Dimitri Mitropoulos playing the piano, January 1, 1938.

Dimitri Mitropoulos (right) prepares to sign a two-year contract with the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra. Photo by Bruce Sifford Studio, April 27, 1941. The contract was later extended, and Mitropoulos remained the conductor of the orchestra until 1949.

Dimitri Mitropoulos (seated, center) with sixth graders attending a children’s concert at the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra. From the Minneapolis Daily Times, January 22, 1947.

The diner side of the Valhalla Café (105 Washington Avenue South, Minneapolis), June 15, 1960. Along with dives, “greasy spoons” serving diner fare like corned beef hash, Salisbury steak, and fruit pie were a Gateway mainstay. When later asked about his living situation, one former Skid-Rower bemoaned the fact that in his new home, he couldn’t find a replacement for his regular diner order: pork chops with apple sauce.