh Morris Chorale founder and director Robert Leigh Morris talked with Minnesota Public Radio's Dan Olson about the time he met Duke Ellington. Morris has arranged Ellington's 'Come Sunday' and his Chorale will perform it Saturday evening at Hamline.
April 26, 1999 - To close out the millennium, Minnesota Public Radio's All Things Considered presents a look back at Minnesota life in 1900 via a 12-part series, entitled “A Minnesota Century.” In this segment, the story of Maude Baumann and her family's pioneer trek through the state in 1900.
May 31, 1999 - To close out the millennium, Minnesota Public Radio's All Things Considered presents a look back at Minnesota life in 1900 via a 12-part series, entitled “A Minnesota Century.” This segment profiles the Merritt brothers and their Minnesota ore discovery.
June 21, 1999 - To close out the millennium, Minnesota Public Radio's All Things Considered presents a look back at Minnesota life in 1900 via a 12-part series, entitled “A Minnesota Century.” This segment is the story of journalist Eva McDonald. Her work exposing the harsh conditions endured by women in the new factories propelled her into the forefront of the very male world of labor politics.
July 6, 1999 - One of the most respected lawyers in Minnesota has died. Solly Robins practiced law for more than 60 years in the state. He founded the firm that won the six-point-six billion dollar settlement in Minnesota's tobacco trial. Robins died yesterday, at the age of 86, from complications caused by a massive stroke he suffered earlier this year. He came from a poor immigrant family in St. Paul but went on to graduate from the University of Minnesota law school. In 1938, he formed the world-famous law firm now called Robins, Kaplan, Miller and Ciresi. Today, the firm has more than 250 lawyers in Minneapolis and six other major metropolitan areas. In 1995, Robins told Minnesota Public Radio's Eric Freisen why he chose to specialize in civil law.
July 12, 1999 - Minnesota's oldest serving lawmaker died Sunday. Eighty-eight-year-old Duluth DFLer Willard Munger was diagnosed with liver cancer this spring, in the middle of his 43rd year in the Minnesota House. No House member has ever served longer. Widely acknowledged as a leading state and national environmental leader, Munger was also deeply respected for his support of people and social issues.
July 26, 1999 - To close out the millennium, Minnesota Public Radio's All Things Considered presents a look back at Minnesota life in 1900 via a 12-part series, entitled “A Minnesota Century.” This segment is a profile of the Mayo brothers.
August 30, 1999 - To close out the millennium, Minnesota Public Radio's All Things Considered presents a look back at Minnesota life in 1900 via a 12-part series, entitled “A Minnesota Century.” This segment is the the story of Rhoda Emery, a young woman who thought she would never make it as a schoolteacher, but ended up dedicating 50 years to the profession.
September 13, 1999 - Former Twin Cities media mogul, Otto Silha died Saturday of a heart attack. He was 80 years old. Silha got his start at the Minnesota Daily newspaper. In 1940 he took a job as a copy editor at the former Minneapolis Star and eventually became chief executive officer and chairman of the board of Cowles Media, the former owner of the Star Tribune. Silha was involved in many things from city planning to the Republican party. But journalism was his first love. In his retirement, he helped found the Silha Center for the Study of Media Ethics and Law at the University of Minnesota, his alma mater. Director, Bill Babcock, says Sihla started the Center because he wanted the media to be more accountable.
September 27, 1999 - To close out the millennium, Minnesota Public Radio's All Things Considered presents a look back at Minnesota life in 1900 via a 12-part series, entitled “A Minnesota Century.” This segment is the the story of a woman who had mixed success as a novelist but eventually found her voice in the character of Betsy, whose antics and adventures mirrored Maud's real-life childhood in Mankato at the turn of the century.