Al Larvick

In the early 1950's, Alfred Larvick's eldest son, Rockne, purchased his father an 8mm, hand crank film camera while in Germany during his service in the U.S. Air Force. With this gift, Al began a life-long love of documenting not only his family events, but also everyday happenings in his hometowns, from parades; to football games, to church activities, to the visitors at his father's local gas station. Like many homemade films of this period, his movies capture a unique era of an American small town heyday, and the communities that made them. 

Al seemed to understand the importance of recording happenings as they occurred, and recognized that although many occurrences might appear commonplace on the surface, taking a deeper look could prove differently, and that precious, everyday life is made up of fleeting moments of importance.

Recording a time that is unrepeatable, his films, and those like them, offer a glimpse into the past while contributing toward personal, cultural and historical legacies, which are vital to understanding ourselves and society at large.

The inspiration behind this fund is Alfred Larvick (Al or A.C.), who was a resident of North Dakota. He spent much of his time in Barnes County's Valley City, in the Southeastern region of North Dakota. While there, Al was a teacher and Athletic Director at Valley City High School and acted as City Commissioner for a number of years in addition to being an active member of his church. He remained there until 1957 when he moved his family to The Dalles, Oregon. Al and his wife, Ethel Larvick, both taught in the school systems in North Dakota and Oregon until their retirement. They remained in The Dalles throughout their senior years where they were close to their children and grandchildren.