M A Y 2 0 1 9 | T W E N T Y- E I G H T H A N N U A L E D I T I O N
CITIZEN OF THE YEAR, HIDDEN GEMS & LIFETIME
ACHIEVEMENT AWARD Faribault Daily News
profile A glimpse into the lives and activities that make our community unique.
The mission of The Virtues Project-Faribault is to promote and encourage the recognition and practice of virtues, to enrich the lives of people in our community, and to further the cause of unity. The Virtues Project International is a global grassroots initiative to inspire the practice of Virtues in everyday life. It was founded 30 years ago, is currently in over 120 countries, was honored by the United Nations during the International Year of the Family as a “model global project that unites all cultures” and is endorsed by the Dali Lama. The Virtues Project empowers: • Individuals to live more authentic, meaningful lives • Families to raise children of compassion and integrity • Educators to create safe, caring and high performing learning communities • Business and civic leaders toward excellence and ethics in the work place and the community Join us for Family Night at the Virtues Trail in Heritage Park Wednesdays 5:30 – 7:30 PM on June 26, July 31, and August 28 All ages are welcome to a FREE evening of family activities – music, art projects, story time and games with a virtues theme. Virtues Gatherings Invite a group of family, friends, neighbors or co-workers together for a fun and interactive gathering to discuss and reflect on Virtues in our lives. Contact us for: • Hosting or attending a Virtues Gathering • Brief presentations for any size group about the project • In-depth presentations on each of the Five Strategies • One to two hour introductory workshops • Hidden Gem nomination information • Materials for use in your home, classroom or business CONTACT INFORMATION Email TheVirtuesProjectFaribault@gmail.com Web TheVirtuesProjectFaribault.com Facebook The Virtues Project - Faribault
Congratulations to all our
Congratulations George Wickstrom Jr! 2019 Lifetime Achievement
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The Advantages of Homeownership Have Never Looked Better!
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ge, it’s been said, “ain’t nothin’ but a number.”
This year’s Citizen of the Year and Lifetime Achievement Award winner certainly prove that adage — and then some. While Lifetime Achievement honoree George Wickstrom is a spry 89, our 2019 Citizen of the Year, Samuel Temple, has achieved more in his 18 years than many twice — or three times — his age. The two, selected by a team of former Citizens of the Year, were easy choices: the two unanimous decisions were made within minutes. Temple, a Faribault High School senior, has taken a deep dive into local history. In fact, he and his friend, Logan Ledman, of Northfield, have used technology to bring stories more than a century old to the masses. Their video series, “1855” and stage show, “A Celebration of Faribault: The 1855 Live Show,” have brought many of the names we see around town — Buckham, Faribault, Whipple, Fleckenstein — to life. It all started, Temple told the Daily News, when he was just a child reading books about historical figures, and later, an interview with Faribaultian Elizabeth (Betty Wall) Strohfus, one of the military’s first female aviators, whose name can be see gracing the Faribault airfield. Wickstrom, too, is a student of history, and enjoys sharing tales about iconic Americans, how they viewed the world and how their words have impacted him. During a Central Park photo session for this section’s cover, Wickstrom began by recalling some of his favorites stories. But before long it was Temple who was regaling his elder with news of a grant that would help uncover more about Bishop Henry Whipple’s second wife. Their stories are just two of what you’ll find inside of this year’s Profile. It’s a section that shows off some of the best this town has to offer. Inside we showcase the Hidden Gems honored over the last 12 months through a partnership between the Daily News and The Virtues Project-Faribault (something Wickstrom has been an large part of) along with Temple, Wickstrom and nine other area men and women with interesting stories to tell. We hope you’ll enjoy each and every one. May 2019 | A special section of the Faribault Daily News 514 Central Avenue | Faribault, MN 55021 PUBLISHER Chad Hjellming EDITOR Suzanne Rook ADVERTISING MANAGER Mark Nelson COVER DESIGN & LAYOUT Kate Townsend-Noet, Kate McGillen
profile
Profile 2019 is distributed to subscribers and readers of the Faribault Daily News at no additional charge. It is available for individual sale at the front counter of the Faribault Daily News for $1. All rights reserved. ©2019..
content
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Citizen of the Year
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Lifetime Achievement
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Basketball the connective tissue for Sarful
New task force commander making a difference in his hometown
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Tornado takes the home, not the heart of Morristown child care provider
30 Author’s research uncovers the surprising history of the teddy bear
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Hidden Gems
Finding a way to fight back against opioid addiction
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Schmidt finds his niche at county’s Historical Society
34 Skiing unites Holman, Nesvold in friendship
Dodds is the new, but familiar face of Rice County Republicans
37 Vocal teacher sets the bar high for Faribault students
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SHATTUCK-ST.MARY’S SCHOOL A PROUD PART
OF
1858
Faribault History
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Celebrating a Century of Service! 2019 1919
We are honored to be Faribault s community bank! With 100 years under our belt, we are proud of our tradition of customer service we have created, and are excited to help our customers achieve their own financial milestones. 100 years old, and just getting started...
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Offices in Faribault and Prior Lake 507-332-7401 Member FDIC NMLS 638054
Buckham Center
Learn. Socialize. Stay Active.
Buckham Memorial Librar y 507-334-2089 www.faribault.org/library 11 Division St. E, Faribault @BuckhamMemorialLibrary
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Buckham We st (Formerly the Faribault Area Senior Center) 507-332-7357 @FaribaultSeniorCenter 19 W. Division St., Faribault www.faribaultseniorcenter.org
See the Buckham Bulletin for events and activities.
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Sam Temple stands outside the Buckham Memorial Library, where he has spent many hours reading and researching Faribault’s history. At age 18, he has already co-produced a documentary series and live stage show. (Anne Kopas/Faribault Daily News)
By ANNE KOPAS akopas@thekenyonleader.com
F FINDS FARIBAULT’S
2019 Citizen of the Year
FUTURE IN ITS HISTORY
aribault’s history is omnipresent throughout the town. The lingering figures of Alexander Faribault, Thomas and Anna Buckham, Bishop Henry Whipple and others live on through the buildings that bear their names and the stories contained within them. Few Faribaultians know this better than Sam Temple. A Faribault native, Temple’s work to bring the city’s history to life has earned him the title of 2019 Citizen of the Year. And “Unsung Hero,” in 2017. Through his work with local theater, a documentary series, teaching and more, he’s built a resume that’s even more impressive considering that he’s an 18 year-old high school senior. Like the biographies that inspire him, Temple’s story starts at an early age, when he began reading as many kid-
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oriented books about historical figures as he could get his hands on. “I could live vicariously through other people,” he said. “I was able to feel like I could glean some wisdom from their stories.” Later, for a school project, he had the opportunity to interview Elizabeth Strohfus, a Faribault-born pilot who was one of the first female aviators to fly during World War II. He described this interview as “monumental,” a moment that became vital to his drive to tell stories. “A Celebration of Faribault” As he got older, Temple noticed the sense of empowerment a community could gain through sharing and retelling these stories. Especially in Northfield, where he was attending school, he felt the strong sense of identity that tied the town through his history. What if he could do this in Faribault, his own town? “I always felt the ability that stories had to connect with people and change their vision,” he said. “To be able to take those stories and utilize them as tools for that identity-building, that was just my natural progression.” For his sophomore year, Temple transferred to Faribault High School, where he started the school’s first-ever Youth In Government delegation. Around this time, he also began work on “1855,” a documentary series chronicling Faribault’s history with episodes on Alexander Faribault, Strohfus, the Tilt-A-Whirl and more. Joined by fellow student and history-lover Logan Ledman, who lives in Northfield, Temple worked to research, write, film and edit the series, which is now entering its fourth season. Temple credits his interest in film to his father, Troy, a videographer. Growing up, the two would make short movies together, which taught him editing skills at a young age. From his mother, Linda, who teaches at Northfield schools,
Sam Temple sits on the front step of the Alexander Faribault house, once owned by the town’s namesake. Temple considers Faribault a fascinating but elusive figure who didn’t leave much of his own writing, forcing researchers to learn about him through others’ records. (Anne Kopas/Faribault Daily News)
friends like Ledman and his girlfriend, Faith Jameson. His work with the Paradise Center for the Arts theater program since 2011 instilled in him a sense of community, grounding him in the town he cares about so deeply. In September 2018, Temple and Ledman took “1855” to the Paradise stage with “A Celebration of Faribault: The 1855 Live Show,” following the story of early settlers Thomas and
1855 he learned to love writing. “There are no harnesses with age, with the abilities of your mind to learn and to execute what you’ve learned. You really can do whatever you want to accomplish, and that’s something I took from my mother,” he said. Temple knows his work wouldn’t be possible without the support of his family, including his brother, and as
more personal than historical. He said he’ll never forget the feeling of seeing 300 audience members cheering for Jerry Fox, who played Alexander Faribault, at curtain call. “That was one of the most meaningful moments of this whole journey, because through that art and through that storytelling, we were able to have the audience connect with
All episodes of Sam Temple and Logan Ledman’s documentary series “1855” are available to watch online. Visit rchistory.org/research-library/1855faribault/. Season three featured River Bend Nature Center, the Buckhams and more. Season four is scheduled to premiere this spring. See “1855” on Facebook for updates.
Anna Buckham. The pair co-wrote and directed the play, an undertaking unlike any Temple had done before. For Temple, it was an emotional event to share this history live onstage to hundreds of viewers. Through his work, Temple had come to admire and care for characters like Alexander Faribault and the Buckhams. Their lives never overlapped, but Temple’s countless hours spent reading letters and other documents had given him a connection that felt
these people who have been dead for 100, 150 years, and still feel as emotionally invested in what those people cared about as Logan and I do by reading those historical documents,” he said. History made accessible But Temple recognizes that not everyone can find this connection to the past by reading documents, which is why uuu
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he prefers to bring the stories to life as much as possible. Susan Garwood, executive director of the Rice County Historical Society, has seen that value firsthand. Garwood has helped Temple and Ledman with their research by providing documents and other materials. For those who don’t spend their free time poring over 100-year-old letters, Garwood said projects like “1855” widen the appeal of history. “History doesn’t just happen within these walls. History happens all around, and he’s helped bring that to the community,” said Garwood of Temple. There’s value, Temple believes, in understanding the past so that the city can move forward into the future. He pointed to the current influx of Somali and Latino immigrants in Faribault as a marker of how history and change tend to be cyclical. His own family has lived in Rice County for generations. Before that, they were immigrants, and had to deal with the challenges that come with being a newcomer. By helping Faribault understand the stories of how early European settlers interacted with the Dakota people, he hopes to bring a sense of welcoming and acceptance to today’s climate. “We have these different groups of people that are struggling to coexist because of these cultural differences, and a lot of that is truly lack of communication,” he said. “There’s this universal appeal to the area, this universal drive that got everywhere to where they are at in Faribault that we need to recognize.” Those hearing this type of wisdom might expect it to come from someone far beyond their teenage years. Accomplishing so much before the age of 18 is impressive, but Garwood pointed out that this level of insight is impressive no matter someone’s stage of life. “One of the things Sam and Logan have done is find a way to help tell those stories in a sensitive, respectful, yet honest way, and that’s remarkable regardless of their age,”
said Garwood. The team is also crossing age boundaries through their current project, a history class offered through the Cannon Valley Elder Collegium titled “Athens and Eden — The Histories of Faribault and Northfield.” Looking toward the future While Temple is gearing up for his graduation from Faribault High School, he already has his eye on future projects to bring these ideas to a larger audience. He’s in the process of securing a position with AmeriCorps to work with the Faribault Diversity Coalition. During this time, he’s considering taking a gap year before potentially beginning studies in history and linguistics at the University of Minnesota, where he has already been accepted. No matter what, he wants his future to involve Faribault and its history. And as this year’s Faribault Citizen of the Year, he’s certainly caught the town’s attention. His first instinct is to downplay this type of recognition. Originally, he never even wanted to appear in “1855” with his own voice or image, though he’s becoming a little more comfortable with this as he grows into the persona he’s created for himself. “It was never about putting my name out there, but what it does do is allow me another platform, another way of showing these ideas mean something to people,” he said. With the honors he has already received, Temple’s platform can only continue to grow. But it’s perhaps his quieter moments, like the reverence he shows when passing the Alexander Faribault house, that show the true depth of his commitment to the town’s history. “They’re our proverbial neighbors,” he said. “When you see the Buckham Library, when you see the Alexander Faribault house, you can really see them for the intricate, complex human beings that they were.”
