Carol Bundgaard told Bob they should try it for two years. The "try it" was for Bob to go to work at the KLKS radio station in Breezy Point.
"I was glad to get back to the pines and lakes," he said.
So the couple came north with their two sons, Jep and Mark, and 22 years later they still like the pines and lakes.
Bob grew up in Edina, the son of Ernest and Lee Bundgaard. His dad was better known as Alan Gray, the WCCO radio announcer. Bob graduated from St. Cloud State in communication, somethng he does very well.
He left a job as WDGY news director to come to KLKS. That's where he cut his teeth on politics and politicians. He covered the state Legislature and thoroughly enjoyed meeting the legislators, governors and staff. He even liked the ghosts in the catacombs of the capital.
He says what he likes best about being a broadcaster "is that every day is different. You get to meet such interesting people. You can talk to governors, police, politicians, and interesting people. I could never be an assembly guy; I'd fall asleep."
Getting up at 4 a.m. to start the day at KLKS means he is good at taking what he calls a "power nap," which may be a few minutes or better than an hour. His brother, Bruce, a Crosslake attorney, says, "Bob could sleep standing up."
Being the first on the air every morning means that he gets to the station regardless of the weather. A few years ago the area had a big snowstorm and the station went on the air at 5 a.m. Bob said he was in good shape those days (he coached cross country), so he set off on foot at 2 a.m.
"There were drifts three feet deep and the wind was blowing so I really dressed warmly for the three-mile hike," Bob said. "Too warmly, actually, but I was only 5 minutes late in getting the station on the air."
He used to have nightmares about being stuck in a snowbank and no one knew where he was. On that three-mile hike through the snowdrifts, he got tired and sat down, thought about the nightmare and got up and trudged on.
KLKS has come a long way from its start. Bob said it took about three years to get it running in the black. Now he's sort of the CEO, or as he says, "It's a family operation."
"The good news is good writing," he said. "Good writing is always compelling."
That's one of the things he says his dad was very good at. "He could write so you remembered what he said."
Bob is serving his third term on the National Association of Broadcasters board of directors. He was in Washington, D.C., a couple of weeks ago and met with Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Norm Coleman and Rep. Jim Oberstar.
Bundgaard served one term as mayor of Breezy Point. He didn't file for a second term, because of the equal time law, which meant that for every minute he was on the radio, a political opponent could ask for equal time, even though Bob was broadcasting the news and weather and not talking politics.
He has a philosophy about public service. "You have to be willing to do what's right. You need to be decisive, and after hearing the arguments, you have to make a decision. Sometimes, you won't get re-elected, but you must do what's right."
The question is, will he run for mayor again?
His answer: "I never say never. But JoAnn (Weaver) is doing a great job and as long as there's that equal time law, it's probably no."
"Everyone ought to be interested in their city and how it runs," he said. "I served on some boards and then on the EDA (Economic Development Authority). It was difficult, but I learned a lot from Myron Landecker and Gene Preise."
"The city may have to look at affordable housing in the future," he said. "Housing builds well. We need to get young families in real houses."
Bob started the cross country team at Pequot Lakes High School. He told the school board he would coach the team for nothing. It was a PLHS-Pine River team and Bob said he really enjoyed the years he coached with Pine River's Jim Machacek.
Bob is very proud of his PLHS cross country teams. For three years in a row, the team won the State Academic Championship. They also won the Birch Tree conference six years in a row.
"The team finished third at state last year," Bob said. "I was happy to see that."
Athletics are just one leg of an education, as Bundgaard sees it. There's the academic leg and the arts leg and it takes all three to turn out educated people.
"If our public schools fail, the whole country fails," he said.
And there is one thing Bundgaard is absolutely positive about: Nothing stays the same.
"The future will be all different and all good," Bundgaard said. "People who understand that will do fine."
