Cal was born in Williston, North Dakota. He is a graduate of Concordia College in Moorhead, MN, and the University of North Dakota School of Law. Cal is a Fellow of the Institute for Court Management and after 40 years of practicing law in North Dakota, Cal moved to retire to Florida in 2002 with his wife Shirley.
For 20 years, Cal worked for federal, state and local government agencies in North Dakota, serving in various capabilities including city attorney, State Attorney, Supreme Court Administrator and as North Dakota's Deputy Attorney General. Cal has served 20 years in private law practice which includes positions such as president and managing attorney of Rolfson, Schultz, Lervick and Gaermann Law Office. Cal practiced complex civil litigation, administrative law, business law, estate planning, legislative lobbying and several more areas. Cal has served as a member of several associations in North Dakota including the Judicial Ethics Advisory Committee and American Bar Association, he also served as Special Assistant United States Attorney for the District of North Dakota. Cal was elected twice to the Bismarck Public School Board. He was appointed as the first "corporate" general counsel and served on the Board of Directors of Lutheran Health Systems, Inc (then the 3rd largest non-profit healthcare system in the nation.
Cal is active in the Mount Dora community and enjoys volunteering his time with local organizations including Lake Cares Food Pantry and Advocating 4 Kids, Inc. He and his wife, Shirley, have served as Guardians ad Litem, serving foster children in the 5th Judicial Circuit. Cal has served ten years on the Country Club of Mount Dora HOA Board of Directors including seven years as president. Cal and Shirley have four children (Kari, Daniel, Kaia and Mikkal) and 13 grandchildren, ranging in age from 5 years to 25 years old.