Father's Day

I know it’s late for Father’s Day, but it’s been a busy week for me.



I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, I lucked out with my parents. I am totally blessed. Today I want to introduce my dad, Dave Lundberg. When you first meet him you might think he’s, shall we say, taciturn? A reserved man, he doesn’t put himself forward. That doesn’t mean he’s shy, by any means. Once you get to know him he warms right up to you and is just as friendly and gregarious as you could want. It’s just that when he’s quiet, he’s really quiet.


Both of my parents love reading, but I get my almost insane love of books from Dad. (I can’t stand it if I don’t have a book to read nearby. Even if I don’t have the time, just the fact that it’s available is enough to calm me down.) He was a technical editor for many, many years. All of my English grades I got from doing my homework with him. Somebody told me once that Dad’s dream job is owning a bookstore.


During the 50s, when I was just a little tyke, he was in the Air Force and was stationed in Germany. He translated Russian back then, and after he finished his education in the States he worked at NSA for several years, also translating. Cool, huh? My dad – listening to the enemy. I didn’t realize this for a long, long time, but one of his best buds, whom he met in Germany, was an analyst for the CIA.


He still keeps up with the Russian and attends classes and lectures and events presented by expatriate Russians. Has a lot of fun.


He also is very involved in the VASA Order of America, a Swedish American Fraternal Organization. VASA began more than a century ago as a benefit fraternal society for Swedish immigrants to the United States. It was named for Gustav Vasa, the first King of modern Sweden. Today the organization provides members a means to share their rich heritage with fellow Americans and learn the lore and traditions of the “Old Country.”


My dad has been retired for a few years now and he and my mom are enjoying it very much. They’ve gone to several family reunions around the country, and attended a few Air Force Squadron reunions in the US and Europe. For their 50th Wedding Anniversary a few years ago they took a cruise along the Volga in – where else? – Russia.


Happy (belated) Father’s Day, Dad. Thanks for being the great guy you are.