Where are they now?

Across the state line in Minnesota, an Eddy County native and her husband have received the honor of a lifetime after years of dedicated service to their community and local sports.

LeAnn Galvin, née Bichler, grew up on a farm just west of New Rockford, attended the one room Munster #3 elementary school and graduated from St. James Academy in 1962.

Until recently, her big claim to fame was being named Miss Eddy County in 1962. But now, she can also say that her family name is the namesake of a fully-renovated gymnasium in the heart of Minnesota.

LeAnn went on to graduate from Sisters of St. Joseph School of Nursing in Grand Forks in 1965 with an RN diploma, and married her current husband Jim Galvin the same year.

Together they had three children – Jim, Andria and Angela – and in 1970 they made the move to White Bear Lake, Minn., a suburb of Minneapolis and St. Paul, where they've since made several decades' worth of positive contributions to their community.

Jim went on to teach math and coach sports at the local high school for years, while LeAnn helped families and the elderly as a nurse.

"This started a new phase of our lives," said LeAnn about the move to White Bear Lake. "Living in a metropolitan area, working in a large hospital, teaching in a math department with many math teachers and coaching one sport, football."

Jim was eventually promoted to coaching more than just one sport, and delivered one of the most important things for any local community: championships.

"Over the next 50 years many wonderful things occurred," said LeAnn. "Jim eventually was named the head basketball coach and went on to win two consecutive state championships in 1984 and '85, beating Minneapolis North both years, who were undefeated at the time."

Jim Galvin's 1984 and '85 teams won 52 consecutive games, and he was named State Coach of the Year in 1985.

His basketball teams also won five conference championships and made three state tournament appearances, and as an assistant football coach his team won the 1976 Class AA state championship. He also spent almost five years as his school's athletic director.

Simply put, he was one of those legendary local coaches that delivered success and pride to their community, something he'll always be remembered for. He was even inducted into the Minnesota Basketball Hall of Fame in 2001.

Meanwhile, LeAnn's career was also taking off and she too was making a difference in people's lives.

Before moving to White Bear Lake, she was a staff nurse at Glenwood Hospital and a school nurse in Villard, Minn. She then became a nurse at a large hospital and eventually transitioned to long-term care.

"I started working in long-term care and found that I loved working with the elderly and their families," said LeAnn. "I was the Director of Nursing at White Bear Lake Care Center for many years. And, eventually, taking care of elderly people in their own homes."

Both LeAnn and Jim are now retired, and their children have gone on to attend college and deliver six grandchildren and two step-grandchildren.

Neither stopped supporting their community after retirement, however.

Both have been involved in the Educational Foundation and other community activities, and Jim served as a substitute teacher for 20 years after he retired, and was still hosting basketball camps as recently as 2023. And of course, both are still regular attendees at their team's games.

And now, after their decades of success and service, a newly-renovated high school gymnasium in White Bear Lake has been named "Galvin Court" in their honor.

They were also named grand marshals at the annual Manitou Days Parade, which travels through downtown White Bear Lake.

Reflecting on all that's happened over the past several decades, LeAnn said it may not have been possible without her upbringing right here in rural Eddy County, where many of the Bichler family still reside.

"It's been quite a journey with a few bumps in the road but a good life," said LeAnn. "I have to think being born and raised on a farm in Eddy County had something to do with having my feet solidly on the ground over the years."