One of the quickest ways to tell if someone is new to Albert Lea ribbon cuttings, groundbreakings and other events is if they ask about the guy with the handheld camcorder.

Politicians, reporters and most any movers and shakers in Albert Lea have all been approached by Harold Kamrath. He will ask questions while pointing a Sony Handycam Digital 8 at them. If he thinks they have a celebrity status, even on a local level, he might ask them to sign his Lloyd Herfindahl book and maybe have their picture taken with him.

He has signatures of Sen. John McCain, Sen. Hillary Clinton, actress Marion Ross and radio announcer Darryl Amundson, to name a few. He has photos with author Dan Buettner, TV news anchor Kate Snow and actor Jim Belushi.

And he has loads of videotape at his house going all the way back to 1988, when he bought his first camcorder for about $1,000. And he has hours and hours of 8 mm film going back to his college days, when he bought a wind-up 8 mm camera and eventually a Super 8 camera.

Why?

“I am a person who likes to preserve history,” Kamrath said.

Kamrath, 61, was born in Mapleton. His father was a itinerant farm worker and the family with seven children moved around a lot. Otisco provided seven years of stability in the 1950s, where he attended a one-room schoolhouse. Then the family moved to Waseca, then Madelia. Kamrath graduated from Waldorf-Pemberton High School in 1965.

He was the only among his siblings to go to college, going on student loans provided by the National Defense Act, a Cold War effort to boost U.S. post-secondary education. In 1969, he graduated from Mankato State University — as it was called then — with a bachelor’s degree in English and German. He received his master’s degree in curriculum and instruction in 1970, then got a job as a teacher in Albert Lea.

“Whenever my wife calls me an idiot, I say I have a master’s plus 30,” Kamrath said, in typical jest.

He is a fan of candid moments. He used to shoot film or video of his students or his three children. He shot the birthdays and holidays, but he tracked everyday moments such as kids playing in the yard. One poignant moment was taping a daughter when she was 8. She was crying because her friend moved away.

Age: 61

Address: 326 Glenn Road

Livelihood: landlord, retired English and German teacher

Family: wife, Ledene; Beth McLean, 29, of St. Cloud; Kari Kamrath, 27, of Golden Valley; Michael Kamrath, 25, of New Ulm

Interesting fact: He argues the city could save money and energy by shutting down one of the four digesters at the Albert Lea Wastewater Treatment Plant during winter months.

He opted for a leave of absence from teaching in 1998 and retired for good in 2003. He brought his camcorder to other people’s retirements and soon to any big moment in people’s lives left uncaptured.

“I would say, ‘My gosh! No one’s videotaping these people.’ I would make a videotape and give it to them,” Kamrath said.

It was in December 2007 on Katherine Island, when city officials were dedicating a new bridge, that he brought his new Sony camera to a local happening for the first time. He interviewed the mayor, the city manager, the park officials and even the reporters.

He’s been showing up at Albert Lea events since, from the Veterans Day ceremony to the city budget meetings.

He doesn’t tape the Albert Lea City Council meetings, he said, because the city already records them. He does implore city officials to record more city events. He also tapes exhibitions and artists at the Albert Lea Art Center. In fact, he describes himself as “obsessive-compulsive” about recording history.

“I love history. It’s in my nature,” Kamrath said. “It’s an obsession I am happy to possess.”

He even has been accused of not having tape in the camera. He laughs at the notion. And, indeed, there is tape in the camera. The recycle-happy, money-saving Kamrath admits that buying videotape is his vice. Because he is, as he says, “computer illiterate,” people he records can rest assured they won’t be posted on the Internet or be shown in any form of mass communication. The most he does is convert the camcorder’s digital tapes into VHS tapes.

“If you want to watch them, you have to come to my house,” he said.

He hopes someday the tapes might be used and edited as part of the city’s history.

Kamrath is a crusader on recycling and saving energy. His questions given from behind the camera often suggest ways to save. And he asks questions on taxes and spending. He likes to question city officials about lampposts erected on East Main Street. And he feels there are too many lights in the Council Chambers at City Hall.

He steps to the podium in Council Chambers during council meetings, but, unlike the late Roger Bok, he doesn’t grandstand. He states his name and address, makes his comment, then sits when asked.

He usually makes a point of saving on energy. For instance, he argues the city should turn off street lights on moonlit nights. City officials then tell him doing so could present a liability problem. He is irksome to some local officials mainly for pushing the same topics over and over or for wanting repeated turns at the podium during public forums.

Kamrath said he is neither a Democrat nor a Republican. He said he is independent. And he said he understands when people don’t want to take the time to answer his questions.

One thing he opposes is spending city dollars on new sidewalks. At the same time, he uses the sidewalks to stay healthy.

Kamrath in 1990 was diagnosed as a diabetic. A sedentary life had led him to a weight of 295 pounds. At first, he dropped to 215 but then grew to 265, where he stayed until October 2008.

He began walking everywhere. And he said he runs up and down the stairs at home 30 times daily and does 30 sit-ups and 30 push-ups. By December 2008, he had lost 40 pounds.

“I was a Vitality Center before Vitality Center was cool,” he said jokingly in reference to the AARP/Blue Zones Vitality Project the city went through this year.

Now, when he and his wife, Ledene, go places such as the United Methodist Church, he will walk home. Returning from out of home, she might drop him off three or four miles from home so he can walk.

Kamrath doesn’t need to take medicine for his diabetes anymore.

He and Ledene have been married since 1977. She grew up in Northwood, Iowa, and they met at a dance club in Rochester, where she was working for the Mayo Clinic. She is a medical secretary and still works for Albert Lea Medical Center.

“She’s a wonderful woman. I think we ought to sell her food,” he said.

He praised her for being a good mother, too. Their children all have careers. Kari is an assessor for Hennepin County. Beth works for Northland Capital Financial Services in St. Cloud. Michael works for 3M in New Ulm.

Harold admitted his children agree with their mother on most topics. For instance, he will bring coupons to restaurants. They think it is tacky.

Ledene said he nevertheless makes for interesting family discussions.

“We’re not as obsessed on some things as he is, but we all recycle,” she said.

The couple has traveled many places. Their honeymoon taking the railroads across Europe didn’t go so well — stolen purse, a fainting and lodging difficulties — but that didn’t stop them. Some of Ladene’s favorite trips over the years have been to Hawaii, Disney World, Washington, D.C., and Boston. Last year, they enjoyed a trip to Cazumel, Mexico.

She said her husband always has been fascinated with the camera. At family get-togethers, he loves to show his movies. She watches the family movies, but not the ones of city events.

“Sometimes he takes more pictures and more films than I would ever take. I would condense them a little bit,” Ladene said.

Harold has a new project to keep him busy in his retirement these days. He recently purchased 127 E. Clark St., a former pawn shop. He declined to say the purchase price, but he admitted he is unsure what he will do with the downtown building.

“I’m not sure what business it’s going to be,” he said.