Sioux Falls Argus Leader * South Dakota * July 26, 2005


Floren was down-to-earth, versatile player
Accordionist remembered as one of state's most noted musicians


Accordionist Myron Floren may be remembered most for his performances
on "The Lawrence Welk Show." But many who knew him remember another
side of the Roslyn native: He was "a heck of a nice guy."


One of the most noteworthy musicians ever from South Dakota, Floren
died of cancer Saturday at the age of 85.


"Within the accordion community he was looked up to with great
reverence, and as a person he was very delightful, just one of the
nicest people we've ever had," said Faithe Deffner, board member for
the American Accordionists' Association, in Mineola, N.Y. "He's been
honored by the accordion industry many times."


Floren joined Welk's band in 1950 and stayed on until the television
show ended in 1982. More recently, he performed at music festivals
around the country. He also returned home dozens of times to play the
Sioux Falls Arena and the Corn Palace in Mitchell, and for many
family reunions in the Roslyn and Sioux Falls areas.


Friends from as far back as the 1930s say his down-to-earth
personality and ever-present smile come from his Midwestern roots.


"One day we stayed after school for some activity and missed the bus,
and ended up walking home," said Milton S. Swenson, 83, now of Lake
Preston. He attended Roslyn High School with Floren in the mid-1930s.


"We were walking on a gravel road south of town, and he took off his
shoes," Swenson said. "I said 'You're going to hurt your feet.' He
said 'It's the only pair of shoes I've got, and I want to make them
last longer.' "


The two families' farms were within a mile of each other, three to
four miles from school. Money was tight during the '30s, as people
had to get along with very little during the dry, crop-failing
drought years, he said.


He was a good musician as a high school student, said Swenson. He
remembers Floren playing "Flight of the Bumblebee" at breakneck
speed, amazing listeners.


Schoolmate Mathias Nyvold, 85, now of Aberdeen, says he remembers
Floren as a "quiet kid" who was friendly and modest about his talent.


"He was not a fellow that went out to show off," said Nyvold, who
followed Floren's career through TV shows and area concerts.


Fans loved to hear him play polkas, waltzes and popular music, but
few realized he could play other styles, Deffner said Monday.


"His musicianship was beyond reproach, and his abilities far exceeded
what he demonstrated, because he usually just played what people
wanted to hear," she said. "He was equally versed at playing
classical pieces, very beautifully. He was such a clean and
articulate player."


Deffner said beyond being a fan, she was a business partner. Her
interests with Floren date back to the 1950s, as owner of an
accordion company that was the brand he played: Pancordion.


"He came to us in 1950, and never changed to a different brand," said
Deffner, now a manager with the company. "Lawrence Welk once came to
New York City, where we were based then, and Myron was having trouble
with his accordion. It was a holiday, maybe Christmas, and we helped
him out, and developed a friendship that lasted 55 years."


Floren tried to enlist in the Air Force but was turned down for
medical reasons. Later he enlisted in the USO and entertained the
troops overseas.


After the war he moved back to Sioux Falls, where he had a radio
show. But in 1946, he moved to St. Louis, where he joined a band.


One night, dancing at the Casa Loma ballroom where Welk was playing,
Floren was invited onstage to play a song, "Lady of Spain," which the
crowd and Welk loved. Floren was offered a job with Welk that night.


In 1950, he joined Welk's band and stayed until the show's end in
1982. Following his TV fame, he continued appearing throughout the
country.


The eldest of seven children, Floren has many relatives in the Sioux
Falls area.


"I'm a nephew, so through the years we would see Myron at many family
events and reunions," said Duane Floren II, 52, of Sioux Falls. His
father, "Dewy" Floren, is Myron Floren's brother.


"We went to the Corn Palace concerts in Mitchell, and the Arena here
in Sioux Falls. And he played at the last reunion we had out at Wall
Lake, in 2000."


He remembers that after one Sioux Falls performance, he and other
relatives went out with Myron after the show.


"We all piled into a limousine, with aunts, uncles, nieces and such,
and we all went out to eat, although I can't remember where," he
said. "Myron was fun, a happy guy who looked like he loved life."


Guenter Neumann of Sioux Falls, organizer of the annual German Fest
on Phillips Avenue, said that as an accordion player himself he
always admired Floren.


"He was absolutely an inspiration for a lot of people to buy the
instrument and learn to play it," Neumann said.


"He was such a good player, and fun to watch. He set the standard for
playing, and we have yet to hear anyone else playing at that level."


A May 2005 story in the Argus Leader quoted Floren, who was planning
a centennial tribute concert to the late conductor Lawrence Welk this
September in Mitchell.


Floren, who still played 150 shows a year, said his professional
relationship with Welk lasted 32 years, and the friendship lasted a
lifetime.


"I think fundamentally, both being from the farm, our values were
pretty much the same, the way we treated our work and everything,"
Floren said. "It is like the old thing in the Bible where it says 'Go
that extra mile.' That's what we tried to do. We tried to do
something extra, give the audience something, leave them feeling a
little better."


- - - - -


MYRON'S BIO


BORN: 1919 near Roslyn, the eldest of seven children.


ACCORDION: At 7 years old, he talked his father into ordering a $10
accordion from Sears and Roebuck.


COLLEGE: Attended Augustana College and moonlighted teaching
accordion for the Williams Music Company. One of his students was
Berdyne Koerner, his future wife.


TV: In 1950, he joined Lawrence Welk's band and stayed until the
show's end in 1982.

JAY KIRSCHENMANN
jkirsch@argusleader.com