Born on a farm near Kendal, Michigan, L. D. in 1890 (Dusty) Rhoades attended the local schools and then worked his way thru Kalamazoo College. Here he earned his letter in three sports and majored in Science. He was graduated in 1915 and his first position was that chemistry teacher and coach at Spring Valley, Minnesota.
It was here that he met co-workers Mary Horn and Stanley Mythaler, who later married each other and a close friendship ensued that has lasted through the passing years.
He enlisted in the army and attended Officers Training Camp in 1917 and served in France for the duration of the war. In 1919 he came to Valley City as head of the Science Department at Valley City State College, then the Normal School. Stepping off the train, he met John Halverson, the furniture man and while talking to him, bought the chair in which he was sitting.
He rented a room at Arthur and Minnie Lee's home and finding that the chair that he had purchased was too large to make the staircase, placed it in the living room and thereupon became a member of the family.
"Dusty" liked his work, the people of Valley City, the hunting and fishing and so settled down for forty-five years of residence. In June, 1921 , Dusty married Josephine Wright and the next year built their house on eighth avenue. Josephine was the daughter of Hugh and Nettie Wright who came from Canada to Barnes County after the birth of Josephine and her brother Ranald. Josephine was born 1896 in Grand Forks, North Dakota.
To the union of Dusty and Josephine were born three sons: John, Mac and Dan. Dan joined the air force and has made a career of the communications division. John has a Doctorate in General Science and is a full professor at San Jose State. He married Marilyn Thompson of Cavalier in 1948. They have four sons.
Mac had his Master's degree and is teaching chemistry in Itasca Junior College, Grand Rapids, Minnesota. His wife is the former Ardis Zeigler, from Fingal, North Dakota. They also have four children.
A fourth child was born to Dusty and Josephine, Patricia Josephine in 1913. She was killed in an automobile accident in Seattle, Washington in 1930 while Dusty was taking Post Graduate work.
Josephine, over the years, has been kept busy as an accompanist on the piano for faculty recitals, soloists, choirs in the Methodist and Congregational Churches, Quartets, choruses, etc. She was active in church work, the Legion Auxiliary and the P.E.O. Sisterhood where she has been a member for fifty-two years in North Dakota and California. She was a member of the Tuesday Club, the oldest women's group in Valley City.
Dusty was instrumental in the milk inspection system set up in Valley City, the first west of Chicago. He also worked with Mayor Fredrickson and City Engineer Oscar Bergman in planning the water purification system in use by the city for many years and the daily water testing program so successful over the years.
The Rhoades family left Valley City in 1964 when Dusty retired from his position with Valley City State College. Both Dusty and Josephine, beloved as they were, are not forgotten by the people of Valley City.
Source: Barnes County History 1976 Page 203