A thunderous banging on his apartment door jolted UW-Stout student Parker Hagen to his feet. It was 10:30 pm on a Tuesday evening, May 20th and he was settled in with a movie. The pounding was the Menomonie police. The building where Hagen lived was on fire and he had to get out— “NOW!” With barely time to grab his phone, he scrambled shoeless down the stairs leaving behind car keys, wallet, computers and everything else that a college guy might need to sustain life off campus.
For Hagen, the next 24 hours were a blur. Displaced tenants from the six small upstairs apartments were given shelter in the Cobblestone Inn lobby, just a block down the street. It was a long night. From the window, they could watch the hypnotic flashing of red emergency lights ricocheting off the walls of downtown buildings and creating shadows in the fire hose mist. The Red Cross was on site for assistance and provided vouchers for hotel stays.
Two days later, Hagen returned to the fire site, where demolition crews had finished bulldozing the ash and debris into an empty crater of what remained of the basement. He was able to pull a few of his charred soggy items from the gray mess, including two computer hard drives from which he was able to retrieve data — and an old electric Gibson guitar that had belonged to his father. Although the instrument had been somewhat protected by its case, it still suffered water and heat damage.
Music has been a part of Hagen’s life since he was a young boy. Starting with lessons on piano and cello, he then progressed to upright bass and eventually electric bass. In addition to his father’s old Gibson, some of the items lost or damaged in the fire were his 4-string bass guitar and an upright bass.
Hagen decided to head home to Mesa, Arizona where he would spend the summer with his parents. A senior finishing his degree in game design-art, with an emphasis on animation and a minor in computer science, Parker had just one semester left to complete. He planned to return to Menomonie for fall term and live on campus.
Following the fire, Brian Hagen, Parker’s father, had emailed Menomonie News Net, a digital news outlet, asking if any assistance could be provided to his son. In the days that followed, Becky Kneer, co-editor of the Menomonie News Net, corresponded with the senior Hagen and along the way an idea emerged for Kneer — to find a guitar for Parker.
Becky contacted her friend and former Menomonie resident, Mike Warden, a guitar collector who divides his time between New Auburn and Minneapolis, to see if he might have some suggestions. Warden has been a guitar player for many years. His 60-plus sizable stash of guitars and stringed instruments includes thrift store finds, one-of-a-kinds, well-preserved classics and collectibles. He did more than just offer Kneer some suggestions. He volunteered to give Hagen one of his own guitars.
Three months later, when Hagen returned to Menomonie for fall semester, Kneer arranged for him to get together with Warden at his home in New Auburn. Warden had selected a 1960s vintage Univox hollow body bass guitar manufactured in Japan that he’d owned for about 15 years. When Warden handed him the gift, Hagen immediately sat down and began to play.
This isn’t the first guitar Warden has provided to encourage someone to continue to explore their interest in music. Several of his grandchildren have had a guitar placed in their hands. The instrument, often a surprise and a gift, plants a seed. Warden calls it an “act of human kindness.”
Musicians like Hagen might call it a “gift of endless possibilities.”
Maggie Foote is a UW-Stout Alum and MNN Contributor.
Editor’s Note: Parker shared his ‘art station’ (portfolio) which you can view HERE. Plus, along with 14 fellow students, he will be heading to Madison next week to showcase the game they worked on together for their senior project. Good luck Parker!
