Robert M. Tegeder

Author / Financial Manager

			APPLE VALLEY
			Local News Faith, family and history By Berk Haan Sun Newspapers (Created 3/15/00 11:26:11 AM) Faith, family, history and a love of nature all were important to Robert M. Tegeder of Apple Valley, his son said. Tegeder, 87, died Feb. 28. “I think my dad wanted to be remembered as someone who loved his God, his family and his country, and someone who gave more to other people than he took for himself,” said his son Jim Tegeder of Holly Springs, NC. For 39 years, Tegeder worked as financial secretary for the Hennepin-Minneapolis Council 435 of the Knights of Columbus. He was the founder and manager of the Father Hennepin Credit Union. He was also involved with the Nicollet assembly, an organization that is part of the Knights of Columbus. The Knights of Columbus is where he illustrated his love for history, Jim said. Tegeder authored of “Rediscovery and Restoration of Fort St. Charles,” published in 1982. Fort St. Charles, near Lake of the Woods in northern Minnesota, was build by Canadian explorer Pierre La Verendrye in 1732. The fort became a center for exploration, trade, missionary and diplomatic efforts. In the spring of 1736, tragedy struck the fort when three missionary workers were massacred by a Sioux war party, Jim said. In 1749, the fort was abandoned. But in 1890, the site was rediscovered. In 1949, Tegeder and other members of the Knights of Columbus started restoration of the fort, Jim said. The majority of the work is done, but it has been an ongoing process. “It was because of his love of the Canadian North Woods, tied in with his Catholic faith and his interest in the French explorers,” Jim said. “It was raw land. They had to clear the land, and they had to bring supplies over the ice in the winter.” Today, the fort is open for visitors. A group of cottages serves as a retreat center for clergy. In addition to his efforts to restore the fort, Tegeder authored 32 publications about genealogy stored at the United States Library of Congress. He researched family trees for his family and other families, making connections to ancestors in Europe. The publications went beyond just lists, of names, Jim said. They read more like a novel. “He managed to do [genealogical research] back to the 12th century, which is pretty dramatic.” He was also dedicated to veterans, Jim said. He visited the residents of Soldier’s Home in Minneapolis every week for 37 years. “He just did it because he felt they needed to have someone care about them,” Jim said. Family vacations were often interesting because of Tegeder’s enthusiasm for history, Jim said. When traveling, he would always stop at historical markers, and learn what happened there. “He was a teacher and a storyteller,” Jim said. “A lot of kids went on summer vacations, but we went on historical sabbaticals.”
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