Rob Thomas, Executive Director of the Lakeshore Players Theatre was our speaker today. Rob also leads the White Bear Lake Historical Society. His focus today was on his own very interesting history. Rob grew up near Bemidji, MN as part of the Dakota band of Native Americans. As a lighter-skinned member of this group, he had a hard time deciding where he fit in and did not celebrate his culture. This changed after he graduated from college and moved to Florida for work. He gradually gained a great sense of pride for the culture and customs of his native people. He does not have children of his own but he shares his history with nieces and nephews so that they will have that same sense of pride. As we know, our government has made some terrible mistakes, including forbidding Native Americans from practicing their religion and languages for a time. There is much tragedy here but Rob focuses on the positives. One custom he spoke about was the Dakota saying "Don't ever take something unless you are prepared to give something in return." He saw this in practice every day growing up and tries to live by it now.