Fall 2005

Interpretive panel welcomes travelers

An interpretive panel highlighting the life of Dr. Anne Carlsen, the namesake of Anne Carlsen Center for Children, was unveiled Sept. 12 at the eastbound rest area four miles west of Jamestown on Interstate 94.

The panel was a project completed by Richard Splitter, Springfield, Mo., who is vice chairperson of the ACCC Foundation Board. His mother, Margaret, was a life-long friend of Carlsen’s.

Splitter said he hopes the panel will draw attention to the remarkable person Carlsen was. “I’m thrilled that her story, her life, is going to be shared with people who may not otherwise know about her,” he said.

Albert Carlsen, who at age 95 is Anne’s only surviving sibling, traveled from Idaho for the unveiling. “We were extremely proud of her,” he told the crowd. And the panel, he said, is a nice depiction of his sister’s incredible life story.

“Dr. Anne was one of Jamestown’s most outstanding citizens,” said Jamestown Mayor Charlie Kourajian. “Her legacy will live on in the Center. I hope people will view this panel and appreciate all she has done.”

Splitter first began planning this project in 2003, beginning conversations with the North Dakota Governor’s Office and Department of Transportation. Coordinating the project from Missouri was a challenge, he said, but he’s thrilled with the end result.

Splitter grew up hearing stories of Anne from his mother. It wasn’t until 1999 that he actually met her when they traveled to Norway together on a trip organized by Anne Carlsen Center for Children.

“It was fascinating to watch her,” he said, as they ate in restaurants and traveled through airports, “and to watch others’ reactions to how she could do things.”

He hopes visitors to the North Dakota rest area will be inspired by Anne’s story and at the same time be compelled to stop in Jamestown and visit the Center she helped build.