Saturday, I attended the DFL State convention at the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center. It was inspiring to once again rub shoulders with so many dedicated party activists, from first time convention goers and legislators to party leadership.
I got a chance to compare notes with several other candidates and current house members. I talked with Sandra Peterson, former MFT President and Education Minnesota vice president. 
She is running for the House seat in New Hope, Minnesota. She will bring some important experience and expertise to the House of Representatives. She told me she reads the blog from time to time for ideas, and it’s nice to know it’s not just the Republicans in the audience! Office holders and candidates stood together on the stage as the DFL class of 2004, united in our work to take back the House. 
My St. Olaf classmate former Senator Ember Reichgott Jung gave me a few doorknocking pointers. I also talked with Sen. John Marty, 
former Speaker Phil Caruthers,
the ever feisty Rep. Tom Rukavina gave me pointers on attitude and decorum, Rep. Mike Nelson, who was just in Northfield recently, Alan Weinblatt, who assisted with the 25B recount, and candidate Jeremy Kalin (17B), from the Chisago area. 
The DFL has a winning slate of high caliber candidates who are prepared to take back the majority. 
Along with doing the party business, delegates heard speeches from Party chair Mike Erlandson,
Presidential contender John Edwards, 
and Senator Mark Dayton. Dayton gave an inspired, firey speech that brought delegates to their feet. I was impressed with his passion and the courage he has shown on the Armed Services committee. Teresa Daly, 2nd Congressional District candidate, gave one of her best speeches. A recurring theme they emphasized was the importance of getting the State and the country back on the right course to prosperity for all, not just the top 1%.
_______________________________________________________________________
If you’re looking for something to do this Thursday head out to the Hustvedt auction, proceeds to go to the John Kerry campaign and the Rice County DFL party:
On Thursday, May 27 at 5:00 PM, we will be doing an auction for the estate of Lloyd Hustvedt in Northfield. The auction is located at 5026 90th St E in Northfield. This is approximately 1 mile West of Northfield on Hwy 19 and then South about 1/2 mile on 90th St. (lunch will be available) There are many nice items on this auction including a number of books about Scandinavia and a large number of books written in Norwegian. There are Norwegian clothes and there are a number of children’s “everyday” bunads. There is furniture, decorator items, linens, yard and garden items, sleds, kitchen items, a nice oak dining room table and chairs, Singer sewing machine, collectibles, etc, etc. This will be a nice estate auction in it’s own right. What makes it extra special is this: Lloyd Hustvedt was a lifelong DFLer. Ester will donate the proceeds of the auction to the John Kerry campaign and to the Rice County DFL party. Pass the word along to anyone you know who may be interested in attending this fine auction.
Ed Kuhlman
Here’s a little bit about Lloyd in case you didn’t know him::
Lloyd Hustvedt (1922-2004) 
Lloyd Hustvedt was born on April 18, 1922 in Goodhue County to Lars and Matilda Hustvedt, both of whom were the children of Norwegian immigrants. He attended a one room country school where studies were conducted in English.
tribute to Lloyd Hustvedt at the Syttende Mai celebration at St. John’s church last Sunday.
1979: Lloyd Hustvedt named knight in order of St. Olav
“St. Olaf professor knighted by Norway” was a headline in the Feb. 1, 1979, News — 25 years ago. The story began, “Lloyd Hustvedt, chairman of the department of Norwegian at St. Olaf College, has been named Knight First Class, Order of St. Olav, by the Norwegian government. Professor Hustvedt received the award from Olaf Solli, Norwegian consul-general, who made the presentation on behalf of King Olav V at a ceremony in Boe Memorial Chapel at St. Olaf.
“A member of the St. Olaf faculty since 1954, Hustvedt was in November named the first holder of the King Olav V Professorship in Norwegian Studies, established at St. Olaf through a grant from the Norwegian government. That appointment will be effective in September.”
by Maggie Lee
Hustvedt member of St. Olaf College faculty for 33 years
by Maggie Lee
Hustvedt once said that he had a “running start in Norwegian,” using it as his first language on the family farm in Goodhue County where he was born. He became interested at an early age in the works of Norwegian writers.
After graduating from Cannon Falls High School in 1941, he was encouraged by his high school teachers and his minister to attend college.
“Once the decision was made to go on, there was little question as to where I would go,” he was quoted in a story that appeared in the News at the time of his retirement from the St. Olaf College faculty. He also said that, having the capacity to read Norwegian, it didn’t take him long to decide on Norwegian as a major field of study at St. Olaf.
He took a year off to work and then enrolled in St. Olaf in the fall of 1942. But seven months later he was on his way to a special training program in the U.S. Army. Aim of the program was to help coordinate with the Norwegian underground forces an Allied invasion of Norway.
When that plan was scuttled, Hustvedt joined American forces in the Pacific, seeing action in New Guinea and during the invasion of Luzon. When World War II ended, he remained with occupation forces in Japan for six months.
He returned to St. Olaf in 1946. He was able to complete his work for a bachelor’s degree in three years. Next he obtained a master’s degree in Scandinavian Studies at the University of Minnesota.
He was then off for Norway, attending the University of Oslo as a Fulbright award recipient. While in Oslo, he met Ester who was to become his wife.
Born in Mandal in Norway, she attended Oslo University before coming to Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, on an honors scholarship. Studying English and Norwegian, she earned her bachelor of arts degree there.
After he returned to the United States, Hustvedt accepted the position of assistant professor of Norwegian at Luther College.
When Ester graduated, she returned to Norway, then came back to marry Hustvedt at Urland Lutheran Church which is within walking distance of the farm on which Hustvedt grew up. There had been a hang up about her return to this country, however. She’d had to wait several months for her visa.
Hustvedt accepted a position on the St. Olaf faculty in 1954. He was promoted from assistant professor of Norwegian to associate professor in 1963, a few months after he had obtained his doctorate from the University of Wisconsin.
In September of 1967 Hustvedt, chairman of the Norwegian department at St. Olaf, received the McKnight Prize in Literature for his book about Rasmus Bjorn Anderson.
In March of 1969 that it was announced that Hustvedt had been promoted to full professorship. He was not only chairman of the Norwegian department, but since 1958 also executive secretary of the Norwegian-American Historical Association which has its headquarters on the St. Olaf campus.
He was also a member of the board of directors of the Norwegian-American Museum in Decorah, Iowa.
In June of 1976, Hustvedt participated in a seminar honoring the 100th anniversary of the birth of O.E. Rolvaag, well-known author who taught many years at St. Olaf. The seminar was held at the novelist’s birthplace, Donna, a hamlet on the west coast of Norway near the Arctic Circle.