It always amazes me when I talk to Malt-O-Meal employees about their community involvement, and Herman Transburg is no exception. I kept thinking, “When does the guy find time to sleep?”
Herman started at Malt-O-Meal on November 5, 1979. One of his early highlights was running the batch gun. He said, “Boy, you could really feel the floor shake when you opened one of those up!”
Herman has been involved in the Defeat of Jesse James re-enactment for quite a few years. The first time he rode in the event was in 1980, and he became a regular in 1992. They do four re-enactments on Saturday, two on Sunday, and last year added two more on Friday night. That’s a lot of ridin’, shootin’, and getting plugged to be doing in one weekend.
Herman has a significant other-Mary, two sons and a daughter, and four granddaughters. One of his highlights has been having his sons ride with him in the re-enactment for the last eight years or so.
Herman also appeared in a “In Search of…” episode (hosted by Leonard Nimoy) about the James Gang raid that was filmed in 1981 in the Waterford area and at the DeMann farm.
Herman has been the Chairman of the Defeat of Jesse James rodeo event for the last five years. He is a past member of the Northfield Historical Society, and is a current member of the Civil War Roundtable Club, which meets at the Rice County Historical Society in Faribault.
Herman also has an interest in tractors and belongs to Chapter 15 of the International Harvester Collectors. He also is part of the Rice County Steam and Gas Club, which holds a big fall show featuring steam driven farm equipment on Labor Day weekend at their location south of Northfield on Hwy. 3. They also hold a smaller spring show.
Once a week in the fall, Herman takes part in a wagon train to benefit Camp Winnebago in Caledonia. They typically travel around 130 miles in a week, and over the last two years have raised more than $30,000 to benefit young people and adults with disabilities. Herman mentioned that Malt-O-Meal and MOM Cares have also been very good supporters of this event.
In his spare time, Herman has been putting together the “Wild West Roundup”, a re-creation of a small western town complete with storefronts. They re-enact a roundup on the second weekend in June of each year.
Herman retired from Malt-O-Meal in the December. It sounds like he will be down to only one or two full-time jobs once that happens. Herman is another good example of a Malt-O-Meal employee who carries his “Great Service” attitude over into community involvement. – Posted by n. larsen
