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Tarnstrom, Carl L., 1910-1987

 Person

Biographical / Historical Note

Father, teacher, and connoisseur of one-liners and zingers are just a few of the hats known to have been worn by Carl Leverne Tarnstrom. He was born October 17, 1910 in Lindsborg, Kansas where he completed his undergraduate education at Bethany College. Carl spent most of the remainder of his life in California working on graduate studies at the University of Southern California and teaching. The majority of his time as an educator was spent at Palo Verde High School in Blythe, California. He died in Riverside, California on June 2, 1987. Today he is survived by his son Guy Tarnstrom, his daughter-in-law Dianne Tarnstrom, and his three grandchildren: Annelise (Tarnstrom) Osborne, Kari Tarnstrom, and Kristin Tarnstrom. Along with his friends and loved ones, Carl left behind his "Gag File" filled with thousands upon thousands of jokes and gags he collected in hopes that professional entertainers and people in all walks of life will, as he writes, "find mirth and relaxation from tension in seeing the funny side of the too often tragic realities which we face day-in and day-out."

Found in 1 Collection or Record:

Carl L. Tarnstrom Joke Collection

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: ACC-MSS 015
Scope and Contents The Carl L. Tarnstrom Joke Collection is made up of a series of jokes, gags, and "odds and ends" collected and typed up by Tarnstrom himself for a period of over thirty years between the mid-1940s to the early-1980s. He gathered these jokes from television, radio, newspapers, professional comedians, and personal friends. The topics covered by his plethora of collected jokes include: politics, family, athletics, money and financing, sex, marriage, children, gambling, drinking, and many more....
Dates: Mid-1940s to early-1980s