At 99, Fern Lund, the widow of former News Tribune sports editor Reidar Lund, is the oldest of 103 residents at Pennel Park Commons senior citizen home.
"I don't get the respect I deserve," joked Fern about her distinction, while still showing the same edge her husband used in his "Reidar Lund Says" column, a community staple during his 18-year tenure from 1941 to 1959.
Reidar became the executive sports editor of the St. Paul Pioneer Press in 1959 and died from a heart attack in 1961 while playing golf, his favorite pastime. He was three weeks shy of his 51st birthday.
Fellow former News Tribune sports editor Bruce Bennett deemed Reidar the "father of golf in the Northland" and his column "a sports gospel." Bennett said Reidar wrote "in a style that could be controversial yet warm, colorful yet provoking, biting yet cajoling."
The Skyline Memorial golf tournament honored Reidar by adding his name to the amateur contest in 1961.
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The 64th Reidar Lund Skyline Memorial golf tournament is today and Sunday at Enger Park Golf Course.
Fern said she has been relatively healthy, but recently gave up painting after she broke her shoulder.
"I've had a little trouble with my body all of a sudden," said Fern, who worked as a private nurse in Rocklin, Calif., for 30 years, until she was 86. "Bones in my body are breaking, but I can still walk and talk."
Fern said that Reidar couldn't have dealt with growing old.
"He couldn't have stood it," Fern said. "You can't play golf anymore and he couldn't have handled that."
Fern, who moved back to Duluth to be closer to her
family, tries to stay active by walking outside and watching the Minnesota Twins and golf tournaments on TV.
"I'm very lucky, very fortunate," she added.
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Little-known smith has chance
Enger Park Golf Course professional Steve Anderson listed a string of familiar contenders for this weekend's 54-hole tournament.
Last year's winners: Reed Kolquist (Reidar Lund), Dan Moline (Northland Invitational), Mark Anderson (Arrowhead Invitational) and Don McKay (Cloquet Invitational) top the more than 120-player field.
One of the last names Anderson gave was Enger's Matt Smith.
"[Smith] doesn't play in a lot of tournaments, but he has a lot of ability," said Anderson, in his third year at Enger.
Smith, 23, of Duluth recently shot a 64 and a 65 at Enger.
Kolquist of Hermantown shot a 172 for 54 holes to win last year and tie Steve Stojevich for the most Reidar Lund wins at eight. Stojevich is also in this year's field.
The only 2006 area tournament winners not in this year's Reidar Lund field are Ross Pracher, who won the Nemadji Invitational in Superior, and Jerry Kirby, who won the Lakeview Medal.
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The first 18-hole tee times start at 7:30 a.m. today, with another 18 holes Sunday morning and the final nine holes for the championship flight starting at approximately 2 p.m.
ANDY GREDER covers area golf for the News Tribune. He can be reached at (218) 723-5315 or by e-mail at agreder@duluthnews.com .
