I have few early childhood memories. But among the few I retain is the image of a kind and jolly man in red who I visited every year at NorthPark Center. This was of course Santa Claus.

It only occurred to me later in life to look at the man behind the beard. His name was Carl Anderson. He died on Oct. 16 at the age of 70.

Anderson portrayed Santa at NorthPark for over 30 years. As I sat on his lap every year, so did my older brother, despite him being nine years my senior. I distinctly remember feeling absolutely certain Anderson, unlike the “imposters” I saw elsewhere, must be the real Santa because he had a real beard.

Every year Anderson would recall the same story of a snowball fight in the North Pole to the children at the mall, and each year I would listen intently as if hearing it for the first time all over again.

Year after year he would ask me what I wanted, and I would bombard him with very specific requests. No matter how ridiculous the request, Anderson would smile and simply tell me he would do his best. My admiration for Anderson is far from unique. He was so beloved by the community that he was inducted into the International Santa Claus Hall of Fame in 2012.

Clearly there was no shortage of love for Carl Anderson.