“Can you believe I’m 90?” Lowell Latimer asked with a laugh.
He recently celebrated a birthday, and it’s hard to forget, considering he was born on 10-20-30.
One of his secrets to a long life ..?
He says, “Well, I married well, for starters.”
He says he and his wife Ann – married 62 years – also keep up with exercise, make sure to get enough sleep, and maintain a balanced diet.
But perhaps it’s his love for keeping up with so many things and people that also make for a long, healthy life.
“I know he loves people and to be out with people has been great for him his whole life,” Ann said.
The Velva native has been a teacher for as long as he can remember.
He spent his early years in small, rural schools before he became principal of a number of elementary schools and eventually superintendent of Minot Public Schools.
He said, “It was just rewarding to see the youth learn and move forward in their education.”
But his education days didn’t end with retirement. Actually, they sort of just started.
He got off to a quick start with the Minot Public School Foundation, becoming the non-profit’s executive director in 1994 and would hold that position for 20 years.
“One of the prides in my life was being able to work with the foundation board,” he added.
He spent – and still spends his time – advocating for contributions, helping with student scholarships, and teacher assistance.
This is all while he’s also involved with the Minot Lions Club, the Chamber of Commerce, Sons of Norway, Alliance of non-profits, First Lutheran Church, the Norsk Hostfest, and of course, family time.
His community involvement, career, and the length of his life have brought him so many experiences.
He’s watched the evolution of technology change the way things work.
To this day, learning how to use a computer has been as handy as ever.
“The person in IT from the Minot Public Schools came into my office one day and said ‘Lowell do you want to have a computer?’ And I was nearing retirement and I said to him, ‘no I’m almost ready to retire.’ And as he walked out the door I said, ‘wait! I want a computer!’ And that was a good decision,” he recalled, “because I’ve been able to use a computer so much in my lifetime.”
It sure helps when things like the weekly Lions meetings are on Zoom lately.
But technology hasn’t kept him from his love for reading, and if it did, it’s easy to be reeled back into the book realm, as this library at John Hoeven Elementary School stands right here, in his name.”
In fact, Lynda Langseth, the librarian at the school, told me that Lowell has been pursuing his goal to read to every student that comes through John Hoeven School. And that goal still exists, it’s just on hold due to the pandemic.
He’s an educator, friend, husband, father, grandfather, and more .. Lowell Latimer .. is Someone You Should Know.
And it’s worth mention, Lowell actually established Hostfest in schools.
He’s facilitated visitors from all over the country and the world, who go to Minot for the festival, to also give students the opportunity to learn about Pure Scandimonimum.
