My Life With Anne Buckvold [AUDIO]

The well traveled Anne Buckvold is the latest person to join me for WJON's My Life series.  Buckvold grew up in southwest Minneapolis with her brother, mother and father.  She recalls growing up with the basics and her father didn't believe in spending money on college.  Her father was a medic in the military and after returning home became an eye technician.  Buckvold's mother was an artist and worked in the advertising department at Dayton's.  After leaving Dayton's she became a fine art painter and worked as an art instructor.

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Buckvold feels she had a typical childhood for a person growing up in the 80s.  She recalls playing with friends, going to the lake, canoeing, and spending a lot of time with nearby friends and family.  Buckvold says she is a part of a big Catholic family and spent a lot time watching her younger cousins.  She says many in her family and her didn't get their driver's license until later in life because they used public transportation so often living in Minneapolis.  While in high school Anne was involved in cross country running and basketball but she admits doing this for social purposes.  She was also involved in student council, wrote a column in the school newspaper and was the manager of the boys swim team.  Buckvold's family valued hard work and she starting working part-time at an ice cream shop at 14 years old.  She also taught piano lessons and volunteered quite a bit at her church.

After high school Buckvold chose to be an exchange student and she spent a year in Greenland.  She says she learned Danish and some Greenlandic.  Buckvold enjoyed her experience in Greenland and is thankful for the opportunity.  She returned to the United States in the summer of '94, returned to teaching piano lessons and worked for a non profit.  Buckvold took some Danish classes at the University of Minnesota and then embarked on going to college in Denmark.  She spent 4 years in Denmark and graduated from college there.  Buckvold indicated college there was paid for because she completed the language test but she wasn't allowed to work or receive the student stipend.  To survive she sold her art work and saved money.

After graduation in Denmark Anne moved back to the United States, got married and was living in Iowa City, Iowa, raising a family and running a daycare.  While in Iowa she learned she could apply to get her masters in social work at the University of Maine.  She moved out to Maine, completed her masters in 12 months and returned to Minnesota when her husband got a job in Central Minnesota.  The family moved to Sauk Rapids before relocating to St. Joseph in 2007.

Buckvold ran for the State Legislature in 2016 and lost to Jeff Howe for House District 13A.  She says she was encouraged to run for city politics in St. Joseph.  She was first appointed to an open city council seat before running and winning that seat.  Buckvold moved to St. Cloud 3 years ago and is running for Mayor of St. Cloud this year.

If you'd like to listen to my 4-part conversation with Anne Buckvold, it is available below.