Cal Fremling’s book navigates a lifetime of river study

The community of Winona is thought of by many people to be a region made up of  beautiful hills. Many boast of the rough terrain which adds character and beauty to the small Minnesota city along the Mississippi River.

But what if this information is incorrect. What if the "hills" which make up the city of Winona aren't really "hills" at all.

Guess what? Winona isn't a region of hills. According to Winona State University Professor Emeritus of Biology Cal Fremling, the years spent bragging about the beautiful hilly landscape of Winona should be retracted. Why? That's one of the many topics explained in Fremling's book Immortal River: The Upper Mississippi in Ancient and Modern Times, published in January 2005 by The University of Wisconsin Press. The cover of the paper edition is a vivid, wrap-around, low-altitude photo of the Mississippi and the waterfront at La Crosse, Wis.

"I think after reading this book, a trip to La Crosse will never be the same," said Fremling. "People will understand how the rocks got there and they'll realize this area isn't hilly at all. It's actually a plateau that's dissected by valleys."

In fact, traveling to the top of Garvin Heights, in Winona, isn't a trip to the top of a hill; it's a trip out of a valley. Garvin Heights is at the same elevation as the city of Rochester, Minn.

This type of discussion about the geology of the region interests Fremling and sparked his desire to write a book. However, his true passion lies in the ecology of the river, which began many decades ago when he was a young boy growing up in Brainerd, Minn.

"I've been involved with the river all of my life," said Fremling. "I began hunting, fishing, trapping and snorkeling as a pre-teenager. I even created some of my own SCUBA gear. I've been diving with modern SCUBA equipment since 1956.

"Diving has taken me to far-flung lake and oceanic environments, but I've concluded that Australia's Great Barrier Reef is a piece of cake compared to the tailwaters of a navigation dam on the Mississippi, where a diver must contend with zero visibility, strong currents, intense boat traffic, and tangled fishing line festooned with lost fishing lures."

Although Fremling says he wasn't the best student in high school, his love of the outdoors sparked something in him that made him interested in the sciences. In 1951, Fremling received his bachelor of science degree in biology and physical science from St. Cloud State University.

He taught high school for half of a year, but was drafted into the U.S. Army during the Korean War. "Luckily," he said, "after basic training, I was assigned as a biologist to the University of Utah's Ecological Research Unit at Dugway Proving Ground at Tooele, Utah."

After his discharge, he returned to St. Cloud and received his master of science degree in science education in 1955. He taught biology subjects at Eveleth Junior College, in Minnesota, for a year and then returned to graduate school.

After completing his Ph.D. degree in zoology at Iowa State University of Science and Technology in 1959, Fremling joined the faculty at WSU, teaching and doing research for 32 years until his retirement in 1991.

Part of Fremling's research for his Ph. D. thesis concerned the ecology of large Hexagenia mayflies at Keokuk, Iowa. He continued his mayfly research at WSU; earning an international reputation for his use of the insects as indicators of water quality.

"Through my intensive mayfly studies," said Fremling, "I gained valuable insights into the ecology of big rivers."

Fremling's research resulted in his authoring or coauthoring more than 40 publications. His independent studies took him to Iceland, Alaska, Bermuda, Cozumel, the Netherlands, Hawaii, Australia and New Zealand.

At the peak of the Cold War, Fremling traveled across Siberia in the Soviet Union to study Lake Baikal, the world's deepest lake. Fremling swam in the lake, but it was a brief experience. The lake's summer temperature never rises above 39 degrees Fahrenheit.

One of Fremling's former colleagues, Carol Jefferson, WSU biology professor, said Fremling was a very effective and well-liked professor because of his knowledge, enthusiasm and commitment to his profession.

"Cal was my mentor," said Jefferson. "In my opinion, he is the most distinguished faculty member WSU has ever had."

During his career at WSU, Fremling made a great impact on many of his students' lives. Former student Frank Fox, '80, had several classes with Fremling, including ecology and limnology. Fox said he remembers Fremling as being both passionate about the subjects he taught and a very effective communicator.

"My fondest memories are the many trips to the Mississippi backwaters and Lake Winona where we enjoyed the hands-on experience of monitoring the dissolved oxygen levels or documenting temperature stratification," said Fox. "Such experiences revealed that Cal was actually a scientist who happened– fortunately for all of us–to also be an extraordinary professor."

Fremling said his biggest sense of fulfillment while a professor at WSU was working with bright students who came into the biology program unmotivated and left the department as super students and went on to get their Ph.D. degrees.

"It's the old concept," said Fremling, "that a student isn't a vessel to fill. A student is a lamp to light."

Fremling said Winona State was a wonderful place to teach about the river and its valley.

"There aren't many universities where a professor could take a class of 120 students on a 50-minute field trip to a place like the Garvin Heights overlook," said Fremling. "I was blessed to be able to deliver almost 100 lectures about the geology and ecology of the river valley from that magnificent precipice."

About five years before he retired, Fremling realized he had gained a lot of knowledge about the Mississippi River, and wanted to continue to share this knowledge long after his teaching career ended. So he decided to write a book.

"I started writing whenever I had a chance," said Fremling, "and whenever I could persuade the department secretary to do some typing for me because I was so poor at it."

However, with his heavy teaching load, Fremling didn't have the time necessary to write a book. He had to make a decision about his career and his future.

"My wife, Arlayne, and I discussed that if I was ever going to complete my book, I ought to take early retirement and concentrate on it," said Fremling.

During retirement, he disciplined himself to work on the book for half days, five days a week. Then, on his days off, he got to play in the river he loved.

After 14 years,– and word processing the whole book with just two fingers– the knowledge Fremling had stored in his head was available for everyone. Fremling feels deeply indebted to his colleagues who encouraged him and critically reviewed the chapters in his book, to his wife for keeping him on task, and to his students.

"I love teaching," said Fremling. "I didn't take early retirement because I was tired of teaching. On the contrary, writing the book allows me to keep teaching; not only to college students, but also to laypeople and other biologists."

Former student Dean Selleseth, '83, is a principal scientist in biochemical and analytical pharmacology for GlaxoSmithKline. He said Fremling's teachings laid the foundation of the environmental consciousness that guides him every time he steps into the woods or launches his boat.

"Dr. Fremling's book, Immortal River, has special significance to me, since I lived next to the Mississippi River for the first 22 years of my life,"  said Selleseth. "Reading Immortal River has been like reminiscing with an old friend and a legendary river scientist at the same time."

Immortal River: The Upper Mississippi in Ancient and Modern Times is written for the educated layman, as an Upper Mississippi River primer, presenting the basic natural and human history of this magnificent waterway. The book melds information from the fields of geology, ecology, geography, anthropology and history into a readable, chronological story that spans some 500 million years of the earth's history. Fremling hopes people of all ages will benefit from his knowledge of the river captured in this book.

"What's made me happy is that parents are telling me their kids are reading my book," said Fremling. "That's what I hoped for; that young kids would read it and learn from it."

Immortal River: The Upper Mississippi in Ancient and Modern Times made the University of Wisconsin Press best seller list for spring 2005. The book can be ordered from Barnes & Noble, Amazon, University of Wisconsin Press, most bookstores and EUROSPANonline.

Last Modified: Friday, November 04, 2005 14:53 by Rhone Richard