Fred H. Olson's bio page

Fred H. Olson                       List manager of COHOUSING-L          Updated a little June 2011
fholson at cohousing.org                 email list.                     Some more current info in Fred's BLOG
(612)588-9532                       urban / community activist
near north area of
Minneapolis, MN  55411   USA       Internet advocate
                                   Picture of Fred 3/98

• Scandanavian-American born in 1947 (65 in 2012) who was raised in a small NW Iowa town
• Spouse of a career woman / quilter, Becca
• Older parent of one child, Andrew, adopted as infant in 1989 from Peru. Pictures of Andrew: Fall 2005    
  Aug 2009   Aug 2012 with fish (Bass) he caught   U of MN graduation 12/13/12
• Iowa State University, B.S. 1969 in Math
• Member of First Unitarian Society - FUS an ethical and liberal religious community dedicated to promoting the ongoing search for truth and to affirming the inherent worth of the individual.
• Since 7/7/77, a resident of the Homewood area of the Willard-Homewood neighborhood in Near North Minneapolis, a racially mixed inner city neighborhood (by Minneapolis standards) Homewood Article
• Active bicyclist (as transport mode in the city primarily)   Fred on recumbent bike Nov 2009 which I rode for about 2 years. Fred on bent I now ride: (2016) Vision, short wheel base , underseat steering
  Rover recumbent tadpole trike Becca got in June 2011
• Amateur radio operator, call: WB0YQM - as of 1/06 we monitor 146.49 MHz simplex but require CTCSS/PL tone 250.3 Hz to reduce intermod. (not currently in use 12/12)

I manage a number of discussions and announcement services on the Internet using "mailing list" (listserv) systems. For an introduction to what a mailing list is see: About mailing lists. I now do this as Communications for Justice - justcomm.org The main list I manage is the Cohousing-L email list. I started it in Oct 1992. As of 6/11 it has been stable at about 800 subscribers and 100+ messages per month.

Some other things I do / participate in:

• Using Internet since about December 1991
• Using Linux and Open Source software; nearly Microsoft free.
• Organizing on my block to build community, sometimes called Homewood Cohousing Community , with cohousing-like goals.
• Block club co-captain
• The Cohousing Association of the United States (Coho/US)
• Bicycle activism.
  • Bassett's Creek section of Luce Line trail compromise route finally built 2002. Last section from Wirth Parkway to Douglas Drive in Golden Valley completed summer 2009
  • North Mpls Bike Taskforce founded Feb 2004. Fred is chair. See N Mpls Bikeways 3/05

• Former contract computer programmer (embedded systems in FORTH)
• In 1996 I "published" Tom O'Connell's PhD Thesis on the WWW. History of the Farmer-Labor Movement
• In Feb of 1999 I particpated in a week long Circle Peacemaking training. I maintain a little circle web site and announcement mailing list. See Circles-MN
• Twin Cities Cohousing Network
• Community computing Twin Cities Freenet
• South High School where Andrew was in class of 2007 in the Open Program
• In June of 1999 Fred (only) spent two weeks in Sweden and Denmark. Most of it was touring cohousing with 7 other American cohousing enthusiasts. See: Denmark cohousing pictures. I also visited relatives and attended three Midsummer celebrations in Gagnef in Dalarna area of Sweden and visited cousins in Denmark also. In Nov. 1999 I made my pictures and the cohousing pictures (above) into a computer based "slide show". Fred's 3 Window DK99 trip slide show     Fred's DK99 trip slide show
• In April 2000 I participated in a weekend Hopework folk school retreat I think people interested in folk schools have a lot in common with those interested in the circle process.
• Formerly involved with food coops and community orgs of various kinds
• Renovated (did the work) our house '77-'80 thru Urban Homestead program