# 1 - - Published in Enterprise on 5 December 2003

(Veteran)

Gale Oleson, 77, of Blair, died Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2003.

Funeral services will be at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 5, at First United Methodist Church, 7020 Cass Street, Omaha. A reception will follow at the UNO William H. Thompson Alumni Center, 6705 Dodge Street.

Gale Oleson was born May 12, 1925 in Forsyth, Mont., to Myron and Margaret Oleson. He grew up to discover a love of knowledge and a flair for teaching. A brief stint in the Navy confirmed his carreer path. Determined to be an educator, he went to South Dakota, first as a high school teacher and then as a school superintendent. After earning a doctorate in guidance and counseling in 1953 from the University of Wyoming, he joined the faculty of Omaha University, now the University of Nebraska at Omaha. There, he helped found the Counselor Education Department, while serving as director of the counseling department for the University Division.

Widely praised for his interactive teaching style, openness and supportive learning environment, Dr. Oleson had a way of inspiring students to stretch themselves. He taught at UNO for four decades, retiring in 1995.

He was also active in a number of professional and civic organizations. A licensed psychologist, he was a life member of the American Personnel and Guidance Association, and past president of the Nebraska Personnel and Guidance Association. He belonged to the Westside Optimist Club, John Mercer Masonic Lodge and Tangier Shrine, where he once served as "Cowboy the Clown" on the Shrine Clown Patrol.

Dr. Oleson and his wife, Kathy, built their retirement home in Blair. Retirement merely meant more time for travel, camping, hiking, entertaining, woodworking, horse training and other adventures.

His friends note that "Gale Oleson truly lived his 77 years. With creativity, tenacity and the enduring support of his family and friends, Gale reveled in the spirit of the moment, in joys large and small. In honoring him, we should cherish our many memories of Gale as a teacher, leader, craftsman, humorist, horseman, cook, family man and friend."

He is survived by his wife, Kathy Brockman Oleson; daughters and sons-in-law, Elizabeth and Mark Draper of Omaha, Joy Livingson of Floral City, Fla., Margaret and Joh Searles of Jacksonville, Fla., four grandchildren and their families; and extended family and many friends.

He was preceded in death by a daughter, Dorothy Oleson.

Memorials are suggested to the University of Nebraska Foundation or to Nebraska Methodist College.

#2- - Published in World Herald on 4 December 2003

GALE OLESON, 77; EX-UNO PROFESSOR

Gale Oleson taught for 40 years at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, educating counselors and pushing for higher professional standards.

"He was one of the founding fathers of the counseling movement in the state of Nebraska," said Joe Davis, a former UNO colleague.

Oleson died Tuesday at 77 after a series of strokes.

A native of Montana, he grew up in South Dakota and served two years as a Navy pilot. He earned his doctorate at the University of Wyoming before coming to UNO, then called Omaha University, in 1955.

He became director of testing and guidance and later department chairman. He was expert at career assessment, helping young people make choices based on skills and aptitudes.

He later pushed for a state law that passed, requiring licensing of counselors, social workers, and mental health professionals.

The gregarious Oleson served as president of the Nebraska Personnel and Guidance Association and president of the West Omaha Optimist Club.

He also served on the Shrine Clown Patrol as "Cowboy the Clown."

His wife of 15 years, Kathy Brockman Oleson, said his philosophy was "to be kind and to help others."

He also is survived by daughters Beth Draper of Omaha, Meg Oleson of Jacksonville, Fla., and Joy Livingston of Floral City, Fla.

Another daughter, Dorothy Oleson, died in 2000.

Services will be at 1:30 p.m. Friday at First United Methodist Church in Omaha, with a reception afterward at the UNO Alumni House. Michael Kelly

#3 - - Published in Omaha World Herald on 4 December 2003

OLESON-B. Gale, age 77, Blair. Survived by wife, Kathy Brockman Oleson; daughters and sons-in-law, Elizabeth and Mark Draper, Omaha, Joy Livingson, Floral City, FL, Margaret and John Searles, Jacksonville, FL; grandchildren, Eva and Retta Draper, Allyson Leigh, Tom Livingston and wife Megan.

MEMORIAL SERVICE 1:30 p.m. Fri., First United Methodist Church, Omaha. NO VISITATION. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to University of Nebraska at Omaha Foundation or to Nebraska Methodist College. Reception to follow at the Alumni House, 6705 Dodge St.

CAMPBELL-AMAN FUNERAL HOME, Blair, NE 402-426-2191

~~~ Obituaries courtesy of the Nebraska Washington County Genealogical Society. News clippings and leaflets on file in the Blair, Nebraska Public Library~~~

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