Dr. Gust H. Anderson was born in Dalarna,
Sweden, in 1904. He worked his way to
America aboard a ship and made his way to
Chicago and through school by working on
trains, as an elevator operator, in
restaurants and as a lathe operator in a
machine shop.
Dr. Anderson put himself through the
University of Chicago and Northwestern
University where he received a Doctorate of
Dental Surgery in 1932. Upon graduation, he
had to hitchhike to Rhode Island — it was
during the Great Depression — where he
worked at the Ladd School, later opening a
private practice also in Rhode Island in
1934.
Upon retirement from dentistry in
1957, Dr. Anderson moved his family to
Florida, where he began a new career:
growing oranges. He did, however, continue
his practice in Rhode Island when he
returned for a few months each year. He
remained an orange grower until he reached
the age of 100 in 2004; he then sold his
house and orange groves and bought his own
house in Georgia near his daughter Rachel.
Dr. Anderson now resides in Oregon with his
daughter Rachel and her husband David.
Dr. Anderson and Ruth, his
wife, have four children and three
grandchildren. Today, he watches CNN,
Headline News and the stock market. He also
enjoys the Spanish channel and watching
pretty women on TV. |