Mar. 1—Dear Answer Man: I have wondered for a long time, whatever happened to the rock collection that used to be in the lobby at the Olmsted Medical Center at their old location on Third Avenue Southeast? I remember as a child looking at the collection while waiting for appointments with my mom. P.S.: I have also been an admirer of yours for a very long time. — Judy Who Has Good Taste.
Dear Judy,
I like to believe that my knowledge has no bounds, but this is one that stumped me.
Fortunately, when my knowledge fails, I always know the right people to help me expand my vast stores of facts, figures and general smartness.
In this case, I reached out to Emily Wessing, communications and web services manager for Olmsted Medical Center. And while Emily had to dig a bit as well, we did discover some answers — hey, that’s what this column is all about — concerning those fascinating rocks.
Wessing said she gleaned information from the book “Shadows: A History of the Olmsted Medical Center” by G. Richard Geier Jr., and John Doyle, a past board member for OMC. It seems the late Dr. James (Jim) Doyle owned a rock collection that was on display at the former Olmsted Medical Group’s Third Avenue Southeast location in the 1950s. Olmsted Medical Group and Olmsted Community Hospital merged to become Olmsted Medical Center as of Jan. 1, 1996.
Jim Doyle was an avid rock collector as were other members of the Doyle family. When Jim Doyle and his wife moved to Arizona, some of his rock collection went with him, but some was sold locally as he was downsizing. A wooden box filled with rocks was purchased by Logan Jensen’s grandmother in 1970. That box is now returned to the Doyle family as Logan is now married to Anne Doyle, Jim Doyle’s grandniece.
Anne’s father, John Doyle, has been a board member of Olmsted Medical Center and the OMC Regional Foundation.
While we couldn’t find a photo of the rock collection, you’ll notice the nice photo — signed by Sen. Hubert H. Humphrey — that celebrated the opening of that clinic where you had your appointments.
Thanks for the memories, Judy.
Since I’m rockin’ the right answers, send your questions to Answer Man at
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