Roald Tweet
Writer and Narrator of 'Rock Island Lines'Beginning 1995, historian and folklorist Dr. Roald Tweet spun his stories of the Mississippi Valley to a devoted audience on WVIK. Dr. Tweet published three books as well as numerous literary articles and recorded segments of "Rock Island Lines." His inspiration was that "kidney-shaped limestone island plunked down in the middle of the Mississippi River," a logical site for a storyteller like Dr. Tweet.
It was from Rock Island’s rich heritage that Dr. Tweet spun his histories, biographies and "stretchers." Among his favorite topics were railroads and riverboats, which he combined on a CD in celebration of the Grand Excursion in 2004. "Rock Island Lines with Roald Tweet" received awards from the Illinois Historical Society as well as the Towner Award from the Illinois Humanities Council.
Dr. Tweet was professor emeritus, retired from the Augustana College English department, where he was professor and Conrad Bergendoff Chair in the Humanities. A writer and radio personality, Dr. Tweet was also an accomplished woodcarver and whittler.
Dr. Tweet left us in November of 2020, but his legacy lives on. You can hear many of his Rock Island Lines in podcast form here and also in a forthcoming book from WVIK and East Hall Press.
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CommunityThis is Roald Tweet on Rock Island.Had Rock Island been a little less jealous of other Illinois cities back in the 1890s, she might have taken in a…
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CommunityThis is Roald Tweet on Rock Island.Every once in a while, I wonder Whatever happened to Paine's Celery Compound, and those other pills and medicines…
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CommunityThis is Roald Tweet on Rock Island.Growing up on the lonely Illinois prairie in the early part of the 20th century, 20 miles from Galesburg, George Stucky…
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CommunityThis is Roald Tweet on Rock Island."If you build it, they will come" is an Iowa idea that goes back at least as far as the beginnings of Iowa City.On May…
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CommunityThis is Roald Tweet on Rock Island.Had it not been for careful observation by Iowans, the world may never have discovered the heavenly message of the…
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CommunityThis is Roald Tweet on Rock Island.In 1837, the United States government set about civilizing the Sauk and Meskwaki Indians living in six villages along…
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CommunityThis is Roald Tweet on Rock Island.Whenever a writing project is not going well, I leave my study and walk down to the Mississippi River for another…
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CommunityThis is Roald Tweet on Rock Island.Had it not been for the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, Captain Kendrick W. Brown might have lived out his life running a…
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CommunityThis is Roald Tweet on Rock Island.It took the fates only a fraction of a second to determine if John Rieke of Davenport would become a star, so famous…
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CommunityThis is Roald Tweet on Rock Island.Like most of the other 500 residents of St. Anthony Falls in the territory of Minnesota, Elmer Tyler had emigrated from…