Mendota Man Returns Marker to West St. Paul Park

A granite marker missing from a West St. Paul spot for more than four decades made its way back to its home in a small garden in Albert Park last week, thanks in large part to the work of one Mendota Heights man. 

Bob Licha of Mendota had kept the marker behind his garage, according to a story filed by the St. Paul Pioneer Press. He'd waited since 1967 to return it to its rightful place. 

The marker commemorates the life of Albert LefFevre, a 15-year-old from West St. Paul who died in the Mississippi River while on a rafting trip. Albert's father, Alfred, purchased the granite marker in 1931 in memory of the Humboldt High sophomore, and placed it in the very small park at the intersection of Dodd Road, Smith Avenue and Bernard Street. 

The marker was removed, the PiPress reports state, in 1967, when a men's association in St. Paul decided it would "adopt" the park after Alfre LeFevre died in the 1940s. The granite stone was removed in favor of an obelisk, which recognized the LeFevre family but plugged the association as well. 

Libcha, who was doing work on the park - pouring a foundation for the obelisk in fact - was told to "get rid of the slab." 

He knew the story behind it, and never could get rid of it, he told the newspaper. Now, the tribute is back in its rightful place. Licha reached out to West St. Paul Parks Director Matt Saam and alerted him to the stone.  

"I want people when they stop by to know the real story behind [the park]," Licha told the paper's Nick Ferraro. "Now, with this stone back, they will."