Lake Superior is amazing for
many reasons, not the least of which, I’ve learned over the years, is
the kind of people that it attracts to its shores. Again and again,
I’ve been privileged to meet worthy and extraordinary people through
our common love of this lake. I’d like to tell you about one of those
whom I’m proud to count as a friend.
I first met this man on one of many trips to Isle Royale
National Park, where I often indulged my love of diving and my
fascination with the sunken steamer America.
There I noticed a gentleman, distinguished in nature, who
often seemed close at hand. I finally asked him who he was. He looked
at my diving gear and my face, considering his response.
“Dalquist,” he said. “I’m Dave Dalquist.”
After a moment, he added, “And just who are you?”
Thus began a friendship that I’ve valued highly for years.
Dave immersed himself in facts about the lake and knowledgeably
conversed about a wealth of topics.
As his wife, Dotty, says, “He loved to talk, but he didn’t just ramble. He was great on figures and statistics.”
Yes, Dave was a straight and honest good man. It was sad to
hear of his death at age 86 on January 2, 2005 - sad for me who knew
him and sad for those of you, dear readers, who will not get to know
him.
Let me tell you a little about him. H. David Dalquist earned
his degree in chemical engineering. He worked for two years with U.S.
Steel in Duluth, but made his biggest mark in business for his founding
of Nordic Ware. Regional bakers no doubt have used some of this
Minnesota-based company’s specialty products such as its rosette or
krumkake irons, the Micro-Go-Round or Dave’s most famed invention, the
Bundt pan, of which about 50 million have been sold. Dave succeeded in
business, to be sure, but most importantly he succeeded as a father and
husband. 
H.
David Dalquist, his wife, Dotty, and their boat are well known on Lake
Superior. The family has homes in Grand Marais, Minnesota, and on
Madeline Island, Wisconsin, where they keep Northlander. PHOTOS COURTESY DAVID DALQUIST
When I saw Dave’s boats, first Nordic Venture then Northlander, they were always filled with family.
“I lost my best friend when he died,” his son, David,
president of the family-owned company, says of his dad. “A family
business is tough. We worked together five days a week, we’d have
differences of opinion on what the next step here should be. Then on
Friday around 3 o’clock in the afternoon, we’d turn that off. We’d jump
in the car, head north and spend the weekend together.”
Dave’s love for Lake Superior was deep and his legacy will
remain. The family has asked that memorials be given to the Grand
Marais harbor park or the Madeline Island Historical Museum.
“We wanted to do something for both areas that he loved so much,” Dotty says.
Besides his wife, Dotty, and son David, he is survived by
daughters Linda Jeffrey, Corrine Lynch and Susan Brust and 12
grandchildren.
No question about it, Dave was one of the very finest! Dave, we will miss you.
A selection of Jim Marshall’s columns of lake lore and his inland sea voyages
has been published as Lake Superior Journal: Views from the Bridge
by Lake Superior Port Cities Inc. Follow this link
for more information.
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