Paul Sandkamp, BiographyPorter County biographical sketches . . . .
Transcribed biography of Paul Sandkamp
PAUL SANDKAMP FAMILY
Paul Sandkamp left Kiel, Germany at the age of 17 in 1921 and went to an Iowa farm to work off his passage, which took one year. For another three years he worked on farms, lumber camps from Minnesota to Kansas, and also cut ice on the Mississippi.
In 1926 he went to Chicago to learn a trade, settling on that of a baker and chef. He then came to Valparaiso to become chef and later chef-manager of the food services for the Hotel Lemke which was newly owned and operated by Julius Dreschoff.
The Hotel Lemke at that time featured French cuisine, was the meeting place for fraternities, sororities and service clubs of that time. Many a wedding reception and anniversary party lighted up the dining rooms as well as special parties such as hunter's parties with the catch prepared by Paul. Sunday dinner after church was also a well-attended social habit. During World War II the Army men stationed at VTI were fed at the hotel.
After the war Paul Carmichael owned the hotel, made many decorative improvements and kept the hotel in stride with the public's tastes.
In 1927 Paul married Julia Balogh, who came from South Bend with her family to work at the hotel. They had one daughter, Martha, who was educated in local schools, graduated from Ball State U. to become a math teacher and married Arthur F. Willing.
After 24 years working at the hotel Paul and Julia retired to Ocala, Fla., where they owned a small restaurant. Julia died in 1954 and Paul in 1956.
Submitted by M. S. Willing
Source: American Revolution Bicentennial Committee of Porter County. 1976. A Biographical History of Porter County, Indiana. Valparaiso, Indiana: American Revolution Bicentennial Committee of Porter County, Inc. 180 p.
Page(s) in Source: 155
This biography has been transcribed exactly as it was originally published in the source. Please note that we do not provide photocopies or digital scans of biographies appearing on this website.
Biography transcribed by Steven R. Shook