Gary,

After seeing Vern Sanden’s post in yesterday’s blog, I couldn’t resist relating a little story. First, some background. When I first met Vern Sanden, I remembered him right away. I guess I must have attended the basketball game when Vern did the hot dog shooting because I remembered him as a basketball star from Bottineau. It wasn’t until yesterday’s blog when Vern cleared it up, that I realized that basketball wasn’t his thing. He had great shooting form, I guess, because he impressed me that day. Lucky I had forgotten the score!

Anyway, one winter night, Vern, Dwight Lang, and I (maybe there was another guy-can’t remember). But, I do remember the cat. For some reason, we were transporting a cat from Grand Forks to Bottineau. We stopped a café in Leeds, or somewhere around there for a bite to eat and some coffee. We probably needed it. So this cat was a Burmese, I think. Vern will have to fill in some of the story. Vern passed this little cat off as a baby panther to the locals in the café and, for a little while, we were local celebrities, with us having a baby panther, and all. Vern told everyone a lot of stories about the history of the magnificent animal and, at least in my memory, he held the customers’ interest very well. We were having quite a laugh, back in the car and on the road again when Vern realized that he had forgotten his doeskin gloves back at the café. That did take a little bit of the fun out of the evening. 

Vern got his degree in math with a little help on a final exam over the telephone from John Frykman’s brother. Must have been a hard final, because Vern was on that payphone for an hour, getting an answer, dropping in more quarters, getting another answer, etc. but his true love was music. If you ever have a question about any singer since probably 1930 to present, call Vern. 

We had a lot of fun times and, even though we don’t get together often, I consider Vern as one of my oldest and best friends. 

Bill