Thumbs up: To the legacy left by Marcel “Sal” Frederick, who died this past week.

Frederick will probably be remembered by most people for the Happy Chef restaurant chain and the iconic, towering Happy Chef statues at the stores, like the one in North Mankato.

His lifetime of success in the restaurant business included operating several cafes and the Happy Chef chain.

But Frederick also served his community in many ways, through veterans groups, on boards and as a state legislator.

Anyone who ever met him will remember him for perhaps his greatest traits — being a strong family man who was humble, cheerful and kind.

Senser’s unseemly attacks

Thumbs down: To Amy Senser’s legal team and husband, Joe Senser, for attacks on the legal system and jury that sent her to prison for more than three years after her car hit and killed a man.

Of course Joe Senser would be supportive of his wife, but his outburst this week after a hearing to get her released from prison while an appeal is filed was insulting to the jury who listened to the cases made by prosecutors and the defense.

The judge, who denied her release from prison, said in his decision that there was no evidence that Senser’s appeal will be successful and he noted that the Sensers and their legal team did everything to cover up the crime and manipulate the public and jury pool via the media.

There’s no reason to believe Amy Senser is a bad person. She just made terrible choices that left a man dead and then worked to cover it up. For that the legal system sent her to prison.

Ahh, breathe it in

Thumbs up: To the fifth anniversary of Minnesota’s Freedom to Breathe Act.

Prohibiting smoking in bars and restaurants in the state has been like a breath of fresh air for non-smoking customers and employees.

Just visit a state that doesn’t have such a law in place and you’ll realize how lucky you are to live where public smoking is restricted.

And local businesses don’t seem to have suffered much because of the ban. A lot of new bars and restaurants have popped up in Mankato during the last five years. Many established and new businesses have adapted by providing outdoor seating, a bonus for people examining dining options.

Military suicides gain attention

Thumbs up: To the U.S. Army for ordering soldiers to put aside their usual duties and spend Thursday on suicide prevention training.

This military “stand down” comes as the Pentagon struggles with a spike in the number of self-inflicted deaths this year.

The day focused on making sure troops and their families know what programs are available to them and helping them get over the embarrassment that keeps many from seeking help.

The military still has a long way to go in preventing suicide, but as last week’s event shows, attitudes are changing.

Editorial board

Mankato good host to vets wall

Thumbs up: American Veterans Traveling Tribute had the opportunity to bring the Traveling Wall to Mankato last week. We’d like to take the opportunity to thank all of those involved with this event and the community for being so welcoming.

We’d like to thank the folks with Mankato’s ChiliFest for sponsoring the event and to Sue Worlds with MACV for her coordination efforts. We’d also like to extend a thank you Reggie Worlds for all of his help on site, to the setup and tear-down crews, locator volunteers, security personnel, all other on-site volunteers, and everyone that participated in the escort into town.

It was a wonderful event. There were so many people that made this event possible and we are so appreciative of everyone that took the time to be involved.

Thank you for welcoming us into your community and thank you for taking the time to honor our active duty, veteran and fallen heroes.

We very much look forward to coming back to Mankato in the future.

Leah DeLuzio

American Veterans Traveling Tribute