Jan Griesenbrock displays his some of the wood carvings – or “little critters,” as he called them – at his home in Waldoboro. Wood carving is Griesenbrock’s latest creative project in his retirement. (Christine Simmonds photo)
Jan Griesenbrock has been there and done that — but don’t expect him to talk about it. The modern-day Renaissance man isn’t after the spotlight, though he is quick to aim it at others for their accomplishments.
His resume speaks for itself, highlighting a wide range of experiences and skills both during his time in the armed forces and as a civilian; from military recruitment to municipal office, photography, journalism, the war on drugs, and more. With everything he has done, Griesenbrock has likely forgotten more than many will ever know.
Of course, these are not the accomplishments that really matter to him.
“I’m most proud of my kids,” he said.
He has three adult children – Brian, John, and Jana – plus stepdaughter Katie. He listed their job titles and accomplishments readily, though freely admitted to not understanding the operations of one company.
All but Katie live in the Midwest, which Griesenbrock said means he does not get to see them as much as he wants.
Griesenbrock spent most of his life in South Dakota before moving to Maine in 2002. He and his wife Darlene, who goes by Dolly, live in a small house in Waldoboro just up the road from Dolly’s childhood home.
“She didn’t make it far,” he joked.
He is still a Midwesterner at heart, and said he misses the expansive views offered by the Great Plains.
“I don’t miss the cold, but I do miss the prairie,” he said. “Getting to the coast, all you see are trees!”
It’s clear that’s an acceptable trade-off in order to be with Dolly.
“Humor and love are the basis of our relationship,” he said. “We have a lot of fun together.”
A sure contender for Waldoboro’s Mr. Congeniality should anyone ever create that award, Griesenbrock is consistently well liked by all who know him.
“If someone offered me 10 billion dollars, I still don’t think I could think of a bad interaction with Jan,” said Waldoboro Select Board member Reuben Mahar. “I want to be like him when I grow up.”
In 2020, Griesenbrock won a seat on the Waldoboro Select Board, though he didn’t run for reelection when his term ended.
“One and done,” he said, adding that he still had extra campaign signs in his garage.
He had agreed to run for the position after other members of the select board visited and asked him to run. Griesenbrock said it was a great honor to be asked, so he agreed to run.
Griesenbrock has also served on the Lincoln County Television Board of Directors and the executive board of Charles C. Lilly American Legion Post 149. Despite no longer serving on those boards, he is still very community minded and stays busy in local groups and organizations, especially the American Legion.
Griesenbrock’s military service spanned a cumulative total of 28 years, in both the U.S. Army and the Army National Guard. The thing he liked best about his time in the military was the friendships he made.
“They’re some of the greatest people you’ve ever met,” he said. “The greatest guys.”
His time in the Army included a six-month deployment to West Germany during the Cold War. In addition to taking part in training, Griesenbrock was the communications electronics staff officer, meaning he set up communication infrastructure and coordinated any necessary fixes or repairs, among other tasks.
His Army National Guard service eventually resulted in a two-year assignment in the counterdrug task force in Washington, D.C. This was part of the war on drugs, Griesenbrock said, and his work involved reviewing applications for the program.
“We divided up the money that was allocated by the federal government,” he said.
Before joining the Army, Greisenbrock had earned a degree in journalism, where he learned photography and how to develop pictures using the “dip-and-dunk” method, where film is hung on racks and dipped into a chemical bath. This came about during the first session of his freshman year, when the instructor said their photographer had graduated last year, and asked if anyone would take his place. Griesenbrock volunteered, was given the equipment, and then left to figure out the rest.
“I really had to learn on my own,” he said. “I ruined a lot of pictures, ruined a lot of film, but I did learn!”
A few years after graduation, he was able to put those skills to good use. Griesenbrock first worked as a staff writer and photographer at the Rapid City Journal in South Dakota, then took a job at a photo lab, developing pictures using the same method he had learned at South Dakota State University.
Eventually he started teaching photography courses at his alma matter, including one on photojournalism.
Griesenbrock retired from the military with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in 2000, after two additional career paths teaching military science for the Army ROTC and working in recruiting and retention for the Army National Guard.
His civilian ventures in Maine have continued to be as widely varied as those in the military. In the past 30 years, he has worked as the operations manager at what is now Maine Media Workshop in Rockport, worked in customer retention for a banking company in Rockland, and sold bait and rented boats to campers at Lake Pemaquid Campground in Damariscotta.
Griesenbrock has turned to more creative endeavors in his full retirement and is an accomplished amateur photographer. His photos have been featured in multiple local exhibits, and he frequently wins local contests, including the #LCNme365 photo contest hosted by The Lincoln County News.
Like with the rest of his life, though, Griesenbrock extends nothing but grace and kindness to his competitors. After winning his first monthly photo contest, he told LCN he understood why he hadn’t won before, as there were many talented photographers locally.
Wood carving is his most recent artistic endeavor, which Griesenbrock said is to keep him out of Dolly’s hair. He collects pieces of white pine while out on walks, and then uses an electric hand drill to shape them into what he calls his “little critters.”
Some of these become a Santa Claus, complete with hat a beard. Griesenbrock said the Santas sell pretty well at holiday craft fairs.
The other creatures are primarily just a head, with detailed, highly expressive facial features. These critters are based on the European practice of carving wood spirits into trees. Wood spirits are meant to bring good luck and keep one’s home safe, Griesenbrock said.
With dozens of these completed little critters in his basement, Griesenbrock can only hope those superstitions are true, making him the luckiest man on earth.
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