Well-known Lois Quam (right) reunites with her favorite teacher Esther Johnson (left) at the Minneota Manor.

By Byron Higgin
Mascot Publisher

Esther Johnson says she, “Feels so blessed. God called me to be a teacher — and I did what he told me to do.”
Then Lois Quam walked into her room, and the blessings continued.
“She was my student,” Johnson smiled.
Quam, who was ranked in 2006 by Fortune magazine as one of the “Fifty most powerful women in America,” wasn’t here to push the New Green and universal health care reform issues that made her well known.
She came to see her favorite teacher.
“This is a nice treat. It’s wonderful,” said Johnson.
The two, drawn together by mutual respect, have shared their lives in so many ways.
“Remember when we went to Washington, DC and saw Senator Ted Kennedy,” Quam quizzed.
Remember?
For Esther Johnson, it’s like it was yesterday. “I felt like she was the leader,” said Johnson.
“She went right up to Senator Kennedy and talked to him about health issues. And he asked her name,” recalled the teacher.
“I just kept quiet and listened,” said Johnson.

Quam won a national essay contest through the AFL-CIO.
“I remember I interviewed disabled people at Southwest State,” said Quam.
The trip, with her favorite teacher stuck in her mind and the two grew closer. When Quam married Matt Entenza, formerly the Minority leader in the Minnesota House of Representatives and founder of Minnesota 2020, a public policy think tank, Johnson was there. Entenza is currently a Minnesota Democratic candidate for governor.

Esther Johnson spent 42 years in education in Westbrook, Hanley Falls, Cokato, St. Louis Park and Marshall.
”I loved to teach composition,” she said. In Marshall she had a chance to teach smaller classes and she felt it benefited students. “Not everyone works on the same level. This way we could look at problems. That worked for me,” she said.
“When Lois was my student she was in debate. And she met Matt at a speech tournament in Pipestone. He was from Worthington,” she said.
Quam told her former teacher, “Today is the day Congress is discussing health care and we were discussing health care with Ted Kennedy.” That brought a smile to Esther Johnson’s face.
Quam recalls seeing Kennedy and deciding, “This is my chance,” so she approached him. “And now he’s gone,” Johnson said about the famous senator. “That was 31 years ago,” Quam reminded her.
Johnson told her former student she’s always wanted a chance to vote for Quam’s husband. “Now you’re going to get your chance,” Quam laughed.
They talked about Quam’s family, her brother and sisters and her sons. Then the conversation turned to St. Stephen’s Church of Marshall, where Quam’s father was the pastor.
“I took Bible studies from your dad. It’s an excellent Bible Church,” said Johnson, who is still a member.
Quam, who came to Ghent for a Democratic fundraiser, was on the campaign trail for her husband.
“What means so much to me is coming home. I’m so grateful to Marshall and Lyon County for a good start in life. The chance I had at St. Stephens Church — I owe so much to the community,” she said. “It’s a chance to pay back the town for the faith it put in me,”
She was doing the same for Esther Johnson … paying her back with time out of her busy day … a time to reminisce and remember the good times together.
Johnson offered Quam a check for Estanza’s campaign.
And a timely message.
“Finally, I get to vote for him,” she said again. And she laughed.