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<br />A. Robert L. Searles, 535 Harrington Road,
<br />Wayzata, Minnesota.
<br />Q. Mr. Searles, do I understand that you are
<br />a former mayor of the City of Orono and former city
<br />council member of the City of Orono?
<br />A. That's right.
<br />Q. And that you have been involved over the
<br />years in the grain business in the twin cities, is
<br />that correct?
<br />A. That's correct.
<br />0. And that you have been a member of tha
<br />Woodhill Country Club since shortly after World
<br />War II?
<br />A. That's correct.
<br />Q. And that you were an Orono resident for 32
<br />years, approximately?
<br />A. Exactly right, yes.
<br />Q. Could you, for the Court, Just go back and
<br />first of all give me a brief background of your
<br />education and employment?.
<br />A. Well, I went to --1 was living in Leone,
<br />New Jersey growing up. I went to the Englewood
<br />School for Boys in Englewood, New jersey. 1
<br />graduated in 1936. 1 went to Princeton University,
<br />graduated in 1940. And that completes my
<br />SCLAFANI WILLIAMS COURT REPORTERS, INC.
<br />SARASOTA, FLORIDA (941) 954-0020
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<br />Grain Traders Association?
<br />A. That's right, yes.
<br />Q. Is that the line of -
<br />In terms of your business activities, did
<br />you stay in that line of business until retirement?
<br />A. That's t'’ue. yes.
<br />Q. And approximately when did you either
<br />retire or begin to scale back your business?
<br />A. Well. I began to -- you used the right
<br />term. 1 began to scale back when 1 was elected
<br />into the legislature in 1976. \nd I found that I
<br />couldn't fulfill both jobs at the same time, so 1
<br />had to concentrate on being in the state capital.
<br />Q. Now, after World War li when you moved to
<br />Minnesota, where did you move to?
<br />A. I lived in a property that is half in
<br />Wayzata and half in Orono, known as Summit Park
<br />Farm, and we lived over the garage there.
<br />And we lived there off and on for about
<br />four years. Part of the time Cargill moved us to
<br />New York for a year and back again.
<br />In 1950, or in *51, we decided to build
<br />our own home, which we did in Orono, at 575 North
<br />Femdale. And we built a home there and lived
<br />there for 32 years.
<br />SCLAFANI WILLIAMS COURT REPORTERS, INC.
<br />SARASOTA, FLORIDA (941) 954-0020
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<br />education, although I've tried to learn something
<br />in the meantime.
<br />Q. I take it you then - after 1940 --
<br />A. I was in the Navy for five years.
<br />Q. Served in the Navy for five years?
<br />A. That's right.
<br />Q. And then after your service in the Navy
<br />during World War II, did you then move to
<br />Minnesota?
<br />A. I did. I got a job with Cargill and
<br />worked with them as a trainee, and went into
<br />12 business - that's in 1946. I went into business
<br />13 for myself in 1950.
<br />14 Q. And what was the nature of your business?
<br />15 A. 1 was a futures broker and trader on the
<br />16 Minneapolis Grain-
<br />17 Q. At the Minneapolis Grain Exchange?
<br />18 A. - Exchange. That's right.
<br />19 I was on that board, and I was president
<br />20 of the exchange at one time. And on the National
<br />21 Grain Trade Council, I was on that board and was
<br />22 president of that, too.
<br />23 Q. And so your business career centered
<br />24 around the grain trade and your positions with both
<br />25 the Minneapolis Grain Exchange and the National
<br />SCLAFANI WILLIAMS COURT REPORTERS, INC.
<br />SARASOTA, FLORIDA (941) 954-0020
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<br />Q. And I take it during that entire time you ■*
<br />were married?
<br />A. Thai's right, yes. Four children.
<br />Q. And during that same period of time, did
<br />you become a member of the Woodhill Country Club?
<br />A. Yes. This is a family thing. My wife’s
<br />family were members, so 1 just sort of backed in as
<br />the husband of a member.
<br />Q. So from the time you moved here after the
<br />war until today, you have remained an active member
<br />of the club?
<br />A. That’s right.
<br />Q. And sometime in the 1980s, I take it you
<br />14 sold your home in Orono?
<br />15 A. That's right, in 1983. And as we built
<br />1 6 this - built another home in Wayzata and moved
<br />17 into that in mid 1984, and we've lived there since
<br />18 then.
<br />19 Q. I would now like you to walk me through
<br />20 your involvement with any groups, city government
<br />21 in Orono, beginning with your first involvement,
<br />22 which I believe you indicated prior to the
<br />?3 deposition was a stint with the Orono Planning
<br />24 Commission, is that correct?
<br />25 A. That's true. Orono was incorporated in
<br />SCLAFANI WILLIAMS COURT REPORTERS, INC.
<br />SARASOTA, FLORIDA (941) 954-0020
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