“Look Inside”
Words and music by Keith Burden
with Ms. Dahl’s 5th Grade Class
©2010 Keith Burden
When you walk through life…and meet other people…look inside…look inside
Everyone has something…wonderful about them…look inside…look inside
Good people…good museums…good books are all the same…look inside…look inside
You have to open the cover to see………what’s inside.
Now there might be an astronaut from Austin, or a businessman from Boston I suppose
But if there was a cowboy from Caputa, he’d know things that no one else could know
Now there could be a doctor from Decatur, or an engineer from sunny Tennessee
But if there was a fixture…from Four Mile South Dakota, you can bet that fixture would be me!
Now there might be a grandma from Grand Rapids, or a history buff from down Hermosa way
If there was an Indian from back in Indiana, he’d have something interesting to say
Now there could be a jockey from New Jersey, or a kindergarten kid from Kitty Hawk
If there was a lumberjack from Laramie, Wyoming, he’d like folks to listen when he talks
Now there could be a model from Medora, or a novelist from down in New Orleans
That ornithologist from Oklahoma, might know the name of every bird you’ve seen
Now there could be a plutocrat from Portland, or a quarterback from Quincy, Illinois
If there was a rancher from north of Rapid City, I bet he’d tell some stories we’d enjoy
Now there could be a sales…man from Shanghai, or a tourist from Berlin or Tokyo
There could be a Uruguayan unicycle rider, that’s seen some places we might never go
Now there could be a vet from Venezuela, or a woman who was mentioned in “Who’s Who”
There could be an extra helpful…x-ray technician, who’d like to help us get an inside view
Now you might meet a yodeler from the Yukon, or oh, so many folks from “a” to “zee”
And looking for the best in all these different kinds of people, seems to help me find the best in me
Yes…looking for the best in all these very special people, seems to help me find the best in me
When you walk through life…and meet other people…look inside…look inside
Everyone has something…wonderful about them…look inside…look inside
Good people…good museums…good books are all the same…look inside…look inside
You have to open the cover to see……what’s inside
Mary Krogman was born on February 27, 1943 in Pipestone, Minnesota. Life was different for Mary growing up, because of her parents’ ages of 43 and 48 when she was born. Mary has one adopted brother named Leo who is a year and a half older than her. Her best friend growing up was her younger cousin who would often stay with them while her parents were traveling. Their names were both Mary, so they were often called “Big Mary” and “Little Mary”.
Mary’s dream as a child was to get rich. Her favorite hobbies were collecting stamps and reading a lot. She also liked to play an invented game called “Flip the Stick” in which they would dig a hole, lay a stick over it and flip it up with a broomstick. The object was to be the one to catch the stick in the air. Her favorite subject in school was Math, because “numbers seemed to make sense.” Ironically, she didn’t like History.
Mary married Roger Krogman in Rock Rapids, Iowa in 1961. Roger wanted to have a big family and they did! They had 8 children; Kathy, Beverly, Lisa, Sharon, Karen, Jim, Bonnie, and Jane. Mary now has 12 grandchildren.
After living in Minnesota, Iowa, and South Dakota, Mary and Roger had a dream to build an old west town where kids could touch. So they moved to Custer in a blizzard on Nov. 1st, 1994 to do just that! Although Roger passed away in 2006, Mary still continues the dream running Four Mile Old West Town. Mary says she loves her job, because she gets to visit with people from all over the world. And she likes to buy antiques!
In her spare time, Mary enjoys reading old books and researching about historical events. Her favorite book is the Bible. She also loves football and her favorite food is a butterscotch milk shake and French fries. Mary has a Mexican Chihuahua named Pedro and likes animals, but likes kids more. She loves to be around people, learn what they do, what they think about, and what they know. She says everyone has something that is wonderful about them. You just have to look inside.
Mary has lots of good advice for us, including “Being rich doesn’t always come in money”, “There is satisfaction in working hard”, “In adverse times, you can either grow from it or capsize”, “Life is an adventure. Do good things so you enjoy it”, and “Everyone is good at something”. Thank you, Mary, for sharing your life with us!