On Sunday, November 6, Philip Anderson, who resided in Willmar, Minnesota, passed away at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He was surrounded by his wife, daughters, and grandson at the time of his passing. On Friday, November 18th, from 4:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m., relatives and friends are invited to pay their respects at the Harvey Anderson Funeral Home. On Saturday, November 19, at 2:00 p.m., there will be a memorial ceremony held at Vinje Lutheran Church. Visitation will take place at the church one hour before to the service.
The birth of Philip Burton Anderson took place on July 20, 1936, at St. Mary’s Hospital in Rochester, Minnesota, during a heat wave that broke all previous records. His parents, Moppy Anderson and Allene [Michener] Anderson, were from Preston. The year 1954 marked Phil’s graduation from Preston, Minnesota, where he had completed elementary school, junior high school, and high school. But Phil was absent from school for more than thirteen weeks during the seventh grade because he suffered from scarlet fever and rheumatic fever.
He developed a passion for model railroading during this time period, and he built a large number of models for his HO size trains. This was a hobby that he continued to pursue throughout his entire life.
As a student in high school, he participated in a variety of athletic activities. He was a member of the championship baseball squad as well as the basketball team. His passion for athletics extended all the way up until the end of his life. Throughout his entire life, he would be devoted to the sport of his choice.
In the summer following his graduation from high school, Phil worked at Glacier National Park. It was there that he developed a deep appreciation for mountains and hiking. He frequently shared the story of his 26-mile hike that he completed in a single day.
For the purpose of assisting his brother Kinsey in the launch of high-altitude cosmic ray balloons, Phil travelled to Fort Churchill, Manitoba, Canada, in the year 1957. The first two years of Phil’s collegiate career were spent at Carleton collegiate, which is located in Northfield, Minnesota.
In the middle of his junior year, he made the decision to switch to the architectural programme at the University of Minnesota. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1963 in addition to a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the same institution. In recognition of his work in architecture, he was awarded the Thomas F. Ellerbe prize.
