Merlin graduated from RLHS in 1949. He was a three-year letterman in football and basketball and two years in track. He played four different positions in football; guard, tackle, fullback and linebacker. As linebacker in 1947 and 1948 he led the team in tackles. He was Captain of the team his senior year. Buster helped Rice Lake win undefeated Ho’N football championships in 1946 and 1947. In 1948 Rice Lake finished second in the conference with an overall record of 5-1-1. In basketball, he played point guard for three years leading the team in rebounds each year. The team won conference championships in 1947 and 1948 with conference records of 11-1 each year. In track, he was a high jumper and relay runner. Buster Folstad received the American Legion Award for Outstanding Athlete in the Class of 1949. Buster enlisted in the Air Force in 1950 and became a control tower operator. He served in Korea and was stationed at Nellis Air Force Base. He attended UW-Madison in 1954 where he played guard and linebacker on the University of Wisconsin freshman team. He graduated from the Minnesota Business School in 1957 and became a CPA with Wipfli Ullrich Bertelson in Eau Claire, becoming a partner in 1968. He retired in 1993 after 32 years in public accounting and currently resides in the Long Lake area.