It’s never easy to face the end of summer, but we can look back at an August filled with exciting events and activities, touching many folks right here in Bridgeland.

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At the Summer Olympics in Beijing, Rasa Troup of East River Terrace in Prospect Park competed for her native Lithuania in the women’s track and field steeplechase event. Rasa set a Lithuanian record during the qualification round but failed to make the finals.

Rasa came to Minnesota on a University of Minnesota track scholarship, became a dietician and is now the nutritionist for the Gopher women’s cross-country and track teams. Rasa (nee Michniovaite) is married to Elliot Troup, who grew up in Prospect Park, and they have a daughter, Grazina.

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In election news, by the time you read this, Seward resident David Gilbert-Pederson, 17, will have recently returned from the Democratic National Convention in Denver, the youngest delegate at the event. David will turn 18 by November, so he is eligible to serve as a delegate.

A precocious political campaigner and an accomplished public speaker, David has attracted a great deal of media attention, including a spot in Time magazine. David said that, while he’s proud to represent Minnesota Democrats at the convention, the most important work he has to do is here at home, working to help elect Illinois Sen. Barack Obama.

His favorite campaign work, he said, is knocking on doors and talking to voters. “That’s what really works,” he said, “when you go door-to-door and talk to your neighbors and tell them why you’re excited about a candidate. That can really tip people’s decisions, when a neighbor they know and respect tells them why they believe in a candidate.”

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Did you attend the State Fair this year? If so, perhaps you had the pleasure of seeing the beautiful work of Seward artist Susan Warner, whose “Greetings from Minnesota” mosaic postcard appears on the east wall of the Food Building, located at the corner of Dan Patch and Cooper streets. The colorful work, which measures 24 feet by 8 feet, was created as part of the Minnesota Sesquicentennial celebration. To view the work online, go to www.mn150years.org.

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We were very sorry to learn of the recent death of Nuala Kernan, who worked in the Continuing Education office at Pratt Community School. Nuala, 53, died Aug. 13 of ovarian cancer, surrounded by her family. Born in Dublin, Ireland, Nuala met her husband, John, in Liberia, West Africa, and they moved to Minneapolis in 1983. In addition to her husband, Nuala is survived by daughter Caoilfhionn and other family and friends. Services were held Aug. 16 at the Cremation Society of Minneapolis.

Friend and colleague Mary Alice Kopf said Nuala was a tremendously organized and energetic presence in the office, did a wonderful job arranging interesting classes “and was a lot of fun, too.” A memorial fund is being established to honor Nuala and support the work she did at Pratt and in the Prospect Park neighborhood. For more information, call Deb Clark at 612-668-1108.

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Happy birthday to Southeast Seniors, which is celebrating 20 years of service to the Southeast community! The block nurse program began in 1988, and over the years has enabled hundreds of seniors in the community to remain at home, receiving regular visits from caregivers and dedicated volunteers.

A 20th anniversary party will be held on Sept. 11, 5:30–8 p.m., at University Lutheran Church of Hope, 601 13th Ave. SE. For more information about Southeast Seniors, visit www.seseniors mpls.org/newsletter mpls.org/newsletter.

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At First Congregational Church, UCC, in the Marcy-Holmes neighborhood, longtime pastor and Marcy resident Eric Nelson recently announced his decision to resign from his post, with Oct. 5 being his final Sunday. He will then be moving to London to enroll in the London International School of Performing Arts, from which his daughter, Isabel Nelson graduated in July. Nelson’s wife, Robin will remain here, keeping busy with her work as a dance-caller and artist-in-residence in several local schools, though she hopes to enjoy many visits to London.

In addition to undertaking a search for a new pastor, the folks at First Church are busy preparing for the Sept. 7 dedication of the new entryway to their historic building, located at 500 Eighth Ave. SE. The dedication will be at 11 a.m., after the 10 a.m. service, and will be followed by a neighborhood potluck picnic and tours of the church building. All are welcome to attend.

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Three Bridgeland residents are featured in the 2009 Green Living Guide, published by Llewellyn Worldwide Publishing. The book includes over 20 articles on important environmental topics, from composting to ecopreneuring. Megan Holm, wrote about self-sustained bike trips; Kari Tauring wrote about raising chickens in the city and Joshua Houdek wrote about his green wedding.

The book is being released in bookstores nationwide.

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Congratulations to Greg McElroy, who was recently awarded the Board Star Award from MAP for Nonprofits for his work as a volunteer board member at the West Bank School of Music. The honor was given to McElroy for his dedication to the school’s mission, for initiating a redesign of the school’s brand, and for helping to develop new marketing, advertising and business plans.

The West Bank School of Music, 1813 S. Sixth St., has been offering private and group music lessons and ensembles at its West Bank location since the 1970s.

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And finally, a big happy birthday to Southeast Como resident Helen Lawler, who turned 102 on Aug. 23. Helen’s son, Eddie, says she is in quite good health for 102 and had many visitors over her birthday weekend. Eddie described a time not long ago when Helen had surgery and the doctor told him they had “changed her oil, replaced her tires, and she was good for another 100,000 miles.” “I guess he was right,” Eddie said. Happy birthday to you, Helen!

last revised: September 18, 2008

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