Passages

IN MEMORY OF GEORGE ANDERSEN.
Minnesota State Lottery Director George Andersen died at the age of 53 on Tuesday, January 27, leaving a sad, immeasurable void in the lives of his family, friends, and the Lottery that he ran so successfully for more than 14 years. Andersen, the first and only Lottery director in Minnesota, was appointed by former Gov. Rudy Perpich in 1989. He was the second most senior lottery director in the nation and was widely regarded as brilliant and knowledgeable in his field. A Pennsylvania native, he first served as deputy executive director of the Pennsylvania Lottery. Under his leadership, the Lottery contributed $1.1 billion in accumulative proceeds to six Minnesota programs, chief among them the General Fund and the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund. Andersen was a pioneer and leader in many Lottery innovations. He was president of the executive board of the MUSL from Jan. 5, 1993 until June 30, 1994, and president of NASPL from 1998-1999. On June 17, 1999, Andersen received the 1999 Major Peter J. O'Connell Lifetime Lottery Achievement Award from Public Gaming Research Institute (PGRI). Andersen was a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and The Dickinson School of Law. Andersen, who lived in White Bear Lake, is survived by his wife Darlene and grown children, Mark and Beth. Services, attended by over 400 relatives, friends and associates, were held on Saturday February 1.

LYNN NELSON, LOTTERY PIONEER PASSES

Lynn R. "Swede" Nelson, retired, longtime director of the Pennsylvania State Lottery, passed away on April 12 following complications from heart surgery. His wife Doris, son Ray, daughter Diann, seven grandchildren, other family members and their minister were at his side.

Lynn's tenure and involvement in the lottery industry saw the advent of both instant and on-line games, the earliest of TV advertising campaigns and expansion of the National Association of State Lotteries (NASL, now NASPL), of which he served as president at the time, to include international lottery participation.

His dedication to the emerging business of lottery, the development of accounting and security techniques, and insight into the minds of the lottery consumers, made his contributions to the multibillion dollar Pennsylvania Lottery a proud legacy.

Lynn was regarded as one of the smartest people in the lottery industry and was widely respected by his peers. After retiring from the lottery, Lynn became County Controller in the county where he lived, a position from which he retired two years ago. He is remembered for his humor, his love of golf and his many friendships. He was always supportive of his friends and saw many of us through good times and bad. He will be missed, but never forgotten.

SERVICES
The viewing will be Tuesday night from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Rohand Funeral Home, Cumberland St., Lebanon, Pa. The service will be Wednesday at 11 a.m. at the Zion Lutheran Church, North 9th St., Lebanon, Pa. Internment will be at Fort Indiantown Gap.
An alternative to sending flowers is to make a donation to Domestic Violence, Inc., Box 42, Lebanon, Pa., 17402, a nonprofit, service organization that Doris and Lynn have supported for many years.