A 3"x5" acetate, portrait photograph of the Harold Zinnecker family in the living room of their home, 1280 N. 6th St., David City, Nebraska. Harold, wearing a mustache, three-piece suit with white shirt and knotted tie is standing next to a wooden lamp table, with lamp and collectibles. Gretchen, wearing a print shirt-waist dress with brooch, hose and heels, is seated in a small upholstered chair. The four boys are dressed is casual slacks and shirts. Two arched, recessed bookcases and a window with closed pinch-pleated, figured draperies and covered cornices are behind them. A wooden table with large radio sits to one side and several other chairs and tables line the edge of the photo.
Thorpe Opera House Foundation/Boston Studio Project
Local Accession Number
0DD04270001
Source
Original format: 3"x5" acetate negative from the Boston Studio Project collection.
Historical Notes
Harold Zinnecker arrived with his parents in David City via train from Columbus, Nebraska, in 1916. His father, Louis G. Zinnecker, purchased the Perkins Hotel and came to David City to completely renovate the building. Harold completed his schooling in David City, graduated from the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, and took Hotel Management courses from Cornell University. He returned to David City in 1928 to take over management of the Perkins Hotel. He married Gretchen Empkie on February 12, 1931 and raised four sons: Harold Jr. "Bud", Bennet, John, and William. All four sons were active in the Boy Scouts and all achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. Harold retired in 1970. He was a charter member of the David City Chamber of Commerce and Rotary and a life-long member of the United Methodist Church. Gretchen died in 1963, and Harold died October 16, 1990.