PAST HONOREES 2018 - Cynthia Diessner Kymn Anderson, Lifetime Achievement Award 2017 - Peter & Virginia van Sluis Gordy Kosfeld, Lifetime Achievement Award 2016 - Dee Bjork 2015 - Tami Schluter 2014 - Henry Doyle 2013 - Chad Wolff 2012 - Chuck and Paul Mooty 2011 - Nick Stoneman 2010 - Ron Goettsch 2009 - Dr. George Wagner 2008 - Matt Drevlow 2007 - Milo Larson 2006 - Todd Markman 2005 - Dan Burns 2004 - James Wolf 2003 - Gary Kindseth Richard Carlander, Lifetime Achievement Award 2002 - Gerry Heyer 2001 - Barb Handahl and Donna Crowl 2000 - Donn Johnson 1999 - Lynn Erickson 1998 - Keith Shaffer 1997 - Bill Korff 1996 - Fran and JoAnn Miller 1995 - Charlie Champlin 1994 - Helen Hoffman
Sam Temple earned the honor of Faribault’s 2019 Citizen of the Year. He will graduate from Faribault High School this spring. (Anne Kopas/Faribault Daily News)
1993 - Irene Purdie
GEORGE WICKSTROM faribault.com
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HAS LIVED A LIFE OF SERVICE
Kymn Anderson, right, says she’s gotten to know George Wickstrom better in recent years through their involvement with The Virtues Project-Faribault, and finds him to be a compassionate, caring person. (Suzanne Rook/Faribault Daily News)
By SUZANNE ROOK srook@faribault.com
I
t’s a rare occasion when George Wickstrom doesn’t have something to do. His date book — the old-fashioned, black spiralbound version — is packed almost to overflowing, filled with committee and club meetings, breakfasts with friends or lunches with whomever he finds to
be an interesting companion. And while it sounds as if it’s all about the food, it’s really about being involved for Wickstrom, 89 years young. And though Wickstrom’s body may say senior citizen, his mind and his interests are far less — shall we say — mature. Let’s cut to the chase: Wickstrom likes being involved.
He enjoys the meetings, the activities, the volunteering. Seniors who aren’t active, Wickstrom says, are wasting precious time. “I’ve got to be doing something. I can’t just sit on my butt. I don’t like it, said Wickstrom, chosen by a group of former Faribault Citizens of the Year as the 2019 Lifetime uuu
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George Wickstrom has been selected as Faribault’s 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award winner. George Wickstrom, standing, accepts congratulations from his fellow Rotarians for being While the honor isn’t bestowed each year, the selection committee felt that Wickstrom’s volun- named Faribault’s 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award winner. (Suzanne Rook/Faribault Daily teerism made him a deserving candidate. (Suzanne Rook/Faribault Daily News) News)
Achievement Award winner. The honor isn’t bestowed every year, but Wickstrom’s work on a long list of local causes helped earn him the recognition. Kymn Anderson has known Wickstrom for about 20 years, but it wasn’t until the last few that she really got to know him. “I believe George has a genuine love for humankind,” said Anderson, the former Faribault Chamber president and 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award winner. “It sounds kind of altruistic, and it kind of is” Wickstrom was born to George Sr. and Vera Nagel Wickstrom during the Great Depression, a time when jobs were so hard to come by that his family had to move in with an aunt and uncle for several years. The family later moved to Roselle, a few miles west of the city, where he stayed until coming to Minnesota in 1965. There he served on the city Planning Commission and the local school board, but his involvement doesn’t match what he’d later do in Faribault. Wickstrom, who has a bachelor’s in business and engineering, and a master’s of business administration worked for International Harvester and Midwest Folding Products before taking a job as director of marketing with Faribault’s Nutting Truck and Caster Co. In 1973, he switched careers, becoming an insurance and investment agent with Northwestern Mutual. It was a job that tested his skills and his ability to shift from a traditional 9 to 5 to one where the customer is the boss.
Not long after, he and his first wife, Barb, divorced, and Wickstrom became a single parent to their seven children: Adrienne, David, Andriette, Rebecca, Evelyn, Steven and Lawrence. He calls it a difficult time, shifting jobs, and his career mindset. With his non-work hours devoted to his family, his community involvement dwindled. But after the children were grown and out of the house, he dove back into volunteering. In 1988, he married longtime school teacher Karen Lee Johnson. But when Karen, who died of cancer in May 2013, got sick, Wickstrom pulled back again from his outside commitments. Over the years, Wickstrom has given his time to the Salvation Army, Faribault Area Chamber of Commerce, sat on the HOPE Center Board of Directors and been a member of the Faribault Rotary Club for more than 20 years. He’s given time to Ruth’s House, the Paradise Center for the Arts and been a reading tutor at Jefferson Elementary. Most recently, he has thrown himself into The Virtues Project-Faribault, which works to help build and recognize virtues innate in all people. According to The Virtues Project’s website, its mission “is to inspire people of all cultures to remember who we really are and to live by our highest values.” Wickstrom calls The Virtues Project and its local offshoot “powerful.” And that, he says, is because the 52 virtues cross all religions, races and cultures. “It’s a way for us to become better people. It’s a way for
us to be unified, he said, later adding that the virtues can “change people’s lives.” Despite his resume, Wickstrom can’t understand why he was chosen for the Lifetime Achievement Award. “I would never have voted for me,” he said. “I don’t think I’ve done that much.” Dee Bjork, a former Citizen of the Year calls Wickstrom a “consummate volunteer.” Wickstrom is a people person. He loves to talk and share stories about his upbringing, about things he’s read and been impressed by. He’s also an accomplished tease, taking great pleasure in the repartee. Anderson continues to be impressed by Wickstrom. She calls him “wickedly smart” and marvels at how he can still reel off poems he memorized as a child. “He continues to be fully engaged in life,” she said. “He has friends of all ages. He wants to be active. And he’s disciplined to be as healthy as possible.”’ She believes that he places a high value on his upbringing and is truly grateful for all his parents taught and instilled in him. “I know he feels blessed by good fortune, good parents. I think he wants to be remembered as a person who cares and wants others to have a better life.” For Wickstrom, it’s about doing for others. “Life is about service,” he said. “If we can’t justify the air we breath, the food we eat, then we’re not doing a good job.”
faribault.com
You see them all over town: people of character who’ve made this city an even better place to live. That’s why the Faribault Daily News, in coordination with The Virtues Project-Faribault, is honoring some of the city’s Hidden Gems. The project’s mission is to promote and encourage the recognition and practice of virtues, to enrich the lives of people in our community and to further the cause of unity.
Profile 2019
The Virtues Project-Faribault is based on The International Virtues Project, which lists 100 virtues and says that all children are born with these virtues in potential, and that awakening them can bring change to the world. In the last 12 months, we’ve honored four Hidden Gems. With your help, there will be plenty more to come.
The most recent Hidden Gem is Diane Armstrong, a licensed practical nurse based in Faribault that works for Minnesota Hospice. (Gunnar Olson/Faribault Daily News)
Carol Musel is the latest to be named a Hidden Gem by the Virtues Project-Faribault for her care and compassion for children. (Jacob Swanson/Faribault Daily News)
Diane Armstrong
Carol Musel
Those who know Diane Armstrong are hard pressed to find a Hidden Gems quality she doesn’t embody. “She’s one of the kindest people that you’re ever going to meet,” said Anne Pleskonko, of Milestone Senior Living, Armstrong’s former employer. “She’s so gentle and genuine. She always cares for every individual whether it be the residents, the family or the staff. Plus she’s a good friend.” Dani Hogate, the person who nominated her, said Armstrong has a caring nature. “She’s so quiet,” she said. “But anybody who talks to her can tell she has a heart full.” Pleskonko shared a story about a moment showing Armstrong’s thoughtfulness and care for others. “I had lost my mom in February,” Pleskonko said in May 2018. “And Diane [Armstrong] makes the most delicious Special K bars that were just like my mom’s. She asked what she could do for me and I said if she could make a few Special K bars, the grandchildren would have a special moment. She made two big batches of them. That was so far above and beyond. That’s just the way she is.”
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Unable to have her own children, Carol Musel adopted a baby girl nearly 40 years ago, and a lifetime of helping others ensued. In her lifetime, Musel has fostered 37 children. Now 66, Musel and her husband, David, have adopted three more. The children were going to be moved to another home after leaving her house, but would have been separated. Hearing this, Musel adopted them so they could stay together. “For as long as I can remember, there were always new faces coming to Grandma’s,” Musel’s grandson Cooper Soderberg. “Some stayed longer than others and a few have become family. Grandma Carol gave these children things that they needed when others couldn’t.” Over the years, Musel has taken in family, friends and strangers alike. With six children adopted, 37 taken in for foster care and over 200 coming through her home during 20 years of early childhood care, she has made an impact on a lot of people. “I have been shopping with Carol and witnessed a few adults come up to Carol and thank her for bringing them into her home,” Gravlin said in her Hidden Gem nomination form. “She just really goes out of her way to do things for everybody else and I just want her to know that people appreciate her,” she said.
Who is a Hidden Gem? These unsung heroes do wonderful work behind the scenes with no expectation of reward. Nominate your Hidden Gem through the Faribault Daily News website. Find the nomination form at faribault.com under Forms at the top right hand side of the page. uuu
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Continued
A&W General Manager Dan Ballstadt, left, poses for a photo with Hidden Gem winner Chris Roskos, a server and supervisor. Virtues Project Steering Committee members honored Roskos with a cake Thursday. (Misty Schwab/Faribault Daily News)
Principal Yesica Louis praises Saynab Sarful as a gem of a paraprofessional.
