When Tom Super took the oath of office as councilman for the city of Middle River, Jaws was the #1 movie, gasoline was 57 cents a gallon, the sliding hill and tennis court were not here, there was an average of 22 students in each grade at MR School, most of our streets were gravel, and everyone had a telephone hanging on the kitchen wall and had to stay within the length of the cord to talk! Times have changed but one thing has not -- Tom Super's dedication to the city of Middle River. Tom was born and raised in Mentor, graduating from high school in 1967. He graduated from Moorhead State College in 1972 and worked part time on the Burlington Northern railroad. He had just started his first teaching job at Sacred Heart in East Grand Forks when he was notified of a job opening with the Soo Line Railroad in Thief River Falls. In May of 1974 he moved to Middle River with his wife of 6 months, KayDell Henning. Tom recalls, “Instead of moving to Thief River Falls we chose to live in Middle River because of my love for hunting and also because of my friendship with my father in law Eddie Henning.”
Tom wasn’t elected to the City Council in the conventional way. He did not run for the position, but instead was contacted by a city council member to fill a position left empty in January of 1975. Other members on the council at that time were Ron Moen, George Fricker, and Eddie Johnson. The City Clerk was Don Fredine, John Meland was serving as Mayor. Tom’s first position with the council was that of street commissioner, and he held that position until his retirement earlier this year. Tom remembers staying out in Kenmare, ND, working on the train, “when the owner of the motel had to wake me for a phone call. When I got to the phone it was a council member asking for permission to have the streets plowed after a storm! From that time on, we made sure that in case of emergencies, the council could act on emergency services!”
Tom served on the Middle River City Council from 1975 to 2021 and he spent his last two years in city leadership as Mayor, from 2021 to 2022. Tom only decided to run for mayor because no one else had signed up on the deadline day with only a half hour to go!
There have been many improvements and projects around Middle River through the years of Tom’s service. Some that he u is most proud of seeing are the “sewer system, curb and gutter, road improvements, new water tower (even though I would still like to see it painted camo!), a second town well, new fire hall/maintenance shop, Legacy Center. I also served on the fire department for 25 years, so it is nice to see the upgraded and efficient fire department and EMS service we offer in Middle River.
And just the people and town in general.”
As a council member, one of the difficulties he names is dealing with government mandates and requirements for a small town. Serving on the council is something that more people should consider. Tom has the following advice for those that are interested in serving in public office, “We need people to step up and continue to serve our community. It is nothing to be afraid of – this city is a well-oiled machine with citizens who work together like family. We're all in this together and Middle River has the best workers and volunteers you could ask for. All the citizens in general were very cooperative and easy to work with and I especially appreciate the office and maintenance staff that always kept our city running smoothly and made sure our city was a neat town to be proud of.”
Tom has “always been proud to say I am from Middle River - especially when people in the area or even outside the area would mention all the good things we do, how nice the people are, or all the exciting events we sponsor. I am thankful for the opportunity to serve this great town. Rock on Middle River!”
Thank you, Tom, for your many years of dedication and service to this community. 47 years is an amazing accomplishment and shows the love you truly have for the people that call Middle River home.
