Photo: Steve Ward
Frank Cardarelle has lived in Edina for 93 years. His family history here began in 1874 when his great-grandmother moved to the area. His grandfather was on Edina’s first school board, and Frank graduated in the first class of Edina High School in 1951. Frank and Lois Cardarelle (an Edina resident for only 72 years) raised their children near the site of the family farm.
Frank often left Wooddale School early to help his father survey land, which eventually led to his land development business, Cardarelle & Associates. “We were so busy,” Frank says of the growth of Edina and Eden Prairie. “We were platting as fast as we could.”
Frank belongs to Edina Rotary Club and was a founder of the historical society and a leader in planning Fourth of July parades and the Edina Veterans Memorial. “Frank helped make Edina what it is,” Lois says.
It’s entirely fitting that our city has the street Lois Lane, named by Edina’s Superman for his favorite collaborator.
Laura Westlund is an arts writer and editor.
