Gene replied 'Well, how about cameras and some greeting cards.' In 1954 Magnolia Camera and Stationers was born. Gene, whom Len credited as his mentor, saw the unmistakable talent, and offered to put Len in business with a 500' store in the Magnolia District of Seattle. It was Eileen's father, a modest plumbing parts salesman, who would introduce Len to his life-long passion, the stock market.Īlthough Len considered his graduation 'a miracle,' he was soon hired as an accountant for Seattle building contractor, Gene Conger. Eileen helped Len finish his education, supporting him during his years at the University of Washington, where he graduated with a degree in accounting. They remained married for over fifty years. Len soon met a dark haired Irish American nurse, Eileen Dermody, who would become his wife. He was stationed on a fire-fighting ship in the Pacific, received an honorable discharge and returned to Seattle. 'Len, it appears you won't amount to much, why don't you consider joining the Navy?' So he did. Len struggled through high school, and the principal called him into his office one day during his junior year for some sage advice. Seeking work during the Depression, Len's father moved the family to Seattle, where Leonard Sr. Along with younger brother Del and sister Lavone, the family would move to Devils Lake, another small town in North Dakota, where Len remembered happy childhood years. The family lived in a one room cabin without electricity or running water, with the proverbial Sears catalog in the outhouse.

He delighted in his Scandinavian heritage for the rest of his life, often punctuating his speech with 'Oofta Meg da,' a Norwegian expression of surprise. Len was born there on May 9, 1927, to Lillian Halverson, Swedish, and Leonard Tweten, Norwegian. The decision, at his age, was emblematic of a man who lived according to the famous phrase of a man he idolized, Winston Churchill: 'Never, never, never give up.'Īs of the 2010 census, the town of Hamberg, North Dakota had a population of 21. He had his eye on the newly re-issued red Indian Scout, so he bought the bike, hired a coach and trained at Cathedral City Motocross. Nearing his 89th birthday, Len Tweten decided it was time for a new motorcycle.

Thomas conrad jim tweeten at magnolia