As the sky turned menacing and the rain poured, Frank Rog tried with all his might to hitch the city of Roseville's puppet trailer to the back of the family station wagon. But when a large gust of wind hit on that stormy day in 1969, it sent the handmade trailer tumbling.
Deflated, Rog, Roseville's parks director, retreated with his family to the safety of the City Hall basement as tornado sirens wailed.
"Looks like we're going to have to build a new puppet trailer," he said.
Within a year, a new trailer was built.
Rog, who died Sept. 24 of complications related to Parkinson's disease, worked as the city of Roseville's parks and recreation director for 27 years before serving four years as mayor. He's credited with creating the city's park system, which includes the 225-acre Central Park. He was 83.
The story of that stormy Sunday is one that his son, Chris, shares often.
Rog, who grew up in northeast Minneapolis, was the youngest of six children born to parents who immigrated from Poland. As a teen, he was "super tall" with pimply skin, his daughter, Margaret Rog, said. That experience of feeling awkward stuck with him, and he later taught his children to reach out to those who may feel left out, she said.
Sports became Rog's passion. He was a star athlete at Edison High School and played football, basketball and baseball. He went on to play football at the University of Minnesota in 1953 and 1954 and became the first college graduate in his family.
Rog met his future wife — Janet Gareis — on a blind date when he was 19 and she was 17. She was a Lutheran who attended Washburn High, he was a Catholic who had graduated from Edison.
"It was seen as crossing the tracks and a mixed marriage back then," Margaret Rog said. The couple had four children.
Rog began work as Roseville's parks and recreation director in 1960. During his first years, he helped the city win voter approval for a bond issue that enabled it to purchase large tracts of vacant land that, over time, were developed into parks, Chris Rog said. People questioned what he was doing, but Rog had the foresight to see the potential of the land, his son said.
"The park system was laid out through his efforts and the city really developed around that park system," said Lonnie Brokke, Roseville's current parks and recreation director.
Rog also helped develop many park amenities and activities, such as the youth recreation program and expansive trail system. He was instrumental in the development of the Roseville Skating Center, as well.
"He used to say he was so lucky he was the director of fun and games," Margaret Rog said.
For Rog, parks were more than just green space. "I think for him, the parks were about places for people to gather," his daughter said.
Today, the city's park system is a draw for new residents, Mayor Dan Roe said.
"One of the reasons they move here, especially if they've got a young family, is the parks system," Roe said.
Rog was inducted into the Edison High Hall of Fame in 2002 and the Roseville Area Youth Hockey Association Hall of Fame in 2012. He also received Edison's Distinguished Alumni Award in June 2014.
The Central Park amphitheater was renamed after him in 2009. In 2002, Rog published a book titled "Let Me Be Frank," that chronicled his adventurous childhood growing up near the Mississippi River in the '30s and '40s.
In addition to his wife and children Chris and Margaret, Rog is survived by another daughter, Liz Rog, and six grandchildren. One child preceded him in death. A celebration of his life will be held from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Oct. 19 at the Roseville Skating Center, 2661 Civic Center Dr. in Roseville.
