Posted: 3/28/06
Great Scot?! Itís McRae
He was already wearing a kilt when the announcement came at the end of the Scottish Heritage Dinner on March 25.
You wouldnít expect anything less from Kermit McRae, who was named Scot of the Year award at the 12th annual event on at the Four seasons Community Center in Caledonia.
John and Ruth Pongratz, last yearís recipients, presented the award before a crowd of about 160 people.
It came at the end of an evening of Scottish music, poems, blessings, and jokes, led by emcee David Earp.
The La Crosse Pipe and Drum Band started the music. Pastor Steven Meyer from Immanuel Lutheran Church in Caledonia spoke the Selkirk Grace. The Scottish-themed meal catered was by Little Miami of Freeburg.
The main entertainment was music by Ann and Charlie Heymann, who have an Irish music group called Clairseach. Their performance was enhanced by the dancing of their daughters, Orla and Honor, and their friend, Katie Gorilla.
McRae then received his honor from the Pongratzes. (See sidebar with this story for more on McRae.)
The evening ended with Samuel McPhail (taking a break from his day job as Bank of the West president Mike Werner) encouraging people to ìHaste Ye Backî next year. Then audience members joined hands and sang along with Eliott Kranz to Auld Lang Syne.
The event was organized by the Scottish Heritage Committee, whose members include David Earp, Vanessa Fleischmann, Pam Griffith, Mac and Rosine Macomber, and Kermit and Audrey McRae.
McRae always
willing to help
Editorís note: Here is the biography of 2006 Scot of the Year Kermit McRae that was read at the Scottish Heritage Dinner on March 25 by John Pongratz.
From the Iyrics of a song by Barbra Streisand ìDonít Rain on My Parade?î and it didnít and what a grand parade it was!
This is a clue to the identity of our Scot of the Year.
He and his wife came to the Caledonia area in 1987 at which time they bought the Jenny Hagen homestead. They restored a barn and the original farmhouse (log house) on the property and in 1994 started construction of the home they now share on Beaver Ridge, which was completed in 1996.
The person chosen as 2006 Scot of the Year is the youngest of three children. He has two sisters, Betty Ann and Donna. He has two daughters, Jill and Ann, and four step children, Steve, Suzanne, Amy and Heidi.
This yearís choice as Scot of the Year earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Macalester College in 1958 and went on to earn a Bachelor of Science Degree in Engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology.
He began his career with the Minnesota Highway Department as a Civil Engineer in 1958. He was promoted to Administrative Engineer in 1969 and promoted to Division Director in 1976. In that position he served on the staff that implemented the newly created Minnesota Department of Transportation.
He served on the Governorís staff for two years as Policy Advisor on Transportation. He was the State Traffic Engineer in 1980 and was appointed to the District Engineer position in Oakdale in 1982. He became the Rochester District Engineer in 1989. This position encompassed all of southeastern Minnesota.
His career of 42 years with the Minnesota Department of Transportation ended when he retired in 1998. It took about a year for him to decide where his knowledge of government and managerial expertise could be put to good use in the Caledonia area. He became an officer of Caledonia Township in 1999.
He became involved with the local chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation where he served as president for one year. He was on the board of directors of the newly founded Bluffland Whitetails Organization. He joined the Caledonia Lions where he also served as president for one year, and was on the Houston County Fair Board for three years. He is currently the president of the Houston County Economic Development Association and has recently been elected President of the Rural Fire Board.
Last but not least he is very interested in the history of Caledonia, since it involves the Scottish ancestry, which he shares with the area. Hence he became involved with the Scottish Heritage Committee, which is responsible for putting on this event tonight. He is not afraid to take on a task when asked by a member of any of the organizations he is involved in; he is always willing to help.
We applaud you, Kermit McRae, for your devotion, hard work, and support to the Caledonia area.
Caledonia Argus
314 West Lincoln St.
P.O. Box 227
Caledonia, MN 55921-0227
507/724-3475
E-Mail: editor.argus@ecm-inc.com