Godfrey J. Anderson was a Word War I veteran who served as a Polar Bear in the battle with the Bolsheviks. Gordon L. Olson (1943-2024) was an expert in Grand Rapids history. He held the position of assistant director of the Grand Rapids Public Museum and was later appointed to the role of Grand Rapids City Historian. He also served on the board of the Historical Society of Michigan and was a founding member of the National Council of Public History. Additionally, he taught history at Grand Rapids Community College and Grand Valley State University. Olson was the author or editor of more than forty books, including Thin Ice: Coming of Age in Grand Rapids, A Michigan Polar Bear Confronts the Bolsheviks, and The Notorious Isaac Earl and His Scouts.
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Reviews
"In this first-rate first-person account of a Michigan farm boy's adventure during World War I, expertly enriched and set in historical context by Gordon Olson, Godfrey Anderson gives a soldier's-eye view of battling the elements and the Bolsheviks in the Russian Arctic. He clearly and honestly tells about the Americans' first clash with the Red Army, an expedition that became a prelude to the Cold War." -- Frank N. Schubert Historian (ret.), Office of the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff "Godfrey Anderson, a Michigan farm boy who became a "Polar Bear," wrote a richly detailed and highly readable account of his World War I experiences in Russia. Thanks to Gordon Olson for making available a well-illustrated and thoughtfully edited version of this valuable primary source." -- Perry D. Jamieson Senior Historian (ret.), U.S. Air Force Enter Description of book