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Story by Käri Knutson | Photo by Andrew Link | Winona Daily News
It’s easy to get lost in the miles
of trails behind Saint Mary’s University.
“If I didn’t come out here so frequently, I wouldn’t know my way either,” Brother Jerome Rademacher said.
For 30 years, Rademacher has cared for the trails in between teaching physics at SMU. He’s chainsawed fallen trees. He’s built and rebuilt bridges after storms. He’s gotten up at 2 a.m. to plow snow.
“You can’t do it when you want,” Rademacher said. “You have to do it when the snow flies.”
The other day, he cleaned up after someone’s party in the woods.
“Those darn Winona State kids,” Rademacher jokes.
He used to get mad, but not anymore.
“Kids will be kids,” Rademacher said. “When I was a kid, I did the same thing.”
Lately, the trails have seen a little less of the 72-year-old. It’s harder for him to get around than it used to be, even though he whizzes through the trails on his golf cart.
“I don’t feel it’s that much work,” Rademacher said. “I’m frustrated as hell that I can’t do it.”
So Rademacher is retiring. He’ll still help with the trails as much as he can but will pass the bulk of the work to SMU’s maintenance staff
Rademacher joined the Christian Brothers in 1951 and first came to work at SMU from 1965 to 1969, returning permanently in 1974.
He’s never seen a bear, but he’s seen plenty of deer, turkeys, raccoons, rattlesnakes, coyotes and fox. If there wasn’t regular upkeep of the trails, Rademacher estimates, it would only take two years for them to be completely covered.
“It’s constant.”
SMU vice president for student development Chris Kendall first knew Rademacher when Kendall was a student at SMU.
“One day when I was looking for him, I was told ‘Just listen,’ ” Kendall said.
Rademacher was busy blowing up stumps with dynamite.
Rademacher has gained a reputation for being frugal, looking at equipment in catalogs and then creating his own. When he does buy something to help with the trails, it’s often a bargain he finds at an Army surplus store.
“He has a hard time throwing anything away,” Kendall said.
Rademacher has made the trails’ bridges using wood from fallen trees behind SMU.
He’s happiest when he sees people out enjoying the trails, whether they’re running, skiing, playing disc golf or picking some berries. One couple left a note, crediting walks along the trails for saving their marriage.
“This has been a hobby for me,” Rademacher said. “I’ve enjoyed it.”
Contact Käri Knutson at
kknutson@winonadailynews.comor (507) 453-3523.
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