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Thursday, September 02, 2010
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| | Email this article • Print this article | Arne and Miriam Lagus Grand Marshal for Wannigan Days
Staff
The Wannigan Days celebration is always a festive event, but this year, it will have added significance as two institutions-St. Croix Regional Medical Center and Eagle Valley Bank-celebrate 90th anniversaries.
Serving as this year's Wannigan Days parade Grand Marshals from St. Croix Falls will be St. Croix Regional Medical Center's Dr. Arne Lagus, and his wife, Miriam Lagus. These remarkable people have contributed much to the Medical Center and to the communities it serves, since they came to St. Croix Falls in 1966. Escorting them in a classic Bonneville convertible will be Iver and Jan Kammerud, formerly with Eagle Valley Bank.
The natural beauty of the river and canoeing first attracted Dr. Lagus to the area. A University of Minnesota Medical School graduate and Board Certified in Family Medicine and Geriatrics, Lagus was the seventh physician to join the medical staff of the St. Croix Falls Clinic.
"I had a strong interest in cardiology, dermatology, and sports medicine in addition to family medicine," Lagus said, "and I was considering returning to school in one of those subspecialties." In the end, however, he couldn't decide which he wanted most and so he continued in family practice. Lagus had opportunities to join other clinics in the Twin Cities and elsewhere, but says that he was so impressed with the quality of the physicians, nurses, and other staff at the clinic and hospital that he had to stay. "It was just too good a medical center to chance leaving, and looking back, this was clearly a good decision! Over the years, I believe we have maintained those very high standards of care."
In addition to his medical practice, Lagus has served on the Clinic Board of Directors, the Board of Wisconsin Academy Family Physicians, and has been active for many years in the Wisconsin Medical Society, where he now serves on the Board of Directors, playing an important role in policy recommendations for the state of Wisconsin. The Society has endorsed a statewide ban on indoor smoking and the need for health insurance reform. Lagus is also currently on the Polk County Board of Health.
For many years, Miriam Lagus has been a volunteer par excellence. She has given nearly 7,000 documented hours, (and many more that were never tallied) to St. Croix Regional Medical Center. Her contributions include organizing and directing the volunteer fundraising project at Dayton's Department Store (now Macy's) and Herberger's for over 25 years, organizing and guiding kindergarten tours, and various positions on the SCRMC Auxiliary's Board of Directors.
Miriam's volunteer reach extended beyond her work at SCRMC into the community at large. Those contributions included master gardener volunteer hours, membership on the Boards of the St. Croix Falls Library, Festival Theatre, and Wisconsin Interstate Park; vision and hearing screening for the St. Croix Falls school district, serving on task forces and committees for her church, and Polk County Medical Society Auxiliary President. Miriam also has been chairing a fundraising project for the roof restoration of her father's 500-year old church building in Martna, Estonia. Since 1998, this group has raised over $90,000.
Both Miriam and Dr. Lagus were honored with the St. Croix Valley Health Care Foundation's Health Care Advocate award which is presented each year by the Foundation to recognize the efforts of an individual who promotes the ideals of healthcare and who contributes significant time and effort to further the mission of healthcare in the local community.
Dr. Lagus not only advocates an active and healthy lifestyle for all; he is also a fitness role model. He exercises on a daily basis and continues to compete in the 30-mile Birkebeiner ski race; still finishing in less than four hours. In addition to cross-country skiing, he and Miriam enjoy hiking and biking. He is a member of St. Croix Falls/Taylors Falls Rotary and enjoys participating in choral music. The Lagus' have two sons, John and Mark, and three grandsons Sam, Matthew and Jacob.
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