Anderson was dedicated to serving others

Frank Anderson’s desire to help others included work with refugees abroad and service to Minnesotans with disabilities. Anderson died in late January in a motor vehicle accident near Red Wing. He was 63 and farmed in the Zumbro Falls area. Four days before his death, the main barn at Anderson’s Surin Farms burned, killing more than three dozen goats and donkeys and destroying the farm equipment.

Anderson grew up in the Twin Cities. He was a graduate of Benilde High School and the University of Minnesota. More than a decade ago Anderson was executive director of Bear Creek Services in Rochester, guiding the group home provider through a period of growth and expansion. He was also active with ARRM.

For many years he worked in Thailand, Cambodia, Yugoslavia, Afghanistan and Pakistan, and held various leadership roles in relief efforts. His achievements include facilitating the evacuation of 60,000 refugees from Cambodia, and establishing a creative supply route for fuel to help refugees survive winter in Sarajevo.

He purchased Surin Farms in the 1980s and helped found the Rochester Farmers’ Market in 1985. His goats could be rented out to eat buckthorn and noxious weeds.

Friends praised Anderson for his intellect and his dedication to everything he did. He recently was living with macular degeneration and a back injury.

Anderson is survived by two sons and their families, his mother, brothers and sisters, his former wife and nieces and nephews. Services have been held.

 

A tireless advocate for children and families

Eleanor Swanson is remembered as a tireless advocate for children with disabilities and their families. Swanson, 92, died in late January. She most recently lived in North Oak at Waverly Gardens.

An Illinois native, Swanson moved to the Twin Cities in 1953 to serve as coordinator of the speech and language program at the St. Paul Rehabilitation Center. She later obtained her teaching certificate and went to work in the Minneapolis Public Schools in speech pathology. She led the speech department until her retirement in 1989. Swanson was a longtime PACER Center board member.

She also served on the board of the Minnesota Speech-Language-Hearing Association, serving a term as its president. She was honored with awards for her work, including the Spirit of Minnesota Speech and Hearing Award in 1997. She recently spoke to a gathering at the Minnesota Department of Education, celebrating the 60th anniversary of Minnesota’s landmark 1957 law requiring public school education for children with disabilities. She is survived by nieces and nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews and one great grandnephew.

Services have been held. Memorials are preferred to the Presbyterian Homes foundation, with Waverly Gardens designated, the PACER Center, the Minnesota Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation or a charity of the donor’s choice.

 

Broady an early leader

Bruce John Broady, Jr. was an early leader in working with Minnesotans with intellectual disabilities. Broady, 96, died February 1. He was a longtime resident of the St. Paul area.

Born in St. Paul, Broady graduated from St. Paul Central High School, Hamline University and the University of Minnesota. He joined the U.S. Marines as a young man and rose to the rank of captain during World War II.

In the 1960s Broady worked with the Minnesota Mental Retardation Planning council, serving for a time as its executive director. The council worked tirelessly to improve services and education for Minnesotans with intellectual disabilities. Broady and others worked with groups that are now part of the Arc Minnesota.

A highlight of his career was a 1966 conference where Eunice Kennedy Shriver, founder of Special Olympics, was a main speaker.

Broady also worked as Ramsey County probation officer and in court services for juvenile court in Hennepin County. He was a longtime community and church volunteer. He is survived by five children and their families. Services have been held.