Albert M Mansor

Listen to the Episode Here

Throwback Thursday: Albert MansorLori Kent introduces us to Albert Mansor and shares why the impact he made in the community is worth recording and remembering.

UPDATE: Since recording the episode on this historical marker I found when the tornado hit Mansor's store! Even better than that, this Argus Leader article even has a picture of the destroyed store.

Albert M. Mansor was born in Aramta, a tiny village in Lebanon. At the age of 15, he immigrated to Sioux Falls to work in his uncle's East Side grocery store. After his uncle's death, Mansor was urged to liquidate; instead, he remained and worked to pay off all store debts.

When a tornado demolished the store and scattered its contents, friends helped move a small horse shed onto the present grounds of Laura B. Anderson Elementary School. Mansor immediately stocked the tiny building with groceries and reopened for business.

Mansor soon earned the affection of his Riverside customers and their children. He banked one dollar for each newborn, rewarded passing grades with tickets to movie matinees, played Santa at Christmas, and hosted picnics and pony rides at Lien Park. During the 1930s' Great Depression, he often sold groceries on a handshake.

In recognition of Mansor's standing as the unofficial "grandfather" of Riverside, this park was re-named Mansor Pioneer Park in 1995.