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c2 rU l�Va1 <br /> 1 .3 , E e vvi\er <br /> Melvin J. Dupre <br /> Recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award <br /> Centerville, Minnesota <br /> Presented on July 28, 1999 <br /> Melvin Dupre was born in Centerville on December 12, 1920 to Joseph and Marie Dupre. <br /> He was one of five children in the family. They lived on the homestead built by his <br /> grandfather, Peter Dupre, who was born in Canada and moved to Centerville in 1859. <br /> His mother's family also came from Canada. With this strong French Canadian <br /> influence, the family spoke fluent French in the home. <br /> As a boy, Melvin helped his father on the farm. It was a large farm that extended from <br /> Centerville Lake to Peltier Lake to Mill Road. They raised oats, corn, and alfalfa hay. <br /> They also had cows and brought the milk to the Centerville creamery. Melvin had many <br /> chores. Sometimes his mother would get angry with his father for working him so hard. <br /> Besides working on the farm, Melvin also attended school in Centerville. After his high <br /> school graduation, Melvin completed a supervisory course at the Farm School at the <br /> University of Minnesota. <br /> Melvin's hard work as a youngster prepared him well for his five years of service in the <br /> military. On December 7, 1941, Melvin was stationed at Camp Haan in Riverside, <br />