Kristal Sevcik is Faribault’s latest Hidden Gem. Here, she accepts flowers from her children: Mason, left; Elli, center, Ian, right. (Jacob Swanson/Faribault Daily News)
Chris Roskos
Saynab Sarful
Kristal Sevcik
“Just do your best; be respectful to others, and they’ll be respectful to you,” said Roskos of his work ethic. Kurt Halvorson, an A&W customer, nominated Roskos as a Hidden Gem for offering outstanding customer service. In his nomination form, Halvorson wrote, “Chris was my server at A&W a few weeks ago and from the moment I sat down, he did such an excellent job demonstrating the virtues of caring, enthusiasm, joyfulness and service.” “You cannot replace anyone else with [Roskos],” said Amanda Watson, A&W supervisor. Keagan Kasanowski, another supervisor, described Roskos as employee who does what’s expected of him without being told. Apart from getting the job done, Kasanowski said Roskos’ goofy sense of humor makes the workplace more enjoyable. “Chris is just fun,” said A&W Supervisor Thomas Simonson. “I’m always excited when I see I’m working with Chris.”
While Jefferson Elementary School paraprofessional Sarful is known for her welcoming smile and warm hugs, Reporter Mike Randleman explores Sarful previous hidden talents on the court elsewhere in this section. “Without her, I would not be the teacher I am today,” says Anjanette Arnold, who teaches English as a second language at Roosevelt Elementary and worked with Sarful during her tenure at Jefferson. “She’ll always hold a special place in my heart.” “She took the time and had the patience to teach me how to better reach elementaryaged Somali refugees,” Arnold said in her Hidden Gem nomination form. “… She is a dedicated colleague, dedicated to our students and their needs, and she is a true friend.” Jefferson Principal Yesica Louis, who spoke at Sarful’s award surprise party, commended Sarful for having a strong work ethic, never complaining and exhibiting a gentle nature when offering advice. “She has a good soul,” said Louis. “She truly cares about her students and staff members and goes above and beyond. She’s so humble.”
A chairperson position lends itself to images of meetings, budgets and decision-making. Kristal Sevcik does all that, but there’s way more to her than that. Sevcik, who’s been chair of the Faribault Lutheran School for the past three and a half years, has overseen an overhaul of school policy and been a key to the school’s accreditation process. A good example of that work is the over 200 hours of labor she put into installing playground equipment with her family last summer. Chad Kreager, the first Hidden Gem, nominated Sevcik after years of seeing her better the school in a multitude of ways, from volunteering in classrooms to coming in at 8 a.m. on a Saturday to scrub floors or paint locker rooms. Kreager is involved in a lot around town, from the Faribault Fire Department to youth sports to the Faribault Parks and Recreation Board. In doing that, Kreager sees a lot of people come and go, contributing to a few things here and there. That’s not Sevcik. “There’s nobody else in town that I’ve seen take ownership like she has for FLS,” Kreager said. “From that peripheral view, I’ve seen her hands-on approach and her engagement … she’s really kind of taken it upon herself to really make it a really good school, so that’s a huge asset to Faribault, to have this school.”
To nominate someone for the Hidden Gem award, visit Faribault.com and click the Faribault Hidden Gems link under “Forms.”
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Saynab Sarful was a captain for the Somali women’s basketball team of which she played for from 1979-89. (Mike Randleman/FaribaultDaily News)
By MIKE RANDLEMAN mrandleman@faribault.com
BASKETBALL THE CONNECTIVE TISSUE FOR
SARFUL
F
rom time to time, Saynab Sarful shows she’s still got the touch. When students need an extra body for a pickup basketball game at recess or during their “Tiger Time” for good behavior, Sarful, a paraprofessional at Jefferson Elementary School in Faribault is at home filling in. “I can’t run the same as you guys,” Sarful, 57, said as she flicks her wrist as if to shoot the ball, “but this never goes away.” Tale of the tape When Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was leading the Los Angeles Lakers to NBA championships with his patented sky hook, or when the Boston Celtics’ dynasty reigned supreme
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‘We had tapes. I watched, then I’d do whatever they do. I’m telling you, when I was young I loved the United States. I loved it. My dream was to be in the United States watching basketball someday.’ — Saynab Sarful in the 1970s, America saw it all unfold in real time. Some NBA Finals games were, in fact, shown on tape delay in this era, but the wait was mere hours to see basketball’s best on display. Basketball is now a global game with the NBA pulling players from all six continents. Games are streamed online from Alabama to Azerbaijan. Sarful wasn’t quite so lucky. Coming into her own in the 1970s and 80s, she feasted on whatever basketball morsels she could. “I watched NBA basketball. It was always my dream to one day be like that. Also my family, half my family, was in sports,” Sarful said. A different type of tape delay of weeks, months, or even years would tick off before game footage made it to Africa, where Sarful was raised. “We had tapes. I watched, then I’d do whatever they do,” Sarful said. “I’m telling you, when I was young I loved the United States. I loved it. My dream was to be in the United States watching basketball someday.” Makeshift courts back home were where those dreams fomented. Family was the connecting tissue. “My big brother and big sisters, when they played they said ‘Come.’ and I go with them,” Sarful said. “Now I see Stephen Curry play with his daughter and I love it.” Opportunities for women’s athletics in Somalia were far more prevalent prior to the repressive civil war that began in 1991.
Saynab Sarful, left, hugs Anjanette Arnold, who nominated her for the Hidden Gems Award. (Daily news file photo)
Somali women were not required to cover their hair and could play in standard, less restrictive athletic wear, though some chose not to. In the streets or at school, boys and girls often co-mingled on the court or soccer pitch. Sarful was always tall compared to her peers, making her the protoypical post player. Her sky hook took a page out of Abdul-Jabbar’s playbook. She was a skilled soccer, volleyball and table tennis player, but basketball was her passion. Her interest in the game came at a ripe time for basketball on a national level. The Somali Basketball Federation joined the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) in 1960. Somalia began to roll out fledgling national teams that traversed Africa and beyond. A national semi-professional league around the country also formed. Sarful’s skills on the court allowed her to represent the sky blue and white of her homeland while also playing for her league team, Horset. Sarful said at the time Somalia featured several women’s teams based on skill level. She not only ascended to the top team, but became a captain. “My teammates chose me as a captain,” Sarful said. “My roles and responsibilities were: encouraging my teammates to do well, communicating with my coach, and I said speeches before games. I didn’t allow complaining as a captain. My teammates respected that.”
Sarful can still remember strapping on the ankle weights for defensive shuffle drills on the outdoor courts. The hard work in the Mogadishu heat paid off in trips to tournaments around the region. “Those Moroccan girls were good,” Sarful said with a smile, mentioning one team that had Somalia’s number. Sarful was a national team member from 1979-89. The team’s successes were few in far between. The opportunity just to freely compete represented a different time in the country’s history. Coming to Minnesota “When the civil war started, everyone went separate ways,” Sarful said. “I would hear sometimes of where they could’ve went. Some places were England, Holland and Germany. My coach has passed away.” The timing of the end of Sarful’s run on the national team coincided with the collapse of Somalia’s central government. Sarful and her family remained in their home and the country’s capital of Mogadishu until fleeing in 2008. Sarful can clearly recall her indoctrination to the Minnesota climate. “I remember it was Wednesday. It was nice. It was not snowing, it wasn’t cold at that time,” Sarful said of her connecting flight to New York. “Then two hours we flew here. It was cold. When I wake up I saw all the white. I say ‘What uuu
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‘Saynab has a generous heart. She shares everything she has and all that she knows. She can be tough, but has this joy that spreads across her face when she sees people she knows.’ — Randa Paschke is going on here? That’s not sand. Does the United States’ sand look like that?’” She got over her initial bewilderment pretty quickly. “I love it here. I love this county. This county is my first county in the United States,” Sarful said. “Clean, safe and I feel like it’s the place I was born in. I’m not feeling alone. I’m feeling like my home.” Her first job was working at a grocery store. She then moved on to a job at the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport. It was difficult work with a punch-out time of 11 p.m. Sarful instructed her friend who worked for Faribault Public Schools to let her know if any job openings came up. Sure enough, a paraprofessional opportunity at Jefferson Elementary working three days a week came up in 2014. Sarful currently works Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. She finally found her niche. “I applied, they interviewed me. I’m good for kids. Whoever they are, I love it and they love me,” Sarful said. I know how to deal with them. Even though my English is broken, I know how to do my job.” Jefferson English teacher Randa Paschke has worked with Sarful from the start. Sarful began as a one-on-one paraprofessional before being assigned to work with English Learners, a program that offers extended or alternate learning for new English speakers. These days, she can be found floating from classroom to classroom to assist students and staff.
“Saynab has a generous heart,” Paschke said. “She shares everything she has and all that she knows. She can be tough, but has this joy that spreads across her face when she sees people she knows.” Sarful has invited Paschke and other colleagues to her apartment to make traditional Somali food. When out to eat, Sarful insists on picking up the check every time. Her generosity has not gone unnoticed. In March 2019, Sarful was surprised with the honor of becoming a Hidden Gem, awarded by The Virtues Project-Faribault to people in the community whose contributions are valuable, but may not be wellknown. Anjanette Arnold, an English as a second language teacher at Roosevelt Elementary who has taught at Jefferson, nominated Sarful. A post player in her playing days, Sarful’s more of a point guard in the classroom with how she sets up others for success. “She took the time and had the patience to teach me how to better reach elementaryaged Somali refugees,” Arnold said in her Hidden Gem referral form. “… She is a dedicated colleague, dedicated to our students and their needs, and she is a true friend.” When out in about in town, a smile crosses her face whenever her name is called. “I’m feeling proud when I go to shop or I’m walking, I’m driving and kids — white, Latin, Somali, whoever — will say ‘Auntie Saynab, Auntie Saynab, come play with us.’”
In December, LaRoche, left, and past task force commander Dave Dillon, right, shopped for gifts for six children placed in foster care due to drug trafficking arrests made by the Cannon River Drug and Violent Offender Task Force. (Photo courtesy of Faribault Police Department)
New task force commander
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
in his hometown
A
By JACOB SWANSON jswanson@faribault.com
t what is undoubtedly a high point for the Cannon River Drug and Violent Offender Task Force, new leadership is taking over. But law enforcement leaders are confident it’s in the right hands moving forward. Paul LaRoche, a Rice County Sheriff ’s Office sergeant and lifelong Faribaultian, succeeded Faribault Police Capt. Dave Dillon as task force commander earlier this year, becoming just the second commander since the task force’s 2014 inception. Last year appeared to be something of a banner year for the task force, which seized over $9 million worth of drugs, including a Minnesota record methamphetamine bust in Minneapolis that yielded over 170 pounds of meth. In total, task force agents opened 301 cases, completed 128 search warrants, arrested 276 people (with 247 for felony crimes), confiscated an estimated $9.5 million in drugs and seized 29 firearms and 16 vehicles. uuu
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Agents with the Cannon River Drug and Violent Offender Task Force found over 170 pounds of methamphetamine Minneapolis home last September. That’s reportedly the largest seizure ever in state history. (Photo courtesy of the Cannon River Drug and Violent Offender Task Force)
Rice County Sheriff’s Sgt. Paul LaRoche is just the second Cannon River Drug and Violent Offender Task Force commander. The task force began in 2014. (Jacob Swanson/Faribault Daily News)
After that, however, it was time for a scheduled change in leadership for the task force, which is a joint effort from the Rice and Le Sueur County sheriff ’s offices and the police departments in Faribault and Northfield. It was the Rice County Sheriff ’s Office’s turn to put a representative at the helm. And LaRoche answered the call. Staying local LaRoche knows the area. He grew up in Faribault, graduating from Faribault High School in 2003. He got his bachelor’s degree from Bemidji State University and went through training at Alexandria Technical and Community College, but he always planned to return home. He applied at both the Rice County Sheriff ’s Office and Faribault Police Department after college, getting hired by the city. He made the move to the Sheriff ’s Office shortly thereafter and he’s been there ever since. “I definitely want to make a difference in my hometown,” LaRoche said. “It’s where I live, too, and it’s not about throwing people in jail or whatever, having big cases, it’s more about making it a safer community for everybody. I live here too, and most of the agents do, too. We’re empathetic to people with chemical dependency issues but we also would like to hold those accountable who are supporting people with the dependency issues.” He plans to stay and make a difference in Rice County for years to come. “I don’t plan on leaving the Sheriff ’s Office,” he said. “I’ll be here hopefully the rest of my career and hopefully still stay in somewhat of a leadership role within our department.
