WHO’S WHO IN WALWORTH COUNTY:

Mr. Harold Friestad, Chairman

Kishwauketoe Nature Conservancy,

Interview by: T. Allen Dyer

Question: Mom or dad?

Harold Friestad:  My dad had the greatest impact on my early childhood, decision-making, and looking into the future. My mother kept the family together and in a loving environment all my life. My dad was from Norway, and he took great joy in fishing and the outdoors, so I ended up on the water, managing the Gage family’s Geneva Lake Cruise Line for 49 years.

Question: Sunlight or Moonlight?

Harold Friestad:  I love nature, so they’re both very significant to me. I’m out in the morning and evening. I just love being outside because there’s always something going on that I can be part of in this area. I have an app that reminds me if I skip even one day outdoors. In my youth I participated in the American Birkebeiner, the largest x-country ski race in America.

Question: Wine or Water?

Harold Friestad:  Water. Again, I love nature and spent so much time on the lake. When I was village president of Williams Bay, we all decided that the property that Kishwauketoe is located on today, with its two spring fed streams that support the Geneva Lake’s overall health, were worth preserving because the wetlands are so significant to our watershed.

Question: Children or Pets?

Harold Friestad:  I have three wonderful children and we always had pets. I always stayed in shape and jogged enough to keep three chocolate labs healthy.

Question: Music or Movies?

Harold Friestad:  I was always into music, listening to the big bands as a boy, and I played tuba in high school. Lots of marching bands and back then you had to have a couple of tuba players. I enjoy any music that is well performed, classical, pop and everything in between. Music can really take your mind off the negative things and focus on more positive ones in life. Music matters.

Question: Pagan or Prayer?

Harold Friestad:  Prayer. A very important part of my life remains the conservancy, so I climb the steepest Kishwauketoe hill every day and once I’m at the top, I thank God for putting me at the right place, at the right time. Because, all of the situation, we had this super fantastic preserve.  I look out from that hilltop and see nothing but nature, unobstructed by anything manmade.

Question: Beach or Forest?

Harold Friestad:  Extremely difficult question because I love the beach and water, and having forests makes it clear that all of nature is so important and that it’s all tied together. You are part of nature and the more you love and respect it, the better it can be a part of your life.

Question: Work or Play?

Harold Friestad:  I’ve always worked 50-60 hours a week.  All my time, donated or employed, is like play.