The words "Irv Anderson" were enough to cause fear and trepidation among legislators who were painfully aware of his abilities and capabilities in the chamber of the Minnesota House of Representatives. A fierce debater and determined partisan to most, it was my fortune to see another facet of Anderson on at least three occasions. In the early '70s, one of the House Health Committees held a public hearing in International Falls in late autumn. As the lobbyist for the Minnesota Hospital Association, it befell me to attend the hearing, which began at 7 p.m. and ran until 10 p.m., before returning to the metro area. Driving a Ford Maverick with a nonfunctioning heater, I was ill-prepared for what awaited me later. As host legislator, Rep. Anderson introduced the committee and those in the audience. Somehow during the evening he learned that my car was sans heater. Although he did not know me, he found me as the meeting adjourned. During the next 90 minutes, after several phone calls and visits to service stations with me, he found someone who diagnosed the need for a winter thermostat and I rode home in warm comfort. In 1976, as a freshman member of the minority, I attended a national legislative meeting with Anderson. We each paid to have our wives attend the meeting with us. During the next floor session of the state House, I sent a note to Anderson telling him how much my wife and I had enjoyed being with him and his wife. Later Anderson leaned over to speak quietly to me. "I know you're new here," he said, "but I want you to know that people don't usually say nice things to me, much less in writing." Gardening has always been an interest of mine, and I had purchased seeds for a true orange geranium, which had successfully grown and flowered. How Anderson ever learned that is beyond me, but we talked about this unusual find. After his being kind to me it was my joy to return the kindness by bundling up a small geranium and taking it as a gift to his office. In the elevator someone asked about the plant and, upon my mentioning that it was for Irv Anderson, the response was "THE IRV ANDERSON?" The awareness hit me then of the privilege of knowing this fearsome lawmaker in a unique manner which allowed me to see in him a true human being and, yes, a friend. I was sad to hear of Irv Anderson's passing but am thankful for these insights. DOUG EWALD, TONKA BAY;

PRESIDENT, MINNESOTA LEGISLATIVE SOCIETY AND FORMER STATE REPRESENTATIVE