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A three decades-long career in Ely has resulted in many assignments and jobs, including a better than 20-year run delivering a morning sports report on the departed, at least for now, WELY Radio.
For a time it involved talking to morning DJ’s from Ely’s past - Bill Arthur and Mike Jankovec come to mind - and running down the scores from the night before and what was coming up on both the local and statewide sports scene.
Just about this time every year, as June turned into July, my cell phone would ring or in later years a Facebook message would pop up on the computer screen, issuing a polite but stern reminder that the Wimbledon tennis tournament was going on across the pond in England.
The messages came from one of Ely’s most ardent tennis fans - Barb Berglund. And she wanted Wimbledon updates on the air as the tournament progressed.
Those messages from Barb, who died suddenly this week at the far too early age of 65, typified who she was.
The messages from Barb were always polite, often funny, but came with a tone that one knew she meant business.
That’s who Barb was - at least to me. City politics is one of the beats at this newspaper and that meant often crossing paths with Barb.
A licensed attorney, Barb did her homework and wasn’t afraid to call out city officials when she thought they were out of line.
When it wasn’t easy to do so, Barb led a handful of other citizens in a petition drive that resulted in a referendum election, and a successful effort to end the autonomy of the unelected Ely Public Utilities Commission and bring it back under the control of the elected city council.
This was in 1999, and Barb faced some barbs, both directly and behind her back. She didn’t look the part or “go along to get along” and didn’t seem to care. And in the end, she was steadfast and ultimately successful.
Barb would also eventually become part of the system she first aspired to change, serving stints on the EUC and the city’s planning and zoning commission as well as Ely’s city charter commission, if memory serves. She also had the unenviable job of being on a panel of better than 20 other Minnesotans, the so-called BWCAW “mediation” panel that debated the motorized portage issue for more than a year.
An Elyite true and true, Barb also gave back to her hometown.
She and her late spouse, Emily Wahlberg, were two prime movers and shakers as the Ely Winter Festival sprouted from humble beginnings to a grand winter celebration. The snow sculpting symposium is what it is today in part because of the early efforts of Barb, and Emily.
Barb’s political leanings were no secret and she fashioned herself as a mentor of sorts, to both candidates and those who she thought would make good candidates.
Barb could both cajole and scold, and ultimately she figured out one would-be candidate did not have a future in politics and in fact would stray far away from the leanings of her party of choice.
She took that, too, in stride, instead engaging in good-natured ribbing and arguing about national politics and each person’s candidates of choice.
Despite the differences, she would make heartfelt comments about a family with three growing kids and even gave them some ceramic Christmas decorations as a heartfelt gift.
The politeness and genuine kindness is also something that is absent far too much in today’s acerbic political dynamic.
Barb loved football and holiday season trips to the St. Paul Hotel and was a high school hockey fan, particularly when her nephew got to a couple of state tournaments. Those years brought messages about hockey and the exploits of her family member and came packed with pride.
In addition to following Wimbledon, this time of year also meant that it was time for a dinner trip or two to Burntside Lodge, often with the late Anne Swenson, who owned the Ely Echo for better than 40 years until her passing in 2022.
Here’s hoping that Barb is enjoying a glass of wine, or perhaps even a bottle, along with Emily and Anne.
Meanwhile, I’ll keep an eye on the Wimbledon results and pass them along on the morning sports podcast that’s now a part of the Echo’s daily operations. After all, Barb may be listening.
