Honoring Our Veterans: John Larsen
 | Author:
Matt Nelson
MT43 News Correspondent |
“I was born in 1935 at Glendive, Mt, and we moved to Idaho in 1940, mainly for economic reasons, we starved out on the homestead in Richland County and we were victims of the drought and the grasshoppers.
“I went to school first in Marsing, Idaho, and wound up graduating from high school there; I lettered in four different sports while I was there. That’s the advantage of going to a small school. Then I went into the army and I had a chance to get into the 82nd Airborne – the paratroopers. Normally, that was the incentive for three years, but they were hard up to find people. They were letting two-year people join the airborne, and you got $50 a month for hazardous duty pay. With good money like that it’s hard to turn it down. That’s what I did – I went into the 82nd Airborne. That was in 1953 and I got out in 1955. It did one thing for me there that was advantageous – I grew up. While I was there I decided that I wanted to do something with my life.
“I came out and went to Boise Junior College which is now Boise University. Then I went down to the University of Colorado to study engineering and wound up graduating from the College of Idaho in 1959. My degree came out in Business. Then I went to work for the Idaho Survey and Rating Bureau checking insurance policies and then I had a chance to go to Seattle to work for Boeing. That was more interesting than checking insurance policies. We moved up there and I worked for Boeing in engineering and then I went to work for Pacific Car and Foundry and I worked there in Seattle until they ran out of our military contract.
“Then I came back to Idaho and became an insurance investigator working for Farmers Insurance and after 15 years of that I went to work as a realtor.
“At the same time I also got involved with motorcycling, mainly with trail bikes, and I had trouble supporting my motorcycle habit because I didn’t have any extra money so I found out I could sell articles about motorcycling and I began to write for the motorcycle magazines in 1968. In the process of writing for these magazines, I came up with my own publication called Trail Cycles. We needed to produce 50,000 copies to get national distribution but we were unable to do that. I actually wrote articles for six different motorcycle magazines and used the proceeds for my motorcycle habit. I wrote the maintenance and owner’s manual for Bultaco Motorcycle Company.
“Another job I had for three years was the production manager of Ste. Chapelle Winery in Sunnyslope, Idaho.
“In 1976 I went to work in McCall, Idaho for Stein and Volk Fine Instrument Wood making guitar tops out of Idaho Engelmann spruce. I started making guitars in 1960, and have a patent on guitar tops bracing systems.” He continues to make guitars to this day. “While at Stein and Volk I built a cabin at Cascade, Idaho, and did all the work except the metal roof. “
Article Images
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PhotoCredit: Matt Nelson
Image 1 Caption: John Larsen - Paratrooper
Image 2 Caption: Musician and Guitar Maker
Image 3 Caption: Pursang Kit Plane