Someday, running for Sheriff might be an option, but not anytime real soon.” Rice County Sheriff Troy Dunn doesn’t need to be looking over his shoulder anytime in the near future, but should LaRoche ever want to run for sheriff, his background in a variety of law enforcement roles could make him a good candidate. He started in patrol, like many do, then moved to investigations as a general investigator. He has also been involved in training within the Sheriff ’s Office and spent nine years with the South Metro SWAT. His time as a general investigator gave him “a taste” of narcotics work, as he put it, but his time on SWAT was his favorite law enforcement assignment so far due to the collaboration among members required to be on the team. That teamwork continues to be important in working with the task force, which consists of four full-time agents in addition to LaRoche, a records secretary and Minnesota Department of Corrections fugitive task force member. He doesn’t make all the decisions alone, as it’s a pretty collaborative group, he said. So far, the reviews of his leadership have been complimentary, however. “Paul’s a great leader, he carries a high level of integrity and he was the guy for the job,” Dillon said of his successor at the task force. “Watching Paul at the beginning, he’s done well. He asks a lot of questions on a daily basis and he’s striving to learn and he’s going to try to make the task force even better and do more great things, which we’ve seen lately, so I’m very proud of him.” Dunn, who has added an additional sergeant with the
approval of the Rice County Board, allowed LaRoche to train under Dillon for about three months before officially taking the reins. “I think his experience as an investigator and then a supervisor made it an easy transition, so I’m glad he was willing to step up and I think he’s doing a great job of filling the shoes of now Capt. Dave Dillon of the Faribault Police Department,” Dunn said. “I continue to expect great things from him.” That includes large busts like last year’s $7.7 million meth bust in Minneapolis, which have gotten the task force in the headlines and made a name for the task force in the community. Drug use is a nationwide issue, and Minnesota and Rice County are not immune. The 2014 Rice County Community Health Assessment Survey, from the same year the task force began, reported that almost 19 percent of treatment program entries from Rice County were for methamphetamine, and about 10 percent were for other opiates and synthetics. About 5 percent were for heroin. Since then, law enforcement leaders feel they’ve made a difference, but the battle against drugs coming into the community is never done. “We’ve got great people here that are working hard that want to make a difference. Just seeing the arrests that have been made in the past few years speak volumes. They speak for themselves, but we cannot give up and say that’s good enough,” Dunn said. “We have to keep going and continue to make this a place where good people want to live and if you’re going to choose criminal activity, then you’ve got a choice to make. You can go to jail or you can try to get yourself the help you need and turn your life around.” The task force’s main focus has been on taking down mid- to high-end dealers as opposed to casual users or lowlevel dealers, opting to move up the ladder and target those at the top of larger operations. “We’re definitely affecting our area with drugs, for sure. The main thing with targeting the dealers is our main goal. If we’re dealing with someone who’s a lower-level dealer, we try to go up the ladder and stop the source of it coming into our area, which has led us most recently to Mankato and beyond, so we’re not only having an impact here in Rice and Le Sueur
faribault.com
The Cannon River Drug and Violent Offender Task Force reported the following statistics in 2018: 301 - cases opened 128 - search warrants issued 276 - total arrests made 247 - felony arrests made $9.5 million - estimated street value of drugs confiscated 29 - firearms seized 16 - vehicles seized
County, we’re starting to beyond here, too, so it’s definitely a good run,” LaRoche said. “The agents are really experienced, they’re really motivated and they want to work hard and make a difference in our community. A lot of them are vested in this area, too, and they have a genuine care to make it cleaner around here and how it’s affecting people.” LaRoche, with his background in Faribault and goal to spend his career with the Rice County Sheriff ’s Office, is one of those people who care about the community they work in, beyond just taking calls and going through the motions. “I think it’s very impactful. I can say the same thing,” Dunn said. “I’m fortunate to come back and serve as the sheriff here. It makes a difference to me, but when I hire people, I can’t say ‘well, you have to live here,’ but you have to care about what’s going on here and you want to make a difference, and not just more or less sit back and take your calls. We have to be proactive, not only with traffic enforcement, but drug task force and that’s what’s making us very successful….”
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Finding a way to fight back against
OPIOID ADDICTION
By NICK GERHARDT ngerhardt@northfieldnews.com
J
ames Marthaler has called opioids the perfect emotional pain reliever. He can say that because he lived through opioid addiction. Ten years ago Marthaler, wasted away to 123 pounds in the midst of a decade-long addiction to morphine, was one prescription away from becoming a heroin addict. Marthaler, a father of two sons, and married to Yvette, an addiction specialist, came within a milligram of becoming a statistic. His story is certainly not unique in the wake of the opioid epidemic the U.S. faces, but his work to curb its spread is.
Paul LaRoche, then a deputy for the Rice County Sheriff’s Office, poses with a grant alongside Sheriff Troy Dunn in 2013. (Photo Provided)
No Addiction History Marthaler grew up the youngest of 10 in a farm family in Coates, a village in between Rosemount and Hastings. Early on he thought he’d enter the priesthood but after attending the University of St. Thomas he decided to join the Peace Corps. He wound up in Lesotho, Africa, the tiny landlocked country surrounded by South Africa. It was there he met his future
wife, Yvette, who’d help save his life. While Marthaler’s family had no history with addiction or alcohol abuse, they’re disposed to familial hereditary pancreatitis, a rare condition that few doctors knew about when Marthaler was diagnosed in 1993. His sister had died from the same condition in 1985, his dad in 1999. “Your pancreas, when you eat creates enzymes and then contracts, ejecting the enzymes into you digestive tract and it digests your food,” Marthaler said. “With our disease, our pancreas created those enzymes and instead of them turning on and being activated when they went into the digestive tract, they turned on automatically so we began digesting our own pancreas. It was excruciating pain.” His first attack was in 1993 and increased in frequency. “Every time you had an attack, a little more of your pancreas was damaged and the likelihood of more attacks just continued to increase,” Marthaler said. “In those first couple of years I had one or two attacks. But by ‘98 I was spending probably one week a month in uuu
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freshman year of high school at the Mayo Clinic. Connor decided he’d have the 10-hour surgery first. By that point, the Marthalers were among 50-60 people in the world to have the surgery, James Marthaler said.
James Marthaler stands on the porch of his 1888 home in Faribault. It was there he cried 10 years ago when the sun shone and a breeze hit his face after he’d battled an addiction to morphine. (Nick Gerhardt/Faribault Daily News)
the hospital and the only treatment at that point in time was enced opiate withdrawal a few times. I just tried to stop and I they put you on IV fluids and pumped you full of morphine.” have a clear understanding of why addicts will do anything, I mean anything, not to go through withdrawals to get a drug. No longer a breadwinner It is a waking nightmare.” Marthaler’s degenerative genetic health issue forced him into disability in 1998 and brought on mental health isFinding help sues. A particularly violent attack on his pancreas landed “I sunk into depression,” Marthaler said. “My family Marthaler at the Mayo Clinic in 2008 where doctors there started to fall apart. My self-confidence, my self-worth, I suggested he see Dr. David Sutherland, a specialist at the was a very traditional thinker. The man was the head of the University of Minnesota. household, the breadwinner. At some point, I made the conSutherland established a new treatment for the Marnection that morphine was the perfect antidepressant.” thaler’s disease in 1977. Sutherland treated pancreatitis by By 2008, his morphine use increased to 125 milligrams removing the pancreas and the islets in the pancreas. The three or four times a day. The morphine no longer managed islets create insulin for the body and Sutherland’s technique the pain; it managed Marthaler’s life. put the islets in patients’ livers. “It was no longer to get high, it was just to feel normal By then, Marthaler’s son, Connor, had also received the and not go through withdrawal,” Marthaler said. “I experi- familial hereditary pancreatitis diagnosis and spent his entire
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Getting His Life Back Similar to how Marthaler found Dr. Sutherland, Reznikoff has helped give Marthaler his life back. Reznikoff, an addiction physician at Hennepin County Medical Center and an associate professor at the University of Minnesota medical school, found patients saw success with Suboxone, a milder opiate used to treat opiate dependence. Suboxone gives users pain relief without giving them high they’d normally get from opiates. Suboxone is a 40 percent opiate and prevents withdrawal pains users typically experience. Reznikoff was one of a handful of Minnesota doctors prescribing it at the time. It can still be hard to find a doctor to prescribe suboxone but it has started to improve. “It’s still difficult and it’s difficult in two ways,” Reznikoff said. “One, it’s hard to find a doctor that does it. There are lots of reasons why. For a long a time in Rice County I was the only Suboxone doctor. Now it’s getting better, but it’s still not good enough. One, there aren’t enough doctors; if there are
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No pancreas, no pain The removal of his pancreas should’ve curbed the need for such high doses of morphine that Marthaler continued to use but that wasn’t the case. “At that six-month point I’m home and feeling better but I’m still using that amount of morphine,” Marthaler said. Marthaler felt guilty because his son Connor also had pancreatitis and those feelings contributed negatively to his mental health. But that guilt also provided an excuse to use, even leading him to take Connor’s pain medication for his own. Marthaler is quick to point out that he never doctor shopped or had multiple prescriptions for the morphine that helped manage his pain. But back then he didn’t have a lot of treatment options other than pain management prior to the removal of his pancreas. Marthaler had tried methadone and tapering to wean himself off opioids, but none of that helped. It wasn’t until his wife, Yvette, an addiction specialist with Rice County Community Corrections, who helped start the Rice County Drug Court, suggested James seek the help of Dr. Charles Reznikoff.
