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By Steve Morris
In a cold cabin, steps off of County Road 9 and just feet from the front door of Wade Olson’s green and white home, rests a living museum of Sunrise’s claim to fame: The birthplace of iconic Hollywood actor Richard Widmark.
Wade Olson points to a piece of memorabilia inside the Richard Widmark Museum. Olson spent four years putting together a museum to honor Widmark and his accomplishments. Widmark was born in Sunrise on Dec. 26, 1914. He died March 24 at his home in Roxbury, Conn.
About five weeks ago, Olson sent Widmark a package with five 8x10 photos to be signed that would be added to his birthplace shrine. Like a guy waiting for a phone call after a first date, Olson waited for the returned package. Soon, he began to wonder why he hadn’t received any correspondence from Widmark. Then the news found him: Widmark had passed away after a long illness, at his home in Roxbury, Conn. He was 93.
“It’s always a shock, but you expect it when he is that old,” Olson said. “Richard proves that you can be born anywhere and you can make your dreams a reality.”
The cause of Widmark’s death has not been made public, but Olson said last year Widmark fell and injured his vertebrae and his health deteriorated ever since.
Olson, of Sunrise, had reason to mourn the loss of Widmark. He spent the last five years researching Widmark’s career and assembling a museum to honor the man of Hollywood history.
Olson’s family roots run deep in the community. He is the 4th generation of Olsons to live in Sunrise.
“I am proud to live in Sunrise,” Olson said.
Widmark was born in Sunrise on Dec. 26, 1914 and spent the first six months of his life there before his family moved to Princeton, Ill. The home he was born in has since burned down, yet the parcel rests undeveloped. Olson said Sunrise owns the land.
“He was born here, you can’t take that away from him,” Olson said. “I think Sunrise will finally be put on the map.”
In a sense, Olson may be right. Before Widmark’s death, Sunrise didn’t show up on a Google search – now it does. Several metro daily newspapers such as the New York Times, the L. A. Times and the Chicago Tribune wrote stories on Widmark’s passing and they all included his birthplace.
With all the media attention Widmark’s passing received, at least one fallacy has slipped through. It has been widely reported that Widmark’s father owned the general store in Sunrise. That is not true, Olson said. His father worked there but didn’t own the shop.
Since Widmark’s passing, Olson has seen a spike in visitation to his museum, mainly from people from the Twin Cities area. He said he typically gets around 50 guests a year.
The timing of Widmark’s passing came at a good time for Olson. For seven months of the year he works as a seasonal construction worker, putting in long hours and weeks. Since it’s the off season, he has been able to field questions and do interviews with reporters from across the state.
“After the WCCO interview, it spread like wildfire,” Olson said.
Widmark’s movie career lasted from 1947 to 1991. He was in a total of 74 movies and shared the screen with Marilyn Monroe in her first starring role.
Olson said one of Widmark’s most famous movies was “Kiss of Death.” Widmark left behind a wife and a daughter.
“It’s sad, because I wish he could have come back here ... my last goal was to have him come back,” Olson said.
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