Friends fondly remember 'Doncy'

Gollnast was

instrumental

in NU Club

By FRITZ BUSCH

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- It'll be ironic and bittersweet when the New Ulm Club Athletic Banquet is held for the 50th time tonight at Martin Luther College.

One of it more prominent members, Donald "Doncy" Gollnast won't be in attendance. He died Friday morning. Fond memories of him will live on for a long time.

He was the go-to guy when something civic needed to be done and had a very special love for New Ulm.

A retired president of Citizens Bank of New Ulm, Gollnast joined the likes of former Sioux Valley Hospital Administrator Harold Fenske and former Journal Sports Editor Herb Schaper in making the club more successful in its early days by selling advertising to downtown businesses.

Former New Ulm mayor Carl "Red" Wyczawski is among the many New Ulmites that will badly miss Gollnast, a man known for his passion at work and at play.

Gollnast organized a local committee that convinced the Wisconsin Lutheran Synod that Martin Luther College should remain in New Ulm when the group entertained the idea of consolidating it with Northwestern College in Watertown, Wis.

A lifetime member of the New Ulm Chamber of Commerce, Ach Ya, which spawned the New Ulm Business District organization, Gollnast was active in the development of the Glockenspiel, Vogel Arena, the Martin Luther Academy Golf Tournament and was active at Highland Manor, and many other things.

"He was certainly one of our great community leaders, a mover and a shaker, that's for sure," said Schaper, who originated the idea of the New Ulm Club after he noticed a similar group in Mankato.

"You never worried when 'Doncy' got involved with something," Schaper said. "It always got done and got done on time."

"I was deeply saddened," Wyczawski said. "He became one of my friends when I moved to town. We fished for 40 years together (with a group of New Ulm men) in Canada and Northern Minnesota."

Gollnast was the first guy out on the lake and the last one in. He'd often fish until 10 or 11 p.m. while the rest of the men were ashore for the evening.

Born within days of each other, Fenske and Gollnast were on the cradle roll together at the United Congregational Church.

Although they weren't stationed together, Fenske and Gollnast both served in the Navy during World War II. During their college days, the men opened a drive-in that served 5-cent root beer and 10-cent hot dogs on South Broadway. Gollnast attended Gustavus Adolphus College while Fenske was at Mankato State.

Fenske and Gollnast played in a foursome with Al Dosland and Dr. Frank Carthey on men's night for many years at the New Ulm Country Club.

Gollnast began working at Citizens Bank after college graduation and learned the banking business from the ground up. He hired current bank president Lou Geistfeld 23 years ago. Geistfeld was a federal bank examiner at the time and is very grateful.

"Don was almost like my father, my mentor," Geistfeld said. "He and Bob Eichten asked me if I ever thought about getting off the road after I examined their bank several times. I said 'yes.' It's probably the best move I ever made. It was an honor for me to work with him. He was a great guy to work with. He helped myself and many others get into business."

Geistfeld recalled Gollnast as a fun guy to play golf with and a practical joker, particularly on April Fool's Day.

"He plotted elaborate practical jokes," Geistfeld said. "He was famous for his shut-off switch he used to put on bank employee's lamps and computers. He'd blow into this thing and it would turn off. We still have the switch. Somebody was using it for jokes on Thursday."