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In this July 23, photo, nurse Brian Toia holds tabs of buprenorphine, a drug which controls heroin and opioid cravings, as he prepares to administer the drug, known also by the brand name Suboxone. (Elise Amendola/AP)
doctors they’re in specialized medicine. It doesn’t need to be that way.” The other issue, Reznikoff said, is that in the U.S. patients are expected to see addiction specialists and not primary doctors for addiction treatment. That’s something that needs to change, Reznikoff said. “There are too many people with addictions,” Reznikoff said. “We need the primary doctors to help out more.” Physicians must be specially licensed in order to prescribe Suboxone and part of the problem for physicians is delineating between pain, mental health and addiction issues. That’s why it’s important for doctors to hear from people like Marthaler, who experienced all of those issues. Getting the word out Once Marthaler started to recover and emerge from his opioid addiction, Reznikoff asked if he’d provide a patient’s perspective at conferences and to medical students. “He was so well able to articulate what was happening with his health,” Reznikoff said. “Providers almost never hear from patients.” For Marthaler, the talks are a way to pay it forward and illuminate the issue from a user’s perspective. “It’s been a long road, it’s been a long, difficult road,” Marthaler said. “I’ve burned a lot of bridges, ruined a lot of friendships, hurt a lot of people, but I’m trying to use it for something good and shine a light on this.” About 20 percent of Reznikoff ’s patients also deal with mental health and addiction issues at HCMC. He’s helped create a coordinated care center at HCMC to help those with chronic pain issues who use opioids. Reznikoff has also helped implement courses at the University of Minnesota
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Dr. Charles Reznikoff, an addiction medicine specialist who treated James Marthaler, sometimes brings Marthaler to conferences so physicians can hear a user’s perspective. (Photo courtesy of Hennepin County Medical Center)
Medical School to help students learn about addiction and mental health issues before they become doctors. “Until two years ago, you could graduate as a physician from the University of Minnesota and most universities across the state and you would have one class in addiction,” Marthaler said. “The U of M, a couple of years ago, developed coursework. It’s part of every young doctor’s schoolwork. They have to learn about the dangers of them.” Worse before getting better As Marthaler recovered, he went back to school and got his degree in clinical psychology. He later became the mental health supervisor for Rice County with a specialty in children’s mental health. He’s consistently issued a warning that we’re only seeing the tip of the iceberg with the opioid epidemic because younger people are turning toward opioids to treat emotional pain. “I wish I could say opiates aren’t as effective as they are but they truly are,” Marthaler said. “They’re truly a perfect antidepressant in an unhealthy way.” The opioid epidemic has residual effects as well, impacting every department at the Rice County Government Center. Rice County Social Services Director Mark Shaw has tried finding answers on how to handle children affected by their parents’ opioid use. Shaw has said the increased frequency of adults arrested for drug crimes has meant Social Services has had to find places for children to stay. Between 2012 and 2016, child protection reports in the county doubled and in 2017 there were 120 children in out-of-home placements, costing the county $25,000.
Never in a million years Marthaler still uses Suboxone because of his chronic pain, but his use has decreased. He hasn’t relapsed in the 10 years since he started taking the medication but he said he will take a little more once a week if he experiences more pain than usual. “Never in a million years did I think I’d be sitting here with this life,” Marthaler said. “Yvette and I are happier than we’ve ever been. We’ve got two sons, two adult sons who are successful; both have their own homes. They both just gave us our first grandson and granddaughter within the last three months. It’s just true happiness. But back when I was in the depths of this, never could I have imagined that I could have this life again.”
James Marthaler, once addicted to opioids, uses his experience to help curb the spread of the drug that nearly took over his life. (Nick Gerhardt/Faribault Daily News)
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TORNADO TAKES THE HOME,
NOT THE HEART OF MORRISTOWN CHILD CARE PROVIDER
By JACOB SWANSON jswanson@faribault.com
W
hen a tornado ripped the walls off the back of her house, tore off the roof and destroyed her garage in September, Chris Melchert lost her home. She made sure it didn’t take her business as well. Chris, who is home child care provider in Morristown, was at a Waterville-Elysian-Morristown volleyball game when several tornadoes hit southern Minnesota Sept. 20. After being forced into the basement of the school, Chris received a call from her niece, saying her husband Dale was “frantic” trying to reach her. Still in the basement of their home of 25 years, he thought the whole house might be gone, with water coming in around him. When he came out of the basement, the home wasn’t completely gone, but it was in pretty rough shape. The garage had collapsed and walls on the backside were torn down. The roof had been taken off of their kitchen, and family and living rooms. The basement, where Chris does much of her day care, had significant water damage. And, the family wasn’t allowed
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inside the home due to the danger of a collapse. “I know everything is replaceable and stuff like that, but it’s almost like a death, losing your home for 25 years,” Chris Melchert said. It’s one of those things that you don’t think will happen to you until it does. Chris’s son Brady said he didn’t believe it until he talked to his dad. For Chris, she didn’t just lose her home. With no place to continue caring for the 15 children, and their parents that count on her every day to make sure they can go to work, her business was in real jeopardy. Fortunately, she had a niece who was still licensed as a child care provider in Waterville. Her niece took over the business for a week, but after just a week away from caring for children, Chris started right back up. “That’s how dedicated she is,” Brady said. “She cares about the kids a lot.” Meanwhile, she was sleeping in a fish house in the yard, then in a camper. The Melcherts had a generator, but eventually it got too cold to continue living in the camper. She ran her business out of her niece’s home until early January, since then she’s been in a Morristown home waiting
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for repairs at her house to be complete. “It’s difficult enough, obviously, to lose your house, but then to lose your business at the same time because of that destruction has got to be extremely tough,” Rice County Child Care Licensor Colleen Peterson said. “I really felt that Chris handled herself very professionally during all of that, [she] came up with a plan to accommodate her families and has been able to resume doing child care in very short order.” Brady said his mom “has got a big heart,” adding that she’s always putting others before herself. Some of the first people she thought about were the kids she cares for and their parents. A child care shortage Child care is a huge problem statewide right now and “Rice County is no different,” Peterson said. A recent University of Minnesota study ranked Rice County 77th of 87 counties for child care availability, with a possible 865 child care spots needed in the county alone, according to the study. Statewide, there’s a need for over 8,000 additional child care slots. In Morristown, there used to be 10 child care providers,
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Chris Melchert, left, poses for a photo with the children in her day care before a tornado Waterville hit her home Sept. 20. (Photo courtesy of Chris Melchert)
Chris said. Now, that number has been cut in half. When she’s sick, a lot of the parents of children she cares for have to take days off to care for their kids. Some parents have asked Melchert if they can start trying to have children, wanting to make sure they can secure a spot with her. She feels badly turning people away, but she is limited in the number of kids she can care for.
said. “Most of the time, they were our alarm clocks.” Chris said day care has always been something she wanted to do, but it’s not always the easiest job. There aren’t sick days, paid time off or insurance to cover problems like tornadoes, and the pay won’t make you a millionaire. “I don’t know how they do it. It’s one of the hardest jobs in my eyes because I’ve seen it,” Brady said. Peterson said it’s getting even more challenging to make a living wage doing child care, especially with more preChris, who has been doing child care for 30 years, has taken schools offering wrap-around child care before and after care of a lot of kids over the years. She is now taking care of school hours. the children of children she used to care for. “You have to really love the kids, the families, love “We kind of lived in the basement with them,” Brady uuu
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Rice County Child Care Licensor Colleen Peterson, right, gives Melchert a hug after honoring her for 30 years in child care at the county’s annual child care, foster care and adult provider appreciation banquet. (Jacob Swanson/Faribault Daily News)
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The garage of the Melcherts’ Morristown home was destroyed by the tornado as well. (Photo courtesy of Chris Melchert)
Walls on the back of the Melcherts’ home were taken down by the storm. (Photo courtesy of Chris Melchert)
“Chris showed what she’s made of. She really rose to the occasion in putting her issues to the side. That’s pretty extraordinary to do that.” — Rice County Child Care Licensor Colleen Peterson on Chris Melchert
Not only did she lose her home, but Melchert lost her place of business — where she operated her day care every day. (Photo courtesy of Chris Melchert)
what you’re doing,” Chris said. It takes a special kind of person to devote his/her life to the profession. “They are very invested in making sure that the families of children they’ve chosen to care for have a place to go,” Peterson said. “They’re small business owners and they have to care for their families, plus it’s the way they supplement and make a living for themselves and their family as well. It’s just super diligent and hardworking and compassionate people that do child care.” In September, “Chris showed what she’s made of,” Peterson said. “She really rose to the occasion in putting her issues to the side. That’s pretty extraordinary to do that.” While Chris was helping the kids, they were helping her as well. She said what helped get her through after the tornado, sleeping in a fish house and camper and everything else going on was seeing the kids every day. “My kiddos, their smiles, their hugs,” she said. “There’s nothing like that from the little ones.” Most of the time, kids that age are innocent and carefree. Even they have felt the impact of the tornado, however. A couple weeks ago, with snow falling into March, one child in Chris’ day care was hoping for snow, saying, ‘we want winter because there’s no tornadoes.’ Chris said she and the children she cares for can’t wait to get back into her house. She’s hoping everything will be ready by mid-summer. Though she has handled the situation about as well as anyone could have expected, it will be good to get back in her home and put Sept. 20, 2018 behind helikelihood of more attacks just continued to increase,” Marthaler said. “In those first couple of years I had one or two attacks. But by ‘98 I was spending probably one week a month in
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SCHMIDT FINDS HIS NICHE AT COUNTY’S HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Page 23
By MISTY SCHWAB mschwab@faribault.com
W
hen talking about his volunteer experiences at Rice County Historical Society, Brian Schmidt acknowledges everyone who was involved in the effort.
