The varied and storied life of Chester L. Krause of Iola, Wis., is documented in his new autobiography, I?m Chet, as told to author Arlyn G. Sieber. Krause is the founder of Numismatic News and Krause Publications.
The self-published book (208 pages, 8-1/2 by 11 inches) is available for purchase. Krause is donating all money from sales of the book to the Iola Historical Society.
In the book, Krause recalls in detail his youth growing up on the family farm in the Town of Helvetia, about six miles east of Iola, and days spent in a one-room country schoolhouse. Born in 1923, Krause writes of the challenges of making ends meet during the Great Depression on his family?s scrabbly farm.
Krause graduated from Iola High School in 1941 and was drafted into the Army in February 1943. After returning home from the service, Krause worked as a carpenter in Iola.
He was also introduced to coin collecting as a youth, and in 1952 he started a modest little publication for fellow collectors called Numismatic News. Initially, all of the work for the periodical was done out of his parents? home with help from his family. But eventually the business, which became known as Krause Publications, grew to become the world?s largest hobby publisher with the addition of periodicals and books covering a wide range of collecting and other leisure-time fields.
Krause is the original co-author, with Clifford L. Mishler, of the multivolume Standard Catalog of World Coins, which is known worldwide as the leading reference on coins of the world.
Krause was the leading figure in the founding of the Iola Old Car Show and Swap Meet, which continues today as the largest automotive event in the Midwest and one of the largest in the nation.
In addition to his early life, Krause?s autobiography recounts his many business, hobby, charitable and public service activities; his world travels; and the notable people he met along the way.
I?m Chet is available for $20 plus $5 for shipping and handling. To order, write Iola Historical Society, P.O. Box 252, Iola, WI 54945. Checks should be payable to the Iola Historical Society.
For more information, e-mail ckrause@athenet.net or call (715) 445-5570.
