Historic preservation is an important part of my life, building upon my love of American history.  In St. Peter, I joined the city’s Heritage Preservation Commission (HPC) after the tornado—it was a way to repay the government support we received to restore our house. The HPC was a great group of people to work with, as was the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO). 

When I became chair of the St. Peter HPC, I worked with Susan Roth of SHPO to reintroduce the idea of placing buildings in St. Peter’s historic commercial district on the National Register of Historic Places.  We held information sessions with local owners and answered questions about the process.  This approach worked and, in 2001, 33 buildings in St. Peter’s commercial district were placed on the National Register.