InForum history columnist Curt Eriksmoen concludes the story of H.D. "Happy" Paulson, a former Forum editor considered to be one of the best newspaper editors in North Dakota's history.
A family connection meant Fargo learned of Ernest Hemingway s death before the world
Two men share their recollections of how a former Fargo Forum editor got the scoop on the 1961 death of enigmatic author Ernest Hemingway. Written By: Robin Huebner | ×
Ernest Hemingway writing at his campsite in Kenya, Africa, 1953-1954. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
FARGO When the world learned of the death of famed American novelist Ernest Hemingway 60 years ago, it’s likely that information came by way of Fargo.
A coincidental connection between a newspaper editor’s family and Hemingway allowed the shocking and tragic news to filter through North Dakota, even before it reached other news outlets across the globe.
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Simply titled
Hemingway, the three-part, six-hour documentary examines the writer’s visionary work and turbulent life, according to PBS.
On July 2, 1961, Hemingway took his own life at his home near Sun Valley ski resort in Ketchum, Idaho. He was 61 years old.
John D. Paulson was the editor of what was known as The Fargo Forum at the time.
His sister Helen was married to Dr. Fred Kolouch, and the couple had a cabin just down the hill from Hemingway’s home in Ketchum.
As soon as Kolouch learned that Hemingway had shot himself with a shotgun, he immediately called Paulson, his brother-in-law and journalist, in Fargo.