Daniel MacIsaac
Northern News Services

NNSL (Jun 07/99) - A recently retired man of the cloth, American-born Herb Zimmerman has lived half his life in Yellowknife -- but unlike many residents who head back south of 60 to reap the fruits of their life-long labours, Zimmerman is staying put in the North.

Yklife: You said you came up to Yellowknife in 1964 -- where did you come from?

HZ: Well I was born in Dusseldorf, Germany, but both my parents are American and my father worked for International Harvester. But they saw Hitler coming to power and the way things were going, so we moved back to the States in 1933 when I was three years old.

I consider Moline, Illinois, my hometown -- it's about three hours west of Chicago on the Mississippi.

Yklife: Does that mean you grew up on the famous river?

HZ: No. Even though we lived only a mile from the Mississippi and there's a yacht club there now, at that time there were no power boats or sailing being done.

Yklife: How did Moline compare to Yellowknife?

HZ: It was big and thriving compared to Yellowknife -- they called it "the farm implement capital of the world" because so many companies, like Harvester and John Deere, were based there.

Yklife: So how did an Illinois "farm" boy end up in the Arctic?

HZ: Through a sense of religious calling. I studied linguistics at college and for a while I was involved with missionary work through the Summer Institute of Linguistics -- Wycliffe Bible Translators -- out of Oklahoma City.

I did only short-term assignments in the States before being assigned to the NWT. There was another group doing work with the Dogrib, but just about the time we were looking out for more work they were transferring out.

Yklife: So what did your job in the NWT involve?

HZ: By the time my wife, Judy and I arrived here, it was more for teaching literacy than translating -- but we did get some translation work done. The institute is working on the Dogrib Bible right now.

Yklife: Did you enjoy the work?

HZ: It felt sort of pioneering -- the notion of teaching people to read gives you a good feeling.

Yklife: And you learned to speak some Dogrib?

HZ: I moved up to work in Arny Steinwand's grocery store in Lac La Marte -- now it's called Wah Ti -- just to learn the language. The store was like the economic centre of the town, and people from all over came in to buy food and pay their bills.

It was the highlight of my career in a way because almost nobody there spoke English...when I hear Dogrib now I can still understand something.

Yklife: What did your family think about all this, and did you write home about your adventures?

HZ: The church work was supported by church people who sent us money, so we would write back thanking them and giving them some news. There were well-established missions in Fairbanks (Alaska) and Whitehorse, so even for my family the idea of coming to Yellowknife wasn't that strange -- they were pleased that I'd entered a religious career.

Yklife: How often do you go back to the States now?

HZ: Unfortunately, the only time I go back is for funerals -- I was down a couple weeks ago for my brother Arthur's funeral. He lived just across the Mississippi from Moline, in Davenport, Iowa.

Yklife: How attached to the States do you feel after having lived half your life in Canada?

HZ: I'm still a landed immigrant -- when you grow up in America, you're pretty patriotic. But my wife is Canadian, from Camrose, Alta.

I've got two kids, Ted and Nancy, living in B.C., and my daughter has citizenship in both countries.

Yklife: How long did you stay working with the Summer Institute?

HZ: I worked with them from 1964 to 1981, then at Akaitcho Hall residence to 1985, for four years with Igloo Real Estate and with the Salvation Army for the last 10 years until I retired in November.

About a year ago I had to put the dog down because he was too old and in pain, but people might know me as the guy who walked around town from 1 to 2 a.m. I always walked the dog after coming home from the evening shift -- she was a beagle named Jiggs.

Yklife: So you switched over to the Salvation Army. Does that mean you switched religions, too?

HZ: One Salvation Army officer told me some people who get involved with them float from their own denomination to a period of non-involvement and as they get older they reactivate and get involved with the Salvation Army, and then go back to their old religion.

Yklife: And there's no hard feelings involved?

HZ: Never. They don't think of themselves as proselytizers -- as competing for customers -- they feel they serve the Lord if they get people going back to church.

Yklife: So what about yourself?

HZ: I'm kind of freelancing now.

I go to the Salvation Army services...but if you keep going to the Salvation Army church and you like what you see, you become a soldier and, like in an army, you must do what the officers say -- and I haven't seen an organization yet that I'm that committed to.

Yklife: You retired in November, but you've had Parkinson's disease for some time -- what's the toughest part of that?

HZ: First and foremost I can't write because of the shaking -- or I can write only one cheque and that's it.

Yklife: When did you come down with it?

HZ: I was diagnosed about 10 years ago. My wife has always been interested in medical things, so we had a good idea what was happening even before talking to the doctors.

The medication seems to be holding it in control and I was able to keep working -- though you have these mood swings. About eight years ago I went through a period where I got the giggles and there were things that some people would chuckle about that I went into hysterics about...but depression is also a part of it.

Yklife: How much does it get in your way?

HZ: You gotta keep an eye on it, but basically I don't feel inadequate -- and nobody has told me I am.

Someone like (actor) Michael J. Fox is to be pitied -- because he's got it and he's so young.

Yklife: And how has retirement been treating you so far?

HZ: I kind of miss work...but I'm catching up with things I couldn't do when I was working, like house repairs and sorting out my papers.

Yklife: You don't have any plans to retire back in the States or southern Canada?

HZ: Judy's still working for social services and won't retire yet.

I had it in my head that in retirement I could go back to the States and work in someone's political campaign -- it might still happen, and I could actually do that in Canada, too.

But really there's no place with such a strong appeal for us -- we say that when we have some place to go and something to do, we'll go.