John Sundvor, Roseville, Minn., and formerly of Fargo, works with a guy who is highly concerned about global warming.
Well, it so happened that John was in Fargo-Moorhead on business during the stretch of ultra-cold days in February.
One morning he left his hotel room to find that his car wouldn't start, and for good reason: The temperature was 31 below.
So John whipped off an
e-mail to his co-worker. Neighbors can't quote it exactly, but it opened with something like, "Uh, about this global warming thing ..."
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Small world
Now it's mailbag time, digging into items sent in concerning recent Neighbors columns:
Background: Many people have contributed stories about former Fargo-Moorhead radio personalities.
Feedback: A note comes from a Fargo woman you may have read about in The Forum last month.
She's Gail Saar, she's married to Wayne Saar, and both have retired after a long career as travel agents, most recently with the AAA Travel Agency.
Gail writes that it was a former radio guy who got Wayne into the travel industry. Barney O'Lavin was with WDAY, left to open an ad agency, then started O'Lavin Travel Agency in 1954 in Fargo and hired Wayne as one of his first employees, thus launching Wayne's travel career.
Forum writer Tracy Frank wrote of the Saars' retirement, relaying many tales about their years in the travel industry. Gail now adds one more, related to radio.
Several years ago, she and Wayne were in Honolulu and stopped in to visit a friend who also was a travel agent.
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While waiting for their friend to get to the office, Gail and Wayne visited with one of her assistants, who asked where they were from.
When they said "Fargo," the woman said she had an uncle and aunt living in West Fargo who sang on a local radio station and were known simply as Hank and Thelma.
They were Hank and Thelma Holland, who sang for WDAY in the 1940s and '50s.
This happy little incident is appropriate for veteran travel agents Gail and Wayne, since it fits into the "small world" category.
Five generations
Background: A story told of an area family with five generations, all of whom are male.
Feedback: Arda Jacobsen, Luverne, N.D., writes of another family of five generations, all of whom are members of the Luverne Lutheran Church, and all of whom are female.
They are Lucille Jacobsen; her daughter Dolores Leadbetter; her daughter Jody Svenningsen; her daughter Ashley Maasjo; and her daughter Kaitlyn.
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Lucille, 95, now lives in Luther Memorial Home, Mayville, N.D.
"All are good members of our church," Arda writes, "and all are hard workers and good pinochle players, except Kaitlyn, who is just 7 months old."
Well, sure, but give Kaitlyn a few months and she'll no doubt be whipping her mom and her several grandmas in pinochle.
If you have an item of interest for this column, mail it to Neighbors, The Forum, Box 6022, Fargo, ND 58107; fax it to 241-5487; or e-mail blind@forumcomm.com
