Warta Krueger Hall

Warta Krueger was born on April 23, 1913, in Genoa. Her parents moved the family to La Crosse where her father worked at the Rubber Mills. Warta was interviewed for the UWL Oral History project in 1997 and she shared many stories about growing up on the north side of La Crosse spending a lot of time outdoors with other children. They were all fascinated with trains and children could recognize the different trains going through La Crosse…..from the silk trains hauling a million dollars worth of fabric heading to the garment district in New York City to the trains with soldiers during WWII. She said soldiers were hauled in cattle cars standing as tight as you could get them in. When Warta turned 14, she would drive her father to work at the Rubber Mills. Her father later became a barber and continued to work at the Rubber Mills.

Warta graduated from Logan High School in 1931. She enrolled at La Crosse Normal School and graduated in 1933 earning her two-year certificate in intermediate education. This was during the Great Depression and teaching positions were not available. She had to find work elsewhere, and she did.

Warta worked 60 hours a week and earned $12. She said their family didn’t feel deprived, nobody had money at that time, but they always had food on the table. They grew a garden and that helped with food through the winter. Over the years she held various jobs in La Crosse including Sears where she headed four departments including fabric. She was excellent at mathematics and she could easily tell you how much yardage was left on fabric rolls. No one could ever figure out how she did it, but she was always accurate.

Warta was a talented seamstress and made her first dress with the help of her mother when she was eight years old. She made all her clothes – including hats, coats, and purses. Warta was nearly 6’ tall and suffered from Paget’s disease, a chronic disease of the skeleton which caused her bones to become abnormally shaped, weak, and brittle. She had to make her own clothes to fit properly.

During WWII and with the loss of many men in battle, Warta wanted to help. She taught herself to type and passed a government typing test at 40 words per minute. She then got a civilian position with the Federal Communications Commission taking messages from planes. She had the record for contacting 404 planes in one four-hour shift. She managed a battery of twelve teletypes, nine radios, and nine telephones. Warta lived in California after the war, but her father became ill, and she was expected to move back to La Crosse. She took care of her father for 10 years until he passed in 1957. Her mother died in 1978.

Following her mother’s death, Warta needed to make a living and began working again as a seamstress. She made draperies for many homes and businesses in La Crosse and at UWL, including Murphy Library. Warta was described as a “Force” and never let her health issues stop her from enjoying life including several international trips.

Education was important to Warta. Although she never was able to use her degree, she was a teacher. She said that although her mother could not read or write, she was intelligent in how she understood many things. Warta explained the solar system to her using an orange and a light bulb. Warta was able to read something in a book and then teach it, from wiring to drapery installation, you name it.

Warta wanted to help education majors at UWL by arranging for an estate gift. She leaves a wonderful legacy at UWL.