A cold grey November day it was when my mother and I arrived to join my father who had been sent to Albert Lea by the Wilson Company. We made our entrance by train, the ice-tipped rain falling in an obscuring sheet.

I can’t say that we were overwhelmed by a burst of joy when the sun came through either. There was great difficulty in finding a place to live, we missed our friends and outside of two movie theaters there was little by way of entertainment.

Despite the negative, it wasn’t too long before I fell in love with the town. I enjoyed wandering through the old graveyards and finding Norwegian words on the tombstones.

I enjoyed the names themselves sounding like something out of an Ibsen play.

Over the years I’ve come to be grateful for much I have learned here and, more importantly, have developed a real affection for the people in Albert Lea.

Still, even Eden had its serpent and I am sometimes a bit troubled by what seems to me a disregard for gifts given us.

I admit that I am not certain of the beginning of Naeve Hospital. I was told that at a time when Albert Lea had no hospital and needed one badly, a family named Naeve bestowed land and money to build one.

The hospital served the community well, I understand, and even provided a nursing school in which a number of young women prepared for careers as nurses.

Yet, there was a time when attempt was made to discard the name “Naeve” entirely.

We had no art center in Albert Lea. Lloyd Herfindahl, an Albert Lea artist, whose paintings have

been displayed in most of the European countries as well as in Minnesota and other states, started it.

He inspired the formation of the art center and played a large part in establishing not only the organization, but in finding a building for it. But for three or four determined members of the art center there wouldn’t have been a gallery, bearing his name in the center.

Several attempts were made over the years to establish a community theater. To no avail. Then Dr. John and Nancy Campbell moved into Albert Lea and set up Albert Lea Community Theater (ACT). They not only started it, but they took steps to insure that it would continue when they were gone.

After the Campbells moved to Georgia, there came a time when Dr. Campbell was terminally ill. A group within ACT wanted to send two-way tickets to John and Nancy to attend a performance.

The request was voted down by an organized group of nay-sayers who enjoyed ACT, but apparently knew little about its origins.

I was acquainted with and greatly admired Capt. and Mrs. Emmons. I understand that Capt. Emmons was responsible for setting up a program in music for Albert Lea students.

His reward? An auditorium was named for him. An auditorium which provided seating for 2,000 patrons, and made civic music the success it has been unable to be since.

And now that magnificent auditorium is to be torn down to provide parking lots, there being &045; I suppose &045; no land any place in the county that could provide parking lots.

The whole project appearing so bleak, the only trace of amusement I can find is in the suggestion that the school be saved photographically.

It reminded me of remarks exchanged by Jane Carlyle and one of the fans of her husband, Thomas. Grieving over the death of her beloved dog, Jane was advised by the fan to have the dog stuffed.

&uot;Surely, Mrs. Carlyle, you need not suffer over the loss of your pet. Why don’t you have him stuffed?&uot;

“Madame,” replied Jane. “Why didn’t you have your baby stuffed?”

(Love Cruikshank is an Albert Lea resident. Her column runs Thursday.)