At last, an apology from history board
For nearly three years, Lloyd Kaplan and Terry Prokopec, both of Owatonna, have been banned from the Steele County History Center. On Monday, that ban was lifted by a mostly new board of directors, who then went on to apologize for what happened.
-Dave Effertz, History Board President
A controversy involving a pair of volunteers and the Steele County History Board that has stretched on for several years ended Monday night in Ellendale.
The board of the Steele County History Center publicly announced that a lifetime ban against the two veteran volunteers was lifted and that the “lifetime ban issued to Lloyd Kaplan and Terry Prokopec was too severe and caused hurt that extended beyond the individuals involved to the Ellendale community.”
That the controversy had involved the entire Ellendale community was evidenced by the large number of residents who attended the meeting in support of the two men.
Board Chair Dave Effertz said that the board wanted to rectify the matter and make sure that it doesn’t happen again. Many of the current board members were not on the board at the time Kaplan and Prokopec were kicked out of the history center and told to never come back.
Before a vote of the board, Effertz said that both parties acknowledged missteps but that “nothing can erase the pain and anger they experienced.” He added the history center board has learned from it.
He also said that the board wanted to be clear that no theft on the part of Kaplan or Prokopec was involved.
A statement that was approved unanimously by the board at the meeting said that “Finally, we want to be clear that SCHS is not accusing Lloyd Kaplan or Terry Prokopec of theft. Concerns were raised about donation handling, communication, approvals and financial controls, but we understand how that may have been perceived as an accusation of theft. That is not the position of SCHS.”
It goes on to say, “we are sorry for the hurt this situation caused. We appreciate the time, work and passion Lloyd, Terry, the Ellendale Area Heritage Society and many others contributed to Gus’ Station and to preserving Ellendale’s history.
“Our goal now is to move forward with clearer expectations, mutual respect and a renewed commitment to preserving history throughout Steele County.”
The board also acknowledged that their volunteer expectations and policies were not communicated as clearly as they should have been.
Kaplan and Prokopec were served with a “cease and desist” order in September 2023 on behalf of former director Jennifer Thiele.
That action caused a firestorm of internal battles within the Ellendale community and also the rest of Steele County.
Thiele left her position as director of the history center just days ahead of a special investigation about the controversy that was published in the Steele County Times last November. After the issue became public, several board members resigned, including the group’s president, Patty Jessop.
Effertz also said that the board intends to have history center staff and Kaplan and Prokopec get together to do an oral history of Gus’ Gas Station which was moved from its original Ellendale location to the Village of Yesteryear at the Steele County fairgrounds.
The station, which has been closed during much of the controversy, will be reopened to visitors this summertime for the Historical Society’s Extravaganza in July.
Kaplan said after the meeting that he had brought up the idea of doing a video oral history of the station because “when we’re gone, the story is gone.”
Kaplan said he is satisfied that the situation has finally been dealt with and all parties can now move forward.
“I’m happy it’s over,” Prokopec said.