Eric Oslund, CNN Anchor, Dies at 87

By Eric Oslund

            Eric Oslund, who was a staple on CNN for two decades, died on Wednesday in his home in Farmington, Minn. He was 87.He died of natural causes one day in his sleep, said his wife, Emma.

Everyone that ever watched CNN would always remember Mr. Oslund. “He was always a joy to be around, and people seemed to just be drawn to him,” said one of his CNN teammates. He brought the news from around the world on a daily basis, and always was able to keep his composure no matter how saddening the story was.

Born on December 6, 1991 in Rochester Minn. The first comment ever made about him was by his Grandmother Bonnie Closson. She said, “Look at the butter-ball turkey thighs on him.”

Mr. Oslund was the oldest of two; he also had a younger brother, Brady Oslund. These two were as close as brothers could get, they would act as though they were each other’s best friends.

The reasoning for this could be because the only stable thing for the two of them growing up was one another. Both of their parents got divorced twice, once from each other. Also their mother, whom they lived with, suffered with eating disorders and alcoholism, so she was in and out of hospitals often during their high school years. However their father Craig Oslund would always tell them, “Guys you have had a much harder life than most kids your age have had, but everything that has happened will just make you stronger.”

Mr. Oslund always seemed to be comfortable being in front of people. He was in plays throughout his school years, and also a captain of his high school speech team. “He just always seemed comfortable in front of others,” said his brother Brady. “It made me always excited to see what he would do next.”

Eric having fun during his college years.
Photo by Eric Oslund

           What he proceeded to do next was attended Bemidji State University where he decided to try out his hand in the department of mass communications. While doing this he took a video production class where he was forced to do 15 hours of on field news production, including be on air.

            He soon found out that he was very comfortable being on the air, and actually enjoyed it. This liking led to him paying more and more attention to mass communications, and he eventually graduated with a bachelor’s degree in that very area of study.

            It was after college, were he met the love of his life Emma Smith. One random day during the summer months his friends brought him along a trip to the boundary waters. One of his friends brought along his girlfriend, and she brought some of her friends, one of which was Emma.

            They hit it off great together and continued to see each other after the trip. They eventually got married in a church in Lakeville, Minn.

            Mr. Oslund proceeded to obtain jobs at multiple local news broadcasting stations, but always wanted more. His wife Emma said, “he was always trying to do bigger and better things, and never seemed satisfied till he succeeded.”

            It was this hard work and determination that finally landed him a job with a major news network. He was given a job with CNN. He did not start at the top though, like most other jobs Mr. Oslund had to start at the bottom and work his way up.

            This job entailed him being on the film team that would film major stories around the world. He was happy and content with his job, but he always envisioned himself as doing something more with his life. That moment came on a news story-taking place in China.

            The story took place in the year 2030 and was about part of the great wall being ruined by an earthquake. Once the team arrived on the scene the, then, news broadcaster came down with food poisoning and was unable to go on the air, so Mr. Oslund stepped in and delivered a flawless broadcast.  He continued to cover stories around the world, until he was promoted to the lead anchor, and now the rest is history.

            Although he loved his job, Mr. Oslund eventually, like most people, retired from CNN. Both he and his wife then decided to travel the world together, and visit all 50 states in the USA.

           

            They also devoted a lot of their time and effort helping out those less fortunate. “Eric knew that he lived a good life,” said his wife Emma. “I think that’s why he always wanted to give to others.”

            Mr. Oslund married Emma Smith, and they remained married for 54 years. Including his partner, he is survived by his two sons, Nyle, and Drew, and a daughter Grace; also four grandchildren. 

TO THE EDITOR:
            Re “Court Weighs Who Defends Proposition 8” (page A18, Sept. 7):

The issue of same-sex marriage is getting too drawn out. This should be a decision made by the federal government, not by the states. When it is made by the states we have different rulings all over the country, which ultimately leads to more problems.

The primary problem is that when two people of the same sex get married in a state where it is legal, I don’t know if that marriage is allowed/acknowledged in a state where same sex marriage is banned.

This question should have been answered in the article. Are the same-sex marriages that took place in California, before Proposition 8, still seen as valid marriages by the state?

ERIC OSLUND
Bemidji, Minn., Sept. 7, 2011

Why Do I Want School To Start?

Valleyfair Amusement Park & Soak City is a place for families to have a good time while employees work to stay sane.

By Eric Oslund



Lifeguards enjoying themselves during some nice weather. Photo by Rachel Lentsch



            As the largest amusement park in Minnesota and surrounding area, Valleyfair is the place where many families go to have a good time. Whether it be the gut-wrenching drop of the Power Tower, The screams of the Steel Venom, or just the sheer speed of the Renegade, people come from all over to get some of the excitement Valleyfair has to offer.

            Sadly, the employees of this place do not experience the same joys as the happy visitors. During the summer of 2011, I was one of those employees, and I can honestly say it was the first summer that I wanted to end and could not wait for school to start.

            For me, Valleyfair was a place I dreaded to go to. Now this may not be true for everyone, or for every department, but from what I heard the majority of people felt the same. I worked as a lifeguard, and got promoted to a head-lifeguard half way through the year.

Many people are shocked to learn I hated such a job, especially since I was a head-lifeguard. Some of my friends would say, “You get to sit in the sun all day, work on your tan, and look at hot chicks in bikinis! That sounds like a sweet gig to me.” The truth is that some of these factors actually made the job a bad one.

Yes I got to sit out in the sun all day, but I also had to wear a t-shirt all day to protect myself from the sun, so now I have terrible tan lines which most of my t-shirts do not cover. The shirt that I had to wear was a heavy cotton/polyester blend that did not breathe. It was torture having to wear that during the super hot and humid days this past summer.

It was not only the hot blistering days that made this job bad, but also the freezing cold and rainy ones. Valleyfair basically never closes so we would have to stand out in the freezing cold or blistering hot weather. We even had to stand out through severe thunderstorms. I remember one storm in particular, in which it was raining so hard I could not see across the pool; and once the rained eased up we could see lightning striking surrounding areas.

            Another thing that made this job lousy was the pay and the long hours. I got paid $8.10 an hour for being a head-lifeguard, which is less than most regular lifeguards make across the state. To add insult to injury, I worked 60+ hours every week, sometimes up to 70, and since it was a seasonal job, Valleyfair did not have to pay us overtime.



            Since I was working so many hours, I did not have time to see my good friends from high school, or do the things I enjoy doing. Yes I did get one day off a week, but after being outside and working 60+ hours al you want to do on your day off is stay inside and relax.





This job was not all bad, however, I had the chance to meet lots of fun people and make great friends. “The people here are the only thing that make this job bearable,” one of my fellow lifeguards said, “If it was not for them I would have quit long ago.” It was actually very difficult to find someone who liked their job, but I feel as though the pitfalls of the job brought us all closer together.



Lifeguards, trying to stay warm, during a cold day of trainin. Photo by Rachel Lentsch