venturing outside Faribault to collect an historical relic, he insists on giving credit where credit is due. “I can’t express enough how fun it is to work with the volunteers here,” said Schmidt. “Everyone has different ideas.” Several years ago, Schmidt donated some of his FleckWhether covering artifacts in the Historical Society enstein Brewing Co. artifacts to the Rice County Historical Museum storage room with plastic during a renovation or Society and realized he felt a sense of camaraderie with the
other volunteers. For the past decade, he’s spent his days off from Malt-O-Meal/Post Consumer Brands volunteering with the group. “I wasn’t interested in history at all in high school,” said Schmidt. “But I went to the Fleckenstein Brewery, which was abandoned at the time, and looked for old bottles. That triggered an interest.” As Schmidt’s fascination with Fleck’s Beer expanded to uuu
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At a garage sale, Brian Schmidt stumbled upon the 7-Up sign pictured. The owner wanted it for $300, but Schmidt got it for free by asking him to donate it to the Rice County Historical Society. (Misty Schwab/Faribault Daily News)
The Fleckenstein Brewery display at the Rice County Historical Society is a favorite of volunteer Brian Schmidt’s. His interest in Faribault history started in high school, when he collected Fleck’s Beer relics. (Misty Schwab/Faribault Daily News)
include any piece of Faribault history, he began taking on leadership roles at the society. Now, on his second term as president, he helps conduct meetings and sees more behindthe-scenes pieces of the museum. With other volunteers, Schmidt prepares displays at the Historical Society Museum and serves on a number of committees. On the collections committee, Schmidt’s volunteer work involves researching the history and significance of “new” antiques. To gather information, Schmidt turns to the public or consults the Buckham Memorial Library’s micro roll collection. “It’s really impressive, I think, because each item is evaluated one at a time,” said Schmidt of the collections committee. Filled with items acquired over the last 93 years, space at the society is reserved and limited to items that meet established criteria. Volunteers ask themselves three main questions when evaluating items: Does it have a Rice County connection? Can RCHS take care of it? and, is this a duplicate? Some of Schmidt’s favorite items, apart from the obvious Fleck’s Beer relics, are postcards capturing different angles of Faribault during various eras. He enjoys identifying buildings, former businesses whose storefronts look much different. On the back of these postcards, he records information to spare future generations the same search. The collections committee might receive letters that request volunteers pick up items from other cities and even other states. Someone in Minneapolis, for example, wanted
to donate a heavy cash register from Faribault to RCHS. Schmidt and other volunteers drove to Minneapolis, but the item was so large they couldn’t lift it. The donor ultimately had a moving company bring the cash register to RCHS, and Don Hora used a lift to roll it inside. Sometimes volunteering for RCHS takes Schmidt and the crew off site. When the Farmer Seed and Nursery went out of business in 2018, he and four other volunteers picked up items and toured the old buildings. While there, Schmidt picked up a large piece of wood that covered a hole in the floor and found a Farmer Seed sign painted on the other side. These are the types of discoveries Schmidt enjoys making. Being a volunteer for RCHS allowed Schmidt the chance to tour the basement of the Faribault Print Shop, where he discovered an old canvas cover that draped over a skeleton frame. He explained the business owner, years ago, would crank a mechanism to lower the canvas, creating an awning above the sidewalk. The canvas says “Payant’s Walgreen Agency,” which leads Schmidt to wonder if there’s a connection to the Walgreen’s store or pharmacy. “It’s neat to save that type of history,” said Schmidt. Diverse duties The Fleckenstein’s Brewery case at Rice County Historical Society is one Schmidt helped organize. What he hasn’t kept in his home, he’s donated to the display. During tours, he chronicles the Fleckenstein family story from their immigration to the U.S. in the 1850s until the brewery’s closing in 1964. He points out a sign that says “Rathskeller,” indicat-
ing a club above the Ernst “Boots” Fleckenstein home where members ate raw meat with bleu cheese and crackers.
Brian Schmidt and other Rice County Historical Society volunteers tried to transfer this Faribault cash register from Minneapolis to the museum, but it was so heavy that the donor asked a delivery company to do the job. (Misty Schwab/ Faribault Daily News)
“The Fleckensteins in town 108 years gave so much back to the city, so I wanted to give back to them,” said Schmidt. Some of the relics don’t fit in a case, like the 1946 GMC 2-ton Fleck’s delivery truck found in a wooded area about 10 years ago. Thanks to RCHS volunteers, the truck is being restored as a visual piece. Schmidt said the truck restoration isn’t his project, but he likes to help whenever he can. “Volunteers really make a difference, not only with work and time, but with ideas,” said Historical Society Executive Director Sue Garwood. “So many times volunteers do what someone else is thinking but take these ideas and run with them.” A current project at RCHS is developing a compact storage system that requires volunteers to organize artifacts into specific categories. Schmidt said he’s not so much involved in this project himself, but Garwood and volunteers Don Hora and Amanda Roberts formed a committee to get the job done. One thing Schmidt did do to prepare for the new storage unit took the time and effort of three volunteers — him-
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A VILLAGE OF VOLUNTEERS According to Rice County Historical Society Executive Director Sue Garwood, 151 volunteers contributed more than 4,500 hours to RCHS in 2018. These volunteers come monthly or several times throughout the week. RCHS has 10 standing committees, including building and grounds, Faribault house, collections, exhibits, education, executive, fair, financial, members and volunteers, and programs and special events. Other committees come and go, like the Fleck’s truck committee.
(Photo courtesy of Brian Schmidt)
self, Hora, and Gary Meyer. To keep floating dust particles from tainting the artifacts already in the storage unit, the trio taped four to five sheets of plastic to the walls and floors, encasing the relics in a tent-like structure. This project, said Schmidt, took several hours. “It can never be done by just me,” said Schmidt. “It’s a volunteer effort.” Apart from completing assigned tasks, Schmidt finds himself contributing to RCHS while hunting for relics on his own terms. A number of the items in Heritage Hall, a large shed outside the RCHS museum, are on display thanks to Schmidt. Among a number of wall hangings he’s collected is a Faribault Curve Bar 7-Up sign that a vendor wanted to sell for $300. Schmidt asked if the owner was willing to donate the sign to RCHS and collected the item for free. Heritage Hall is rarely open for public viewing, mainly during Rice County Fair week and Night at the Museum, but Schmidt and other volunteers add to the collection all year round. “When I sit out here [in Heritage Hall] during fair week, I hear comments on the nice displays, and it makes
you proud,” said Schmidt. Family Even when volunteers aren’t actively covering a shift at RCHS, Schmidt said sometimes they stop in for a cup of coffee to visit and find out what’s going on. Volunteers show up as early as 5:45 a.m. some days to help vendors unload materials. “It’s my own fun and entertainment,” said Schmidt. “… We talk about births and deaths — I consider it my family.” With all the hours he dedicates to preserving history at the historical society, Schmidt commends his wife, Toni, for being so supportive of his interests. Their two sons, Derek and Jarid, have bonded with their dad, especially as young children, in his quest to collect Fleckenstein Beer relics — the hobby that led him to RCHS. “[Schmidt’s] leadership and creativity and enthusiasm is contagious,” said Garwood. “He has an idea, and he also puts time and energy into making it successful, and that’s rare and a gift.”
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Another large pull, said Garwood, is finding demonstrators for the Rice County Fair. A total of 127 individuals, from building volunteers to demonstrators, set up exhibits and provided snacks for workers last summer. Being a volunteer doesn’t require becoming a member of the Historical Society, said Garwood. Instead, it’s an opportunity to share ideas — many of them born over morning coffee.
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Brian Schmidt found this sign facedown at the Farmer Seed and Nursery after the company went out of business. Now, it’s in the Rice County Historical Society’s Heritage Hall building. (Misty Schwab/Faribault Daily News) Rice County Historical Society volunteer Brian Schmidt stands beside the Fleck’s Beer bottle Dave Corell of Brushwork Signs hand painted on plywood.(Misty Schwab/Faribault Daily News)
Brian Schmidt, right, knows the story behind other Rice County Historical Society volunteers’ Brian Schmidt discovered this old storefront covering while touring the Faribault Print Shop. journeys to obtain specific pieces. Pat Schappuie, pictured, traveled to Wisconsin to pick up (Misty Schwab/Faribault Daily News) this Faribault record player. (Misty Schwab/Faribault Daily News)
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Kathy Dodds poses with Minnesota House Minority Leader Kurt Daudt during a fundraiser. According to colleagues, Dodds, the chair of the Rice County Republicans, is a “phenomenal” leader. (Photo courtesy of Janalee Cooper)
DODDS IS THE NEW, BUT FAMILIAR FACE OF RICE COUNTY REPUBLICANS
By PHILIP WEYHE pweyhe@stpeterherald.com
N
o one would blame Kathy Dodds, at 76 years old, for choosing retirement and a little relaxation over a new job. But Dodds, the new chair of the Rice County Republicans, isn’t too concerned about any of that. Of course, she’s also a former chair of the uuu
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Debra Petersen, on left, handing Jewelry Art picture to Kathy Dodds with Dotty Huber, Joan Wegner, Sandy Johnson, Barb Mrosko and Kathryn Speulda. Dodds is an active member of the Faribault community. (Submitted photo)
Rice County Republicans, so she has a good idea of what she’s chair).” getting into. So Dodds did it. That’s just how she rolls. “I was chairperson for the Rice County Republicans “She is one of my favorite people,” said Janalee Cooper, a before, and after six or eight years, I said, ‘I think I need to member of the Rice County Republicans. “Age is just a numretire’” she said. “I was probably 68 when I stopped before. At ber to her.” this February meeting, no one else was anxious to (step up as And Cooper believes that having someone like Dodds,
who can step in and take the reins when no one else can or is willing to do so, is fundamental to the success of the party. “It’s absolutely critical to have someone take on this job,” Cooper said. “It’s important, because all politics is local. When we have a well-respected community member with people skills and leadership skills, what they bring is an ac-
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LOCAL POLITICAL PARTIES Rice County Republicans Chair: Kathy Dodds Website: ricecountyrepublicans.com Facebook: Rice County Republicans of Minnesota Rice County DFL Chair: Shawn Groth Website: dfl.org/localunit/rice-county-dfl Facebook: Rice County DFL
Kathy Dodds at a family wedding. Before becoming active in politics and becoming chair of the Rice County Republicans, Dodds moved around the country with her then husband, raising a family. (Photo courtesy of Kathy Dodds)
cess point for people in the community to touch and relate under Dodds’ wing. “Kathy was the leader who just got me started on the and connect with the bigger political picture.” right track,” Cooper said. “She is character; she is integrity. She is just very good at organizing people and bringing peoActivating an interest Dodds was born and raised in the Faribault area, about ple together and holding them together and unifying them 8 miles northwest of Faribault and about 7 miles from Lons- to a particular mission. She just trained me and trusted me. Once she understood what I brought to the table, she was the dale. She grew up with five older sisters on a farm. Eventually, she got married and started moving around type of leader that gave me opportunities. I had tremendous the country with her then husband and their kids. Politics success under her tutelage.” Dodds’ leadership extended beyond just Cooper. was of little interest to her, as she concentrated on working “I just can’t emphasize enough her ability to work with and raising the family. people. She was the president of Lion’s Club, GOP chair and “My former husband was with a company that transferred us other things, and she is always just phenomenal. Kurt Daudt, a lot; we lived in different states and cities,” Dodds said. “I the minority leader of the (Minnesota) House has loved never could activate my interest [in politics] until we settled working with her,” Cooper said. “I have never met anyone who doesn’t respect her and appreciate her.” here.” Around 2000, Dodds attended her first caucus in LonLeading a new era sdale, and “it’s been a fun ride ever since.” She became adNational politics have changed mightily since Dodds dicted to the process and after splitting from her husband and seeing her kids grow up, she was more available to fully real- was last chair in the mid-2000s. A more visible divisiveness impacts American voters and thoughts, and that trickles ize her political and volunteer interests. Besides joining the Rice County Republicans, she volun- down to the local level. “I think there was a little falling away from the party, beteered with several non-political community organizations and has managed the clothing store at Buckham West Senior cause of the struggles of the last election,” Dodds said. “We are Center. The clothing store is the main source of funding for supportive of the policies of (President) Donald Trump. We may not always agree with how he comes across, but he has Buckham West activities. She became the chair of the Rice County Republicans increased employment and lowered taxes. Opening up talks around 2003. It was two years later, in 2005, when Cooper with North Korea; we’re not under the threat of that country was beginning her involvement local politics and ended up bombing us. Putting on the tariffs. These are all things we ap-
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prove of.” Dodds said her primary job is to find qualified, likable people to lead the party at a state level. “My role is to find and keep good people in St. Paul,” she said. “If we don’t find good candidates and get them to the Capitol, we feel we’re not well represented. I can have voice in this area and perhaps at the state level on how we pursue office and how we present ourselves. I’m a delegate to [Minnesota’s] Congressional District 1 and the state party. In this position, I can provide leadership and bring information to the state party and vice versa to see how we can find good, qualified candidates and support them while running for office.” She pointed to a few top-of-the-list Republican topics, when asked about policy interests. “Of course, high taxation is one. The abortion issue is another,” she said. “It’s just the fact that government has such control over so many areas of my life — so many regulations — that I think there is a bit too much.” She also added, “Republicans care very much about education and funding it. It’s made to sound like we just want to cut, cut. Under the last two sessions, Republicans have pushed more toward education.” Whatever it is that her local party wants from her, Dodds will likely step up and get it done. As her latest move would indicate, she’s not one for slowing down, even if some rest is long overdue. “I’m semi-retired,” she said.
