Commentary; Posted: 8/20/03

Well deserved kudos for Vernon Boettcher

By Howard Lestrud
With a furled eyebrow and an eye twinkling smile that begins to emerge, longtime Linwood Township resident Vernon Boettcher shows that heís listening and concerned about people and their environment.

Boettcher lives in the house he was born in 82 years ago. He continues to farm his land and with wife Fern, raised a family of four children.

Love for his community and its people has always been kindled by a desire to serve and do what he could to make life a little bit better for others. That service has come with 29 years dedicated to the Forest Lake School Board, 15 years as chairman; 29 years to the Linwood Planning & Zoning Board, 28 years as chairman; 19 years on the Sunrise Watershed Board, 18 years as chairman; five years on the Linwood School Forest Committee and one year on the Airport Search Committee (he was one of two people representing Anoka County).

Boettcher has been involved in many other community endeavors and has always unselfishly given of his time, knowledge and personal resources to help others. He served several years on the Anoka Electric nominating committee (was chairman twice) and served six years on the Isanti Co-op Feed Mill Board.

Farming has been his favorite vocation but he also served the United States Postal Service faithfully as a rural mail carrier for 29 years. He delivered mail from the Stacy Post Office.

Boettcher and his wife of 50 years, Fern, were special guests at a special evening of recognition Tuesday, Aug. 12 at the Linwood Town Hall. It was very appropriate that Boettcher was honored at the township's continued annual meeting. Boettcher recently resigned from the planning and zoning commission.

Town Board Chairman Melvin Pfaffendorf presented township and watershed awards to Boettcher as the annual meeting opened. Pfaffendorf praised Boettcher for his continuous work and dedication and he also thanked other township residents for their work to improve their community.

His work in education is well documented by those who have served with him and in the top honors he has been bestowed by others. He was once named a Minnesota School Board Member of the Year. When it came to contract negotiations with school employees, Boettcher was far superior to anyone in being able to protect the interests of the school district and also be very fair to the employee's interests.

On this night in August 2003 thoughts were channeled to Boettcherís involvement in township business. He was involved in the 1976 and 1997 township comprehensive plans and involved in the first and second generation Sunrise River Management Plans.

Boettcher is also the one, with his fellow partners, who donated a quarter-mile stretch through the Sunrise plat to enable Anoka County to build CR-85. Boettcher was given the honor of cutting the ribbon when the road was dedicated.

In all of his years of service, he often has declined reimbursement for travel and other expenses. He constantly gives of himself.

With a strong personal commitment to his faith, Boettcher has been a hard-working farmer, husband, father and friend. He loves to travel and still talks about his trips to Europe, one with former Senate Majority Leader Roger Moe to the Soviet Union.

Thanks Vernon Boettcher for your many years of public service and for being a man of strong convictions but most importantly, a person who truly cares about his neighbors and about the land they inhabit. He treasures history but also is always looking to the future.

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