Walt Lindala

I was born on December 14th, 1967 in Hancock, MI at what was the time St. Joseph's Hospital and was raised in the nearby town of Chassell, MI, graduating from Chassell High School in 1986. I was an only child and grew up immersed in the Finnish culture. My mother was originally from Rauma, Finland, and my father was a first-generation Finnish-American. Our home was filled with Finnish decor, foods and, of course, a sauna. The Finnish language was spoken regularly by my parents and many family friends. As a result, I learned the Finnish language at an early age, and, apparently, I spoke Finnish before English! The language aspect was one of the most unique experiences, because we often spoke in "Finnglish," which is an amalgamation of both languages that worked for us in our humble home. I grew up surrounded by what I affectionately call the "Suomi Kutsuu" generation. Finn Power was a big part of my upbringing, and we visited Finland twice when I was a child. In 1986, I enrolled at Northern Michigan University in Marquette and came to study Mass Communications and Broadcast Production. It was while I was at NMU that I met April Kelly, who became my wife in 1990. April's upbringing has its own unique immigrant-related perspective as she was raised by a father with Syrian immigrant lineage and a mother who was born and raised on the Six Nations Reserve in Ontario, Canada. I learned a lot about other aspects of world cultures through April and her parents, and I am very glad she came into my life! I have spent the last 30 or so years in the radio business and have worked as Network News Director at Great Lakes Radio in Marquette, MI since 1998. I have been involved in several community groups, events and activities, and over the years have been involved in Finn Fest when it has been held in Marquette.