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Patricia Thorne reads a newspaper article from the Chicago Tribune that contains a review of her book. Thorne’s research led her to spend countless hours searching newspaper articles on microfiche until she found information to prove her grandfather’s story. (Anne Kopas/Faribault Daily News)
AUTHOR’S RESEARCH UNCOVERS
THE SURPRISING HISTORY OF THE TEDDY BEAR By ANNE KOPAS akopas@thekenyonleader.com
W
hen Patricia Thorne was growing up, her family would tell her, “Your grandfather cornered the market on teddy bears.” In 1902, the Steiff Co. of Germany had designed a stuffed bear
toy with movable arms and legs, the first of its kind. Toy buyers, the story goes, found it stiff and uninteresting — until one year later, when an unidentified department store buyer imported 3,000 of the bears to America in 1903. At the time, it was an unprecedented number, and a purchase and sense of marketing genius that eventually led to the teddy bear’s
widespread popularity as it was redesigned to a soft, lovable toy. Family legend had it that Thorne’s grandfather, Albion Parris Thorne, was the buyer. But for much of her adulthood, Thorne was never able to prove it.
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“When I hear people say what the teddy bear has meant to them and what it represents, I can’t help but remember my grandfather, whose spirit, I feel, lives in that bear, because it embodies all of the qualities Granddad had as a human being. He was indeed steadfast, kind, generous, patient, comforting, sensitive and loving.” — Patricia Thorne, “The Untold Story of the Teddy Bear” More information about Thorne’s book is available at teddybearsuntoldstory.com.
In 2012, Thorne, who lives in Faribault, was finally able to compile the evidence, and the often-surprising history she discovered along the way, into a book: “The Untold Story of the Teddy Bear.” The process took decades. The key discovery was a 1970s article from the Chicago Tribune, which referred to an unknown toy buyer who had inadvertently become responsible for popularizing and naming the teddy bear. Thorne, born and raised in Chicago, had heard her grandmother and father’s stories growing up. She knew this buyer had to be her grandfather. From there, she was able to piece together her grandfather’s story from old newspaper clippings, magazine articles, records and photos. The process was so onerous that she nearly gave up several different times. Popular history states that the teddy bear was created by Morris Michtom, who designed the bear in the fall of 1902 and named it after Theodore Roosevelt, in reference to a political cartoon that satirized a hunting trip in which the president had refused to shoot a helpless young bear. But since the Steiff Co. had also released their first bears in 1902, Thorne contests that it was the German bears — her grandfather’s bears — that came first, especially since Steiff ’s bears started appearing in advertisements earlier than the American bears, particularly in Playthings magazine, then a prominent industry publication. “It is not always possible to document what is true, but one that I do know — it was my grandfather who gave the Steiff bear the name ‘Teddy’ after President Theodore Roosevelt, in the spring of 1903,” wrote Thorne. “The president known as ‘Teddy’ was, without a doubt, the man my grandfather most admired — he had spoken of him often. Through her research, Thorne also discovered an unlikely source of the bears’ popularity: the Chicago Cubs baseball team. As the bears became more well-known in Chicago, fans began adopting them as miniature mascots just in time for the team’s World Series wins in 1907 and 1908. In re-
sponse, their popularity exploded, said Thorne. It may have taken decades for Thorne to piece together this research, but she stayed busy in the meantime. After earning her degree in photography from Ohio University, she started her career as a freelance photographer, later switching to work in advertising with her husband while raising her kids on a ski resort in Sun Valley, Idaho, where she spent 40 years. Her writing career began when her advertising company asked her to write a four-line poem to sell candy, which she fired off in mere minutes, to great success. She moved into an editorial position, and later continued her line of work as art director and magazine designer for the American Library Association. She’s also written magazine articles, editorials and more. In Idaho, while attending a convention of the Northwest Writers’ Association, her work caught the eye of an editor who agreed to help her polish the book. This led to a year of back-and-forth revisions, only to end abruptly in the late 2000s when the recession hit. “My book went dead,” said Thorne. The family story, however, still lived on. Thorne instead opted to self-publish her book “at great expense,” and in 2012 she was finally able to hold the physical copy in her hands. She had some help from niece and editor Juliette Wilson, who helped with the proofreading process. Through the years, she watched Thorne work diligently and persistently on the research, spending days searching newspaper microfiche and old editions of Playthings magazine to find answers. Wilson said their family has reaped the rewards of Thorne’s dedication. “She tried to leave no stone unturned in putting together this book,” said Wilson. “She wants to tell the story from her heart, and I think she does that, as well as from the data and how she analyzed timing. It’s really a massive effort.” uuu
Patricia Thorne poses next to a large Steiff bear at the Baren-Burg store in Giengen, Germany. (Photo courtesy of Patricia Thorne)
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Two rare Steiff teddy bears are seen during a presentation for a 2006 auction of teddy bears. These two early Steiff brand bears, both dating from the 1900s, were found abandoned in skips. Despite their age and treatment they are both in good condition and estimated to fetch a combine total of some $16,800. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)
Without the backing of a publishing company, Thorne had to use her advertising experience to promote the book, which she said was the biggest challenge. Her book has caught some attention from institutions such as the Chicago History Museum, Harvard’s Theodore Roosevelt collection and the Smithsonian’s national archives, who all house copies. It also earned praise from the Chicago Tribune, where reporter Rick Kogan in 2016 called it a “wonderful, touching, lavishly illustrated tale about her grandfather.” Never a fan of big cities, Thorne came to Faribault two years ago at Wilson’s encouragement, and they now live together. She put book promotion on hold while she settled in, but now she’s gearing up to get herself back out there by connecting with other local authors. Thorne and Wilson also spend their time enjoying small-town life and birdwatching at River Bend Nature Center. As for writing another book, it’s not in Thorne’s immediate plans, considering the time and investment required. “It took me so long on this one. My life’s not long enough!” she said. Thorne is also the author of a book of family history, which she spent a decade researching and writing. For Thorne, this type of research is a path to understanding her own identity, and of matching facts to family legends. “It’s worth doing personal research on family history. You’d be amazed what you find,” she said. “You’ve gotta do it. It’s who you are.” In these stories, she said she finds inspiration in the strength of people like her grandfather, who was a successful salesman while having a hearing disability. She also noted that Margarete Steiff, who created the classic teddy bear, was a paraplegic, and that Theodore Roosevelt himself struggled with asthma as a child. Yet none of these people went down in history defined by their disability, but by their accomplishments. “Everybody should have a grandfather like mine,” said Thorne. The mystery may be solved, but for Thorne and family, the legend is alive and well.
Patricia Thorne holds her book, “The Untold Story of the Teddy Bear,” which chronicles her grandfather’s role in bringing the teddy bear as we know it, to the United States. (Anne Kopas/Faribault Daily News)
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A young Patricia Thorne holds a teddy bear given to her by her grandfather. Although the bear is long gone, it inspired decades of research. (Photo courtesy of Patricia Thorne)
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Patricia Thorne holds a teddy bear in her Faribault office. It’s not the same type of bear her grandfather first imported from Germany — the first teddy bears, she said, were stiffer and had movable arms and legs. (Anne Kopas/Faribault Daily News)
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Glenn Holman, left, and Bob Nesvold have been friends for over 20 years with cross-country skiing as one of the tying bonds.
SKIING UNITES HOLMAN, NESVOLD IN FRIENDSHIP By MIKE RANDLEMAN mrandleman@faribault.com
“I
f you’re going to live up here, you might as well find a way to enjoy the seasons.” That’s Glenn Holman’s attitude about living in Minnesota, and he’s sticking to it. Faribault’s Holman, 76, and friend Bob
Nesvold, 79, of Nerstrand, have found a sport for all seasons since meeting over two decades ago with the Faribault Flyers Bike and Ski Club. The two are fairly equal as far as skill goes, but Nesvold tends to have a slight leg, or ski, up in the friendly crosscountry skiing rivalry.
“He’s more of a competitive skier,” Holman said. “He usually comes out right at the top of his age range for ski groups. I’ve done some of the same races but hard work has not benefited me as much as it has Bob.” Nesvold is not physically imposing, but his muscle memory is as refined as anyone’s.
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Bob Nesvold sets out onto the trail at River Bend Nature Center at season’s beginning in December.
“Technique is real big in cross-country skiing,” Nesvold said. “The better it is you don’t have to put out as much effort as someone struggling with poor kick technique on both the classic or the skating technique.” Holman’s far from a novice himself. In February, he finished the 15-kilometer race at the 45th annual Birkebeiner Race in Wisconsin in 2 hours, 28.14 seconds to finish 425th out of 628 overall and 181st out of 242 men despite most of the competition having a much lower ski odometer than his. Whenever Holman’s technique begins to deteriorate out on the course, there’s usually a telltale sign. “I have very sensitive technique,” Holman said. “I usually ski behind Bob. Every lack of application of good technique on my part I see Bob pulling farther ahead.” Nesvold also competed at the Birkebeiner, where he’s a multiple age division champion, but he took on a lot more distance. He endured 55 kilometers in 5:06.58 to finish on the upper half of the overall leaderboard at 787th out of 1,873. Nesvold was second out of 11 in his age group while reeling off a 5:34 kilometer pace. There’s no slowing down for these two. Blazing a trail It’s hard to tell neither are lifelong skiers. Nesvold owned a pair of skis but didn’t get into the sport with regularity until his son tried out for the Carleton College ski team. “One of my sons and I did a race just out here someplace. That was probably in the ‘70s. I think I did a 10K and I wasn’t very efficient at it. I think that was
where I got started doing some races.” Holman partook in some downhill skiing in college and later on with his daughter when she was in high school. Cross-country skiing proved to be more of his thing. “... it’s easy just to get out here, five to 10 minutes out here,” Holman said. “You’ve got your skis, you’re in the snow and once you have your equipment there’s no extra cost.” The “here” Holman refers to is River Bend Nature Center. He and Nesvold have traversed River Bend’s 7 miles of trails more times than they can count. They’re also part of the crew that grooms it for public use. “We’ve got one good working type snowmobile which can pull what’s culled a ginzu groomer. It has teeth we can put down if we need to to loosen up the snow and reset the track,” Nesvold said. “Compared to the Three Rivers Area in the Cities they have much more elaborate equipment. We have an older snowmobile that can pull if we have a big snow up to 8-10 inches of snow…. We pack it down then we come over with the ginzu which can level. There’s a tracker right behind it so we can put a good track into it. It ends up we figure two to three hours each time we use the two machines.” The trails are good for more than just cross-country skiing. “We groom the trails wide enough for a ski track down the center and it’s packed hard enough on the sides that once the snow sets people can come out here and fat tire bike,” Holman said. “It’s fairly common for people who want to do something in the wintertime to put on uuu
During the winter months, Glenn Holman can often be seen grooming or skiing the trails at River Bend Nature Center.
