Henry Pokorny and Hopkins
A tribute to Henry Pokorny, former Hopkins Historical Society Board Member
Henry Pokorny was a part of Hopkins his entire life. The Hopkins Historical Society has put together a few photographs that follow Henry in Hopkins from his school days, to his army stint, to his homes, his business and his civic life.
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One side of Henry Pokorny Junior's beginningsHenry Pokorny Senior, posed with Hlavacek's Band in Hopkins, @1915. Henry Sr. is standing in the back at far left. The band members are posed near the Minneapolis Sewer Pipe Works building (right background) on the Hennepin County Fairgrounds. This is the 2011 location of Hopkins' Central Park. -
Henry's neighborhoodAs a child, Henry Pokorny lived across the street from St. Mary's Catholic Church, at 50-6th Avenue South. This church site is now occupied by the two-story LOON apartment building, and Henry's childhood house is still there. -
Tornado HitHere is a view of Henry's Hopkins neighborhood after the tornado of June 2, 1925. It shows the intersection of 6th Avenue and 2nd Street South. The large white frame house is 58-60 6th Avenue South, and the house just to the left of it (with the grain elevator shown just above it) is 50-6th Avenue South, owned by Henry Pokorny Sr. Henry Jr. was just over 1 year old at the time of this photo and rode out the storm with his mom in the basement of the house. -
Henry's Morning Kindergarten Class, @1929Henry's Morning Kindergarten class posed outside the South Junior High school building @1929. Henry is standing in the top row, second from the right. Also pictured are: Caswell Zajicek, Clarence Perbix, Helen Kvam, Russell Olson, Audrey McCauley, James Lundquist, Donald Osterberg, Douglass McDonald, Lois Nash, Willard Zipoy, Muriel Nelson, Elizabeth Milbert, Jack Horner, Florence Nylin, Elizabeth Lucas, Gil Jenstad, Douglas Shonka, Stuart Skogland (bottom row third from right), Alfred Schmidel, and Elizabeth Nickodym. -
Henry's 7th Grade Class, 1936-1937Henry is standing in the top row, fourth from the left. Also pictured are: Sara Lou Anderson, Harry Bauman, Harold Berg, Chuck Bruhn, Dorothea Dodge, Irene Dostal, Walter Farber, Lucy Gilman, Ed Glynn, Ruth Grochow, Elaine Hall, Jack Horner, Marj Jeffords, Glen Jeneke, Gil Jenstad, Jerry Johnson, Clara Jurish, Alice Kimmer, Helen Kvam, Eleanor Larson, Elizabeth Lucas, Eunice Matushka, Audrey McCauley, Dorothy McClure, Doug McDonald, Lois Nash, Elaine Nelson, Jean Nelson, Muriel Nelson, Neil Nelson, Betty Nickodym, Florence Nylin, Russ Olson, Donald Osterberg, Miss Palmer, Clarence Perbix, Arnie Ryba, Doug Shonka, Dick Sipprell, Marian Skarlid, Stewart Skoglund, Russell Soulen, Sverre Werness, John Zajicek, and Ed Ziegler -
Henry Enlists in WWII, 1941Here is Henry as he was in the U.S. Army at that time, age 17. -
Pokorny Plumbing businessThe West Minneapolis Gas Works building shown here was located on 2nd Street South between 6th and 7th Avenues, facing the MTM plant. The lot on which this building sat was eventually used as part of the Pokorny and Sons Plumbing business. -
Henry's first houseThis home at 611-2nd Street South was the former West Minneapolis Gas Works building. In this 1956 photo, the building had been converted into a private home. The lot on which this house sat was eventually used as part of the Pokorny and Sons Plumbing business. At the extreme left in this photo is part of a small house with a picket fence purchased after WWII by Henry Pokorny, Jr. -
Pokorny Plumbing and Heating Company623-2nd Street South, 1956 -
221 Herman TerraceHome of Henry and Arlene Pokorny and family,1956 -
New construction plumbing service of choiceHere we see the house at 237 Campbell Drive being built with a Pokorny Plumbing & Heating truck in the driveway, 1956. -
City hall ground-breakingCity Councilman Henry Pokorny (at left) attends the ground-breaking ceremony for Hopkins' new city hall, January 29, 1964. Also pictured are Councilman J. Hanley, Mayor Don Milbert, Reverend Heuser, and R. Harriman. Mayor Milbert is just breaking ground with the shovel. -
At city hall dedicationCity Councilman Henry Pokorny (center) at new city hall dedication, January 16, 1965. -
Big Doings in Central ParkMayor Henry Pokorny is all smiles with this architectural drawing of the new Central Park shelter October 20, 1966; also pictured: Al Edstrom and Dick Wilson. -
I'm Just Here for the FishPokorny Plumbing & Heating van in front of the Legion Hall, 1968: Henry made no secret of being a fan of the American Legion's food, especially the walleye. This photo shows his fondness for the Legion went way back. -
Photo Archivist - 1944 JeepHenry took many photos of things of historical interest and donated them to the Hopkins Historical Society. These are just a few: The first Jeep made for the U.S. Army by the Minneapolis Moline Company in 1944. This Jeep was driven in the 1987 Raspberry parade as part of the Hopkins centennial celebration and is shown parked on the side of the road in east Hopkins, probably near the parade route origin. -
Photo Archivist - 1920s Steam TractorHenry took many photos of things of historical interest and donated them to the Hopkins Historical Society. These are just a few: A man standing and driving several passengers on an early 1920s steam tractor built by Minneapolis Moline, @1987. This tractor was displayed in the 1987 Raspberry Festival parade as part of the Hopkins Centennial celebration. -
Photo Archivist - Hopkins HouseHenry took many photos of things of historical interest and donated them to the Hopkins Historical Society. These are just a few: The demolition site of the Hopkins House, March 2002. This hotel was located at 1511 Highway 7 in Hopkins. This view shows the portion of the hotel that was salvaged (the multiple-story portion) and used to construct the condominiums developed on this site. The A-frame portion of the building was the main entrance to the hotel and was demolished in the redevelopment. -
Photo Archivist - FireHenry took many photos of things of historical interest and donated them to the Hopkins Historical Society. These are just a few: The side of a brick building damaged by fire in the upper portion near the windows, dated July 22, 2003. This is the area of a Hopkins fire that took place @2003 in a business called The Bed Shop at 1010-1012 Mainstreet. Notice that painted in yellow and blue are the words "Dahlberg Ford." Dahlberg was the name of the owner of a Ford auto dealership that used this space as its used car lot in the 1940s, 50s and 60s. -
Henry presents Clint Blomquist with a framed photo, 1995When the Hopkins Historical Society honored founding member Clinton Blomquist in 1995, Henry happily presented his friend with a framed photo of Clint and his wife, Vivian. This photo hangs in a prominent place at the front entrance of the Hopkins Historical Society's museum. -
Henry and his wife Arlene, 1995 -
Meet and Greet March 2010Henry attends a local HBCA (Hopkins Business and Civic Association) event with featured speaker Jerre Miller and his brother Bob Miller, both also former Hopkins mayors. -
Meet and Greet March 2010Henry attends a local HBCA (Hopkins Business and Civic Association) event with featured speaker Jerre Miller and his brother Bob Miller, both also former Hopkins mayors. -
Henry Pokorny, Jr., 1924 - 2010
