December 4, 1996 - Hunrdeds of people came out in the cold today to pay their respects to Tiny Tim, who died Saturday night after performing at a benefit concert. Visitation began at one this afternoon at the bascilica in downtown Minneapolis , and the funeral mass began at three. Tiny Tim was laid out in an open casket, with his ukulele across his chest. His widow, Miss Sue, patiently spoke with friends and fans amid pictures of the man who thirty years ago captured the nation's fancy with the song Tiptoe Through the Tulips and his wedding on The Tonite Show. Outside, on the steps of the church, I asked some of those who attended the visitation WHY they came today.
December 3, 1996 - The Harlem Nutcracker opens tomorrow night at the Northrop Auditorium on the U-of-M campus in Minneapolis , with more shows Friday and Saturday. David Berger adapted and augmented the show's music from the Tchaikovsky, Ellington, and Strayhorn. Donald Byrd is choreographer.
November 15, 1996 - The words of longtime writer and political activist Meridel Le Sueur, who died yesterday at the age of 96. Le Seur objected to being called one of Minnesota's "treasures" -- that's a patriarchal term, she said -- but she was regarded that way. Meridel Le Sueur chronicled the suffering of women and families during the Great Depression. She was a blacklisted social activist, stuntwoman and - for a time - the voice of Betty Crocker.
November 8, 1996 - MPR’s John Rabe interviews Walter Mondale about his decision to set down as U.S. ambassador to Japan. Mondale reflects on his tenure, and what lies ahead for next ambassador.
November 6, 1996 - To paraphrase the President, the last dog has died in most campaigns across the country, and various media watchdogs and analysts are picking over the bones of the election season. As election pathologist, Larry Jacobs, a political scientist at the U-of-M, along with a counterpart at Columbia University, was watching polls and how they were used in 1996.
October 9, 1996 - All Thing’s Considered presents the MPR documentary “Janet's Children,” which profiles a parent fighting to keep custody of her children. It’s a story of parents, drug use, and permanency.
October 4, 1996 - It's well-known and shameful, that the United States kept people of Japanese descent in prison camps during World War Two. A growing number of scholars say there were also internment camps for up to a few thousand Germans. Scholars, like Saint Olaf professor La Vern Rippley, say there were at least fifty camps across the United States -- the closest to Minnesota in Fort Lincoln, North Dakota and Camp McCoy, Wisconsin. As of June 30, 1945, there were supposedly 21-hundred Germans in them. Professor Rippley says the reason these facts are not well-known is wrapped-up in the Unites States' attitudes about its Germans, one of the biggest ethnic groups in the country and the most-populous in Minnesota.
September 25, 1996 - As part of a series on immigrant voices regarding immigration and foreign policy, MPR’s John Rabe interviews Tou Ger Xiong, a Hmong comedian and entertainer.
September 25, 1996 - Playwrights and acting troupes have a range of motivations. The folks putting on Tony and Tina's Wedding, for instance, may not be looking for heavy dramatic catharsis from their audience. Showboat moves closer to a social lesson, but also entertains. A new company in Minneapolis opens tomorrow with a more serious motive. By putting on international works with a diverse company, Pangea World Theatre hopes to bring peace and unity. "Conference of the Birds" is based on a 12th Century Persian poem, and involves 15 actors -- including Melanie Julian and Luu Pham. The company was founded by Dipankar Mukherjee. The three joined me in the studio, and I asked Mukherjee how a theatre troupe can hope to bring about world peace and harmony.
September 23, 1996 - MPR’s John Rabe speaks with Rochester resident Yascin Mohamed, an 18 year old who came to the city in 1994. Mohamed speaks about the discrimination and racism he has experienced in the city and his high school.