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their snowshoes and go along the groomed track. Sometimes they’ll go on the unpacked snow.” The trail typically holds up for three to four days, and even up to a week, depending on use, weather and snow type. Temperatures in the 20s Fahrenheit tend to be best to achieve maximum glide. “Whenever there’s a new snow we try to get out here immediately after and reset the track,” Holman said. “Sometimes, if the track is showing a little wear, maybe we’ll regroom it on a Friday for people who want to come out here on a weekend. Being retired it’s a little more flexible getting out here.” The two have offered their services in numerous ways around River Bend. They want everyone to find the same enjoyment on the trail that they do. “We call him ‘St. Glenn’ because of the extraordinary amount of volunteering he does at River Bend,” former River Bend Executive Director Beth Van Gundy said in 2014. Whether it be taking care of downed trees, teaching children about the trails or whatever task is needed, both are able and willing. Enjoying the views It doesn’t take a lot of arm-twisting to get either two out to River Bend regardless of what’s on the agenda. “Some of my most memorable experiences have been early in the morning,” Holman said. “You get out and the hoarfrost is heavy and the sun is shining through it. A picture doesn’t justify that.” Daylight is not requisite. “We used to do it when people weren’t [out], we’d come here at 6 in the evening and ski by headlamps,” Nesvold said. “So we’d do, say Monday and Wednesday, and then again on Saturday mornings. Locally, we got our skiing in that way.” A pair of skis can be disarming to hooved friends out on the trail. “One of the things is looking for the deer out here,” Holman said. “At night when we had the headlamps on I think the deer could only see the light. We could see them quite well but we could get fairly close to them at night. I don’t think the deer are as fearful as skiers, for whatever reason, than they are of walkers and runners. It’s a different set of movements.” In a perfect world, these two would see more of these walkers and runners strap on some different footwear. “It’s one of the best exercises you can do,” Nesvold said, “because you work your lower body and upper body.” At River Bend, a ski set can be rented for $10 or less. It’s under $20 at Three Rivers Parks trails in the west Twin Cities metro. “There are a couple hills that beginners can’t go on or wouldn’t feel comfortable on,” Nesvold said of River Bend. “Other than that, it’s a pretty forgiving track.” Added Holman: “We’d really like to encourage more people out here skiing. I think, under modesty, we can say we have the best classic ski trails that are maintained in the southeastern part of the state. It would really be encouraging to have more people to come out here and try skiing because it’s a great experience.” Holman and Nesvold are part of the crew that grooms the trails at River Bend Nature Center not only for their hobby of cross country skiing, but for fat-tire biking.
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VOCAL TEACHER SETS THE BAR HIGH
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FOR FARIBAULT STUDENTS By MISTY SCHWAB mschwab@faribault.com
F
When she’s not teaching voice, Jennifer Olson lands her own vocal opportunities. Most recently, she performed with the Oratorio Society of Minnesota during a tribute to Queen Victoria. (Photo courtesy of Jenneke Oosterhoff)
aribault vocal instructor Jennifer Olson wants to gives her students the quality instructions and performing opportunities she didn’t know she was missing in high school. As a contracted vocal teacher at Shattuck-St. Mary’s who also teaches in her private studio, Olson says she feels “like I’m reaching back in time, hugging myself.” To push her students to the max, Olson gives them a chance to perform for a panel of judges at the end of the school year. She even opens the jury to the public so students grow accustomed to that pressure before they head off to college. Some selections, which students learn during the school year, are in English while the others are in different languages. “They complain less than college students,” said Olson. “They don’t know it’s supposed to be hard.” The bulk of Olson’s previous teaching experience was on the collegiate level before she started offering lessons to Shattuck students, but now, of her 32 students, only three are adults. “I was apprehensive [to take the job], but absolutely love it,” said Olson. “It’s showed me I’m capable of a lot more than I realize.” During her collegiate experience, Olson recognized firsthand a knowledge gap between herself and other students enrolled in music programs. During her tenure at Shattuck, which comes to an end this June, she wants to bring her students up to speed on the intricacies of music before they further their education. With a master’s degree in voice and a doctorate in musical arts (DMA), she has plenty of knowledge to share with her students. “I like to perform, but what’s really rewarding is teaching,” said Olson, a soprano. “Especially high school students … They want something demanded of them, as long as they trust you and you support them.” uuu
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Commissioned vocal teacher Jennifer Olson sits at the piano in a Shattuck-St. Mary’s practice room, where she coaches students. A soprano vocalist herself, Olson brings a high level of experience to this space and her private studio. (Misty Schwab/ Faribault Daily News)
Vocal student Izzy Melgaard credited Olson with teaching her vocal health strategies, techniques, acting tips and music theory over the course of two and a half years. “My singing voice and confidence have improved by leaps and bounds since I began working with [Olson],” said Melgaard. “Her kindness and passion drive me and others around her to do the very best they can. She knows her students well and cares about what helps them improve. She is a wonderful teacher.” Kari Chen, who began studying voice with Olson in 2016, agreed that her teacher has supported her both vocally and personally. “With her help, I have grown as a musician and as an individual,” said Chen.
Lisa Lilyard, another vocal student, said “passion” is the first word that comes to mind when she thinks about Olson. “She is passionate about music, but also passionate about everything else, especially her voice students,” said Lilyard. “Singing is complicated, and what makes her such a great teacher is her ability to explain concepts easily, and if the concept does not work, she tries and tries again, until we understand it completely.” Lilyard said she considers Olson a mentor as well as a voice teacher. When she’s frustrated, Lilyard said Olson exhibits kindness and patience while helping her through difficulties. Kyra Rahn, who takes private vocal lessons, said she trusts Olson above all other teachers.
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Olson
J O
“She is so incredibly wise and clear, and I especially appreciate that she is always, always honest with me,” said Rahn. “I feel so cared for when I am learning from her. Dr. [Olson] has honestly changed my life, for I don’t think that I would have had either the confidence or the ability to pursue musical theatre if it weren’t for her.” A musical journey Born in Quebec, Canada, Olson spent the majority of her childhood in Yellow Springs, Ohio, population 3,487. She recalls playing piano since age 6 or 7, but not until her senior year of high school — the last semester, in fact — did she find her voice. On a dare, Olson auditioned for her high school’s musi-
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PERFORMANCE HIGHLIGHTS A soprano, Jennifer Olson has had her fair share of performance experiences ever since she discovered her love of music. She’s performed with the Heartland Symphony Orchestra in Little Falls and Brainerd as well as the Bemidji Symphony Orchestra, premiered a song with the Source Song Festival in Minneapolis, and cantored at a Coronation Mass in White Bear Lake. She also landed a part in “The Magic Flute” with the Fargo Moorhead Opera. “Those are some of the highlights,” said Olson. With the Minnesota Oratorio Society, she was the soprano soloist during the U.S. premiere of Patrick Hawe’s “The Great War Symphony” at the Northrop Auditorium in Minneapolis, a concert broadcast on Minnesota Public Radio. This April, she performed with the Oratorio Society again for “Victoria: A Life in Music” at Hamline Church in St. Paul. In Faribault, Olson delivered two solo performances for the Cathedral of Our Merciful Savior’s Merner Concert series. Jennifer Olson delivered a vocal performance in “The Magic Flute” with the Fargo Moorhead Opera in 2016. (Photo courtesy of Jennifer Olson)
cal, “South Pacific,” and landed the lead role of Nellie Forbush. That experience launched her interest in singing. Before that point, Olson wasn’t big on extra-curricular activities. While her siblings participated in sports, she preferred taking care of her horse on her family’s farm. After graduating from high school, Olson even selected a collage close to home — Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio — to stay near her horse. Taking a shot in the dark, Olson majored in music. Her program required her to sing in German, Italian, French and English at the minimum. Already fluent in French and English, Olson became proficient in Italian while studying abroad in Milan, Italy. During these collegiate years, by gaining exposure to a vocal repertoire she hadn’t known previously, Olson said she “fell in love with music.” That passion for music drove Olson to pursue a master’s degree in voice at the University of Michigan, one of the top music schools. She called this part of her journey “an intense experience.” “I realized when I got [to the University of Michigan] how little I knew,” said Olson.
Recognizing certain advantages she didn’t have growing up far from the metro area, she compensated for missed opportunities by directing an opera at the University of Michigan. After earning her master’s in voice, Olson landed a fellowship in Western Ontario with the Canadian Operatic Arts Academy and stage managed the Skylark Opera Company in 2012. At a music festival, Olson met her husband, Eric, a violinist. His opportunity to study at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities took the couple to Minnesota, where Olson worked five jobs and began questioning whether music was a realistic career path. “My husband is the one who got me going,” said Olson. “I’ve always loved to study and did my own studying while working parttime.” A soloist opportunity with the Rochester Symphony Orchestra as well as televised services at St. Olaf College, where Olson sang in the choir, kept the possibilities coming. The process, more so than the outcome, help Olson maintain and expand her interest in the music scene. Despite fallbacks, she said she uuu
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was having “too much fun” to quit. Eager to push herself further, she applied for a doctorate program. “I tell students don’t go into music unless you literally can’t imagine yourself being happy with something else,” said Olson. After being accepted into the U’s doctorate of musical arts (DMA) program, Olson received a graduate teaching assistantship that paid her tuition. Working with diverse students with a wide spectrum of vocal experience — non-music majors, music minors, older college students, freshmen, and exchange students — gave Olson a strong pull to continue teaching. Nearing the end of her DMA program, Olson was hired at Bemidji State University. She and Eric lived in Bemidji from 2014 to 2016, and in the last year Olson taught voice full-time. It was Eric’s job as director of the Shattuck-St. Mary’s pre-conservatory program that brought the couple to Faribault. Only recently, Olson announced she’s leaving Shattuck, having accepted a professorship at Bemidji State once again. “It’s a tenure track, which is like finding a unicorn,” said Olson of her new opportunity. “I’m thrilled; it’s bittersweet though, because I really enjoy my students [in Faribault].” Peter Schleif, head of the vocal performance department at Shattuck-St. Mary’s, said, “Those are going to be some big shoes to fill” as he prepares to find a successor to Olson. “Dr. Olson has contributed an incredible sense of excellence and hard work and professionalism,” said Schleif. “She’s raised the bar in the vocal performance significantly in the time that she’s been here.”
Soprano vocalist Jennifer Olson stands in the Shattuck-St. Mary’s chapel, her favorite place to sing on the campus. (Misty Schwab/Faribault Daily News)
The Faribault Daily News, first published on Dec. 1, 1914, is celebrating over 100 years of service to local readers and advertisers. During its first century, the newspaper earned numerous awards from local, state and national organizations.
TODAY, THAT COMMITMENT OF EXCELLENCE IS STILL A DRIVING FORCE WITH THE NEWSPAPER’S STAFF. Faribault Daily News now delivers content through multiple platforms, including Faribault.com, the community’s leading website.
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