Honoring Charlie Lofgren
During this season of hope and celebration we remember a Town Square champion, Green Lake legend, and dear friend: Charlie Lofgren.
Back when Town Square was in its infancy, resources were needed to bring its lofty plans to life. Saving the old courthouse required two important ingredients: money and manpower. People who could see the vision and roll up their sleeves to get the work done.
When an early board member, Jane Pearsall, was asked who could help keep the young community center going into the future, she answered, “My brother, Charlie.”
She was right. Charlie was among the first board members of Town Square and never stopped supporting it, even after his term officially ended. He brought a wealth of business experience and a knack for steering the organization back to its mission.
“In the early days we had a plan, but we were still finding our way as an organization,” said Fran Hill, Town Square co-founder. “When we’d start to get off track or spread too thin, Charlie would bring us back with the simple sentence, ‘This is a community center.’ He kept us grounded.”
“Charlie would bring us back with the simple sentence, ‘This is a community center.’ He kept us grounded.”
Charlie was also known for speaking candidly and answering questions with a question – sometimes to the dismay of those on the receiving end.
“He wasn’t going to let us off the hook by handing us an answer,” recalled Fran. “He challenged us to find the answers ourselves. It could be stressful at the moment, but now I can only smile and realize – darn it – he was right.”
Charlie’s contributions didn’t end around the board table. He was embedded in the community and showed up in various ways to make Town Square a true gathering place in the heart of downtown.
“He’d scrape paint, bartend, and help with anything that was needed,” said Phil Burkart, also a Town Square co-founder. “Charlie was on top of the business world, yet nothing was beneath him.”
“Charlie was on top of the business world, yet nothing was beneath him.”
Town Square board member Jo Ellen Madden recalled meeting Charlie when the Downtown Green Lake Renewal Project board merged with Town Square in 2015.
“My first impression was his tough business sense, but behind that was a generous and kind-hearted man,” said Jo Ellen. “Charlie had such a passion for Green Lake and saw the value in connecting our community together.”
Charlie’s love for the area began when he and his siblings were children. Year after year, his family would drive up from Illinois to spend summers in Green Lake. Eventually, it became his home.
“Charlie knew everyone and he drew people in like a magnet,” said Phil. “You could pull in his driveway at any time and he and his wife, Mary, would welcome you in the door. He had a way of making others, including me, feel part of the community.”
That humble generosity and community spirit lives on in Charlie’s legacy.
“Charlie did not have a phony bone in his body,” said Fran. “He knew the power of community and what we can accomplish if we all keep working together. No magic formulas, just a quiet stick-to-it-ness. We can make a better world if we all keep chipping away at it.”
Town Square was shaped in countless ways by Charlie Lofgren. We’ll never forget his kindness, his candor, his giving spirit, and his belief in a better world – starting right here. It was his wish that donations in his memory be made to Town Square. Isn’t that just like Charlie: always supporting his community center.