The Lians — From the ND plains to the NC Foothills
Anne and Steven Lian came to the foothills of Burke County after marrying and raising their family on the wide-open plains of North Dakota. Steven was an attorney, while Anne was an occupational therapist.
One of Steven’s dreams when moving here was to own a larger sailboat and sail all year around, because lakes in North Dakota freeze in winter. He did buy a sailboat the first year they moved here and he was delighted to be able to sail even during January!
They have now lived at Lake James for 25 years.
The Lians were always involved in their community of Minot, N.D. Anne, for example, is proud of her work on a Commission on the Status of Women. She realized histories of the area only listed accomplishments of men; so she started the process of learning about how women had impacted the area.
She and the commission got a Humanities Council grant to research and interview women. They hired an author and created a book about the lives of Minot women of the last century.
In her work as an occupational therapist in public schools in North Dakota, Anne traveled to rural places to work with students before there was special education in the schools.
“When we moved to North Carolina,” she says, “I couldn’t find work as a school occupational therapist. A kindergarten teacher position was offered to me at Hillcrest. I jumped at the opportunity, but I had to get a Certificate in Elementary Education while teaching. After two years, I agreed to teach reading, but then had to take classes at night and weekends to get a master’s in reading education. I always thought it would be fun to get more education; I did and it was.”
Role models
Both Steven’s grandfathers were role models for him. Steven remembers: “They were kind and generous. I never saw either of them get angry, be mean to others, or call anyone any names. My postmaster-grandfather’s favorite expression was a resigned, ‘That’s the vey it is,’ stated with a heavy Norwegian accent. While my farmer-grandfather would only shake his head if something was bad and say ‘uff da mada,’ a Norwegian expression of disgust or exasperation. Both were very aware of discrimination and hated it. They believed in treating all people fairly. I like to believe I learned that valuable life lesson from them.”
The quote book lady
“I have always loved doing calligraphy, drawing, various art projects, and writing poems,” Anne explains. “I used to put quotes on cards to laminate and give to people. A wonderful local artist, Peter Milne, suggested I make little quote books on my computer and that changed my life! Now I’ve compiled quotes and clip art into over 200 little quote books that I love to give to folks for fun and inspiration. I’m delighted when I see people and they ask, ‘Do you have a little book for me?’ Others say they keep them to reread. I usually carry some with me wherever I go.” One of Anne’s favorite quotes is one from an unknown author: “The best things in life are the people we love, the places we’ve been, and the memories we’ve made along the way.”
A need for speed
Since he was a young man growing up on a farm, one of Steven’s favorite hobbies has been cars. Over the years, he has had some of the coolest cars and usually those with plenty of horsepower.
He presently owns a cherry-red Corvette and tomato-red Dodge Challenger. He claims, despite the temptation when driving his powerful autos, that he is a careful driver and never exceeds the speed limit. Anne is non-committal in affirming the truth of that statement.
Family travel adventures
Trips together with daughter Erica’s family have meant so much to Steven and Anne. In recent years, they’ve traveled back to North Dakota, to Pennsylvania, Savannah, and Hawaii. In-state trips have included experiencing the Highland Games, the Outer Banks, and an annual week at Ocean Isle Beach.
Anne shares, “Steven and I enjoyed trips to Germany to see old neighbors and traveled to Norway with Erica to see Steven’s heritage. Next summer we are planning to take Erica’s family to Scotland and Norway to see where our ancestors came from.”
Contributing to their community
Since moving here, Steven and Anne have been involved in a variety of groups: Sierra Club, Lake James Environmental group, the annual Lake James cleanup, Daughters of the American Revolution, the “Kids in the Creek” program, the Burke County Democratic Party, and Indivisible group.
They both agree, “There is a large group of people here who are caring, helpful, and want to make a positive difference in the community and in our country. We appreciate the diversity of the population and the community spirit.”
Loving Burke County Living
Anne and Steven love living in Burke County. Anne says, “It’s so special living near our daughter’s family! What fun it is watching our three precious grandkids have fun in the lake. We are amazed at what they can do in the water! And we’re close enough to Hickory to go see their sporting and other activities, too.”
They add: “It’s a pleasure to attend many Morganton events such as TGIF concerts, Burke Arts Council events, Art Crawls, CoMMA shows, Historic Morganton Festivals, and much more! What a joy to be able to look up at the magnificent mountains, drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway, and visit Biltmore Estate. The adventures one can have in this area are endless. We feel so lucky to live in Burke County on beautiful Lake James.”
Fred Schuszler is a columnist for The Paper.
