90

Today a celebration is taking place. Yesterday according to my calender was the 90th birthday of Earl H Redlin, My uncle and a Father to me after the death of my parents.

If I had words I would express my appreciation for him in grand and glorious fashion. My loquacious manner wilts in trying to make fully clear to him what he means to me. I hope my actions have spoken louder than my many words.

He has had some hard bumps in the past year. Life has become more difficult. I wish it were not so. So does he.

He is 28 years my Senior. Before I was born he was at war in Italy fighting at Anzio where in one day more men died than have died in Iraq and Afghanistan together. Gee, now that I think of it, Italy didn't attack us, they didn't declare war on us, but we sent brave men like Earl with family and children at home to fight and many to die for the freedom those criticizing what our great President is doing in the middle east will never understand or appreciate.

When my Dad needed help in the Implement business Earl was there, when my folks died his family stepped up and took me and my siblings in, when the city needed leadership he led first as a councilman and then as the mayor, when the state needed a man to help make decisions he stepped up as a state senator (once even as a primary gubernatorial candidate), later in county government he helped as a leader until just 10 years ago. I have always thought he was a leader not truly appreciated by the city, state and county for whom he has given the bulk of his life selflessly.

When I was in Ellendale last month for it's 125th anniversary parade I watched the parade go by on streets that Mayor Earl had to fight to install as Mayor, the fact that water didn't spew up from people's sewers in the basement last month when the big rains came was because of the watershed management ditches he installed and the big convention in the Fieldhouse at Trinity Bible College exists because of a gift by another good man, Ray Ulmer and the college exists because there came a time that Mayor Earl signed a paper giving the whole campus to the Assemblies of God for a college. It remains and prospers to this day. Even though Ellendale will drift from 1400 to 800 people in the next 25 years unless something happens, the college will continue. This all documented in the book, "The Million Dollar Miracle". Ray Ulmer and Earl Redlin are in many ways the real unsung city fathers. All this time, making a living, farming, investing, making it all work. Every good thing they ever did was critisized and pilloried by the peanuts in the constituency they led. It has ever been so and someone needs to say it. We know who you are Earl Redlin.

You are a Father, a good man, a man who has seen more than people should have to see in his life.

His example is one it is impossible to ignore.

I won't.

Happy Birthday Uncle Earl, you are unique and yet a wonderful representation of Tom Brokaw's Greatest Generation.

Lead on, we'll follow in your footsteps.