Family History Notes and Photos by Bob Mesenbrink

One of my favorite items from my Dad's childhood is a poster he made presumably for a school contest. I would guess it was made around 1925 or 1930 when he would have been ten to fifteen years old. It is an ink drawing that I have in my office. The poster is well done, I'd say, but what makes it most interesting to me is it's topic: prohibition. Prohibition was in effect between 1920 to 1933. Dad, being born in 1915, wasn't old enough to be directly affected by prohibition, but no doubt had heard a lot about it. I get a kick out of the line of liquor bottles ready to rush in as soon as the door opens and Beer is allowed in. I don't know for sure that this was a contest, and if so, how Dad did. It was definitely a keepsake, and one I'm glad was kept. Of course, Mesenbrink is a German name, and one associates Germans with beer. So this poster didn't seem to be in line with what I knew of my Dad and his family. It's safe to say it was only an assignm