John Monson's Bio
Posted by Steve Frazier
Our Program for November 23rd was presented by our newest member, Jon Monson, in the form of a personal profile.
The historical data he presented included the facts that he graduated from Robbinsdale High School in 1970, and from college in 1976 with a B.A. in Architecture. He and his wife Mary have been married for 34 years, and have 3 children, all "out of the nest". Two of his children live in Excelsior, and the youngest is in Colorado living his skiing dream. The family home is in Deephaven, in a restored historic residence.
The theme of his biography presentation was the continuity in his life: the recurring people and places in his lifestory. He emphasized how the Excelsior area is a place where continuity is recognized and appreciated. Jon claims to be a "contrarian", as he is usually bucking the popular trends.
After graduating from college, into a bad job market in 1976, he found a job outside of the building industry. He was offered a a position with an architecture firm about a year later at a 40% reduction in pay. Because his wife had a good job, he was able to take the job and start his career in architecture. In a relatively short time, he formed his own partnership and soon became a "working architect", designing and building homes, and restoring existing structures. His big project in downtown Excelsior is the old hardware store, now Jake O'Connor's. (Story by Tad Shaw and posting and photo by Steve Frazier)
The historical data he presented included the facts that he graduated from Robbinsdale High School in 1970, and from college in 1976 with a B.A. in Architecture. He and his wife Mary have been married for 34 years, and have 3 children, all "out of the nest". Two of his children live in Excelsior, and the youngest is in Colorado living his skiing dream. The family home is in Deephaven, in a restored historic residence.
The theme of his biography presentation was the continuity in his life: the recurring people and places in his lifestory. He emphasized how the Excelsior area is a place where continuity is recognized and appreciated. Jon claims to be a "contrarian", as he is usually bucking the popular trends.
After graduating from college, into a bad job market in 1976, he found a job outside of the building industry. He was offered a a position with an architecture firm about a year later at a 40% reduction in pay. Because his wife had a good job, he was able to take the job and start his career in architecture. In a relatively short time, he formed his own partnership and soon became a "working architect", designing and building homes, and restoring existing structures. His big project in downtown Excelsior is the old hardware store, now Jake O'Connor's. (Story by Tad Shaw and posting and photo by Steve Frazier)