Celebrating Aldis: Aldis Augstums and the Legacy of Augstums Printing Service

Aldis Augstums

For 73 years, Aldis Augstums has been a master of the printing craft, expertly navigating the intricate world of ink, paper, bookbinding, and printing presses. Sadly, in November 2024, after decades of service to the Lincoln community, Augstums Printing Service will close its doors.

For over 30 years, Aldis and his team have been the go-to printer for the Near South Neighborhood Association, producing newsletters, flyers, Walking Tour books, and Tour of Homes booklets. Countless Lincoln businesses and non-profits, including Lincoln Public Schools and Southeast Community College, have also relied on their services for many years.

At its peak, Augstums Printing was a bustling, full-service company that employed 17 people, many of them family members. Together, they handled everything from typesetting to binding, graphics, and camera work.

Aldis’s journey to America began in July 1951 when he arrived from Dannenberg, Germany, with his parents and three siblings, escaping the turmoil of post-World War II Europe. The Augstums family, originally from Latvia, had relocated to Germany in 1946. In 1951, Aldis’s father, Arturs Augstums, started the printing business, drawing on his experience in the trade gained in Germany.

Aldis graduated from Lincoln High School in 1965, attended Nebraska Wesleyan, and served in the U.S. Army from 1967 to 1969. Aside from his time in the military, Aldis has been a vital part of the family business for nearly seven decades, recalling memories of licking stamps and folding newsletters as a young boy.

The business began in a house at 17th & N Streets and moved to the family home at 1826 A Street in 1956. Aldis recalls family bookbinding sessions in the dining room, using glue pots and a wringer to assemble hardback covers. The business operated from the basement until 1958 when zoning changes prompted a move to the 13th & F Street area, near the current F Street Community Center. In 1961, Augstums Printing moved to 17th and Garfield Street, initially occupying the Violin Shop before relocating to a larger space at 1621 S. 17th Street in 1966—a space previously used as the Station B Post Office. For the last 58 years, Augstums Printing has been a cornerstone of the 17th Street Business community.

In 2023, Aldis made the difficult decision to close the business, marking the end of an era in November 2024. Like an ink well that has finally run dry after countless chapters, Augstums Printing Service has reached the final page of its story. However, the memories of Aldis’s kindness, dedication, and unwavering support of the Near South Neighborhood Association will live on. Aldis, thank you for your easygoing, accommodating nature and for being a true pleasure to work with. You will be greatly missed.

By Marcie Young