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That presence is the Hamline Hi-Rise apartment complex. I had heard from friends that it was a home for elderly folk and, recalling my experiences working at an elderly day home in high school, I become nostalgic.

I decide to check it out.

Knock knock. I press my face up against the glass and peer inside the locked door. A mass of older women gaze back at me.

Finally, one of the women not seated in an electronic lumbar chair lets me in. I introduce myself to the crowd of seniors selling raffle tickets seated at a long table.

A tiny woman in pink with manicured fingernails grabs my attention. She tells me to pull up a chair, and so I do. I take a deep breath and seat myself next to her.

The lady in pink is named Juanita Gregory, a feisty and energetic resident who has called Hamline Hi-Rise her home for 18 years.

As I converse with Juanita, whose strong blue eyes garner my full attention, I just cannot help but notice that the room has suddenly grown more quiet. All ears seem to be on Juanita and I. I glance over at the other ladies at the table who are beaming smiles at me. I smile back and turn my attention back to Juanita.

So why did Juanita choose Hamline Hi-Rise?

“They had cable and they let me bring my dog,” she said.
Unfortunately, Juanita had to put her dog to sleep five years back, but she enjoys the company of other pets in the building.

I ask Juanita about the raffle tickets, since they seem to be the table centerpiece. Her seemingly stern demeanor explains her undying commitment to the Hamline Resident Club, for which the ladies are raising money.

When the Resident Club comes up, conversation is now open to all in the gallery and Juanita’s friends have been dying to say something.

Bertha Potter and Irma Schmitz are the other two seated next to us.

Bertha shows off her scooter chair and shows me how she maneuvers at Turtle Lake Casino on their monthly gambling field trip. I wonder to myself, they’re raising money to go blow money? Irma reminisces about the grocery bus the club once had but replaced for the casino trips.

By this point, the room is back to high volume and the four of us are hysterical. This place is kind of fun. I inquire about family histories.

Bertha, a recent widow, is kept busy with many visitors. Her nine great-grandchildren and three grandchildren make stops at the Hamline Hi-Rise with frequency.

Irma, deciding to one-up her friend, announces she has been at the building for over 21 years. She moved in before the complex was a senior citizen residence. The Hamline Hi-Rise was once a facility for disabled and low-income residents, she recalls.

Irma moved in due to back problems. She was 44 when she arrived and has never married. Before running into back issues, Irma worked at Jansen Electronics and Brown & Bigelow. Both were factory jobs.

When asked about Hamline University students, Irma says the only time she sees Hamline students is during election time at the Hamline Hi-Rise voting booth. Guess who arranges that? The ladies are on the move every election season.

Bertha Potter, who is still sitting proudly in her scooter chair, has been quiet for a while. When the conversation turns to baseball, however, she pipes up.

“I am a Minnesota Twins fan,” she says. “Although, before the Twins existed, the Chicago Cubs were my favorite.”

Ms. Potter claims she is not related to Harry Potter, but the gals disagree. There was much talk about a wizard school in the basement and that is the real reason for the raffle tickets.

Bertha also denies connection with wizard school and says her son picked Hamline Hi-Rise as a place for her to live. Bertha lives in one of the apartments, but occasionally gets out on her broom and/or scooter.

Born in Wisconsin, Bertha came to Minnesota in 1954. She had been offered a job as a meatpacker with National Foods but eventually started working at Rainbow Foods.

I knew by the fire in their eyes that these women had a lot more to say than words could describe or time would allow; however, Juanita was just about to lead her crew into a rigorous meeting to discuss the raffle results.

I thanked my new friends for the laughs, and watched as they wheeled/scooted/flew into the conference room/cafeteria.

With more repose than my entrance, I let myself out of the building and smiled, knowing that I had entertained yet another curiosity of the Midway before I graduated. Although I may not be on campus much longer, I can now rest at ease with my neighborly inquisition.

The Hamline Hi-Rise has stood as a staple of the Midway skyline for decades.