In June of 1975 Ted Albert was vigorously pursuing his vision of turning the Upper Peninsula of Michigan into the 51st State of Superior. In the latter part of that month he an-nounced a meeting to be held at the Community Memorial Building in Wakefield. I was then nineteen years old, and out of curiosity I attended the meeting to see what he had to say; there must have been close to a dozen people in attendance. This was my one and only acquaintance with the political maverick and dreamer who worked for years to make the U.P. into the 51st State of Superior.