Stories from the First Cathedral 28: Robert Neslund

Last week's story was about Lieutenant Asa Abbot and I used a quote from Robert Neslund's book For a Life of Learning and Service (How Shattuck St Mary's Came to Be).  I first met Robert Neslund in 1987 when I became the chaplain of Shattuck-St Mary's school. It was the only opening for a new clergy after I graduated from Seminary in May of 1987. I loved this position, being a former teacher for 11 years in Hastings. Mr Neslund was my oldest daughter's Latin instructor. He also played the organ for me for the girl's service and the boy's service once a week. When I arrived, Mr Neslund had already been a solid and revered fixture for many decades at the school. He was always very proper wearing a suit every day with a different button on his lapel, usually worded in Latin. His collection of several hundred buttons found their home in the First Cathedral archives. If I wanted to know anything about the Shattuck St Mary's school, Mr Neslund would tell me. He could immediately recite a definition to those who asked no matter what subject. I only spent two years as chaplain because I took a call to a two point parish in NW Minnesota from 1989 to 2001, serving Wahpeton, ND and Fergus Falls, MN.

When I accepted the position of Dean of the First Cathedral in 2001, Mr Neslund was the Senior Warden. The second love of Robert Neslund was the First Cathedral. The third love for him was to always have a canine companion and always a Welsh Corgi. Mr Neslund never married. When he retired around 2008, he was happy to purchase a condo in the old Rectory of the First Cathedral, right across the street to the North. The old rectory was built around 1910 for Dean Charles Slattery with much financial help from Bishop Whipple's second wife Evangeline Mars Whipple, The house was designed by the American-Swedish architect Olaf Hanson. All of the original blueprints reside in the First Cathedral's archives. When Mr Neslund moved into the house, the structure had been divided into four sections or four condos. The transition from one house to four parts occured in the 1930's. Mr Neslund loved his historic space, but tragically he only lived there several years as he died instantly from a fall in his residence in 2010.

Robert Neslund was very active at the First Cathedral. He loved singing in the choir, holding various positions on the Chapter and participated in many other activities. Before his death he was close to meeting one of his goals for the Cathedral; to make it a gathering place for different cultures in the Faribault area. He believed the First Cathedral could be a place where different faiths, colors of people and new residents could meet in the Cathedral cloister and enjoy common dialogue!

Mr Neslund became a great friend, a source of knowledge and invaluable resource of Cathedral history. My favorite two times with him was being guests at the Minnesota History Center and the St Paul Science Museum to view the Bishop Whipple Indian collection of art.. These collections still reside there today.

Seize the Day, Robert Neslund - I miss you!