Date in History: 1926
In 1926, Oscar Simonson brought a state championship home to Fort Atkinson. Born in Iowa in 1879, Simonson moved to Fort Atkinson with his wife Anna in 1923. He would work for the James Manufacturing Company for the next 33 years while living at 1105 West Sherman Avenue.
A lifelong checker enthusiast, Oscar was a member of a 20-man U.S. checker team that defeated Great Britain in a correspondence match. In 1926, Oscar jumped his way into the State Checker Championship Match where he faced W. T. Hoar of Racine. Behind early on, Oscar rallied to defeat Hoar and win the match, becoming Fort Atkinson’s first ever State Checker Champion.
Oscar continued to compete after winning the title but was never able to match his 1926 heroics.
This historic document aired on the radio as an Historic Minute on 08/02/2004.