Because he has attended the last 20 consecutive Annual Meeting events, Lowell Thornber has earned the title of MFA’s Most Loyal Member!

Lowell, 78, lives in a Roseville condominium. He does not own any woodland but has an interest in trees and nature that goes back to his childhood. Thornber family members were pioneer farmers in rural Illinois and their original homestead is now maintained by the local historical society. Lowell remembers fondly spending time in the black walnut plantation that was part of the farm.

After serving in the Marine Corps, Lowell came to the Twin Cities to study at Macalester College and then the University of Minnesota where he earned a masters degree in business marketing. Lowell spent his career doing computer work for the Great Northern Railroad, Gould National Batteries and Remington Rand, which later became Unisys.

After retirement, Lowell worked at Byerly’s for 15 years until heart problems forced him to quit. Those heart problems resulted in two by-passes, a new heart valve and a pacemaker yet, with all that, Lowell still made it to our Annual Meeting!