Brooklyn Historical Hall of Fame Additions

Chapter 14 of The Brooklyns is "Halls of Fame". It has the biographies previously mentioned, all from Brooklyn Center, plus two more from Brooklyn Park.  One was Eldon Tessman who is still living and active today.  The other, who I will cover now, was Evelyn Schmidt. 

Evelyn Schmidt

From her obituary, published in the Star Tribune on July 4, 2007, we know of these life accomplishments: 

• Evelyn began her career in the 1940's in home construction, real estate development and brokerage. 
• She founded and was President of Brook Park Realty, Inc. until her retirement in 2000. 
• In addition to developing several thousand residential lots, building apartments and office buildings, she was especially proud of her part in developing the Edinburgh USA Golf Course and the executive housing surrounding it. 
• She was a guiding hand in the early development of the City of Brooklyn Park, especially involved in the development of the City park system. 
• Her favorite project was the Brooklyn Park Historical Farm to which she made many donations. 
• She was one of the founders of the Community Emergency Assistance Program (CEAP) and an advocate for "meals on wheels". 
• She was Grand Marshall of the Tater Daze parade in 1971 and Co-Grand Marshall in 1998. *
• She was one of the charter members of the North Hennepin Community College Foundation [1981], which she supported throughout the years and served as the first Director Emeritus. 
• In 1993 she received the North Hennepin Chamber of Commerce Business Person of the Year Award.
• In 1997 she received the Paul Harris Fellow Award, the Rotary Club's highest honor for volunteerism. She was the first community non-Rotary Club member to receive this honorarium. 

*In 1998, Evelyn  and Eldon Tessman were were Grand Marshals of the Tater Daze parade in honor of their induction to the Brooklyn Park Hall of Fame.

More from The Brooklyns:

As one of the city’s more prominent developers, she was part of building the foundation and roots of the community as it is today.  Evelyn and Herman Schmidt, and Tom and Vivian Thompson, bought the Back Way Motel on Highway 81 in 1950. When they sold the motel in 1951, Evelyn kept part of the land, bought five acres to the north, platted and developed lots, and built her first houses. Evelyn continued buying, developing, and selling lots until 1959.

She built the Villa del Coronado Apartments (192 units) in 1968. At this time, she met Fred M. Seed, vice president of Cargill, Inc. and she, her son Bob, and Fred, entered into a partnership to buy many farms in Brooklyn Park for future development. Evelyn and Bob formed Brook Park Realty, Inc.

After 34 years, Brook Park Realty, Inc., has successfully developed several thousand lots for single-family homes, townhouses, apartments, and buildings for commercial and industrial use. A few years after they started working with Fred Seed, he died of cancer. They have worked with Fred's son, Jim, since then.

After reviewing her family history, one can see how instrumental she was as Brooklyn Township transition into Brooklyn Park in 1954.