The Beginning

In 1991, one of my partners, Bud Olson (now Carver County Sheriff) told me that they were chartering a lodge of the FOP in St. Paul Park (yep, this was Lodge 1). I have always had an interest in Fraternal Orders (more on that later) so I was intrigued. Remember, this was long before the wide spread use of the internet, so I had to research the old fashion way...go to the library. There was not a lot at my local branch on the FOP, but I got enough information that I thought that I would like to join...but thought that I would wait until a lodge was founded closer to were I worked or lived. In 1994 (I think) I was told that the FOP had actually formed a state lodge! I called the phone number that I found in the Minneapolis Yellow Pages under "Fraternal Organizations". I spoke to a pleasant sounding guy who identified himself as the State Treasurer. He told me that they had 3 lodges, the closest one to me was lodge 3, that met at Jax in Nordeast Minneapolis. I told him that I would like to join that one. He assured me that he would mail me an application and brochure.....and that's the last I heard. I never received anything.

In 1996 I was at a training session in Brooklyn Park. I ran into an old acquaintance, Steve Pearson, and couldn't help but notice that he was wearing an FOP sweatshirt. He told me that he was now the State President - and this time I DID receive my info in the mail. I joined Lodge #2, which met at the Anoka American Legion. I still have my original membership card.

In February of 1997, all of my talking up of the FOP came to a head when we chartered Lake Minnetonka Lodge #6. I had the honor of being the Charter President. This is a picture of the charter- that's my signature on the second line...John Reed got a pen in his hand faster than I did. We had 34 brothers and sisters sign the charter that night.