The more I witness the Presidential race, the more I am drawn back to my visits last fall with two of Minnesota’s most enduring and beloved statesmen, Walter Mondale and Al Quie.
By happenstance, we came together on separate occasions and did not discuss politics as such but just chatted similar to the visits in Tuesdays With Morrie.
Both men have common backgrounds, education, and views of public service. They were small-town Minnesotans raised at a time when luxuries such as electricity and running water were just coming to rural parts of our state. Both were Norwegian (from this Swede’s perspective, a clear handicap), both had strong religious backgrounds, and both were grounded in old traditions of prudency, hard work, and modesty.
As products of the Great Depression, they witnessed the devastating harm inflicted on families. Everyone was deprived; some more than others. Yet, there was a sense of community; an understanding that together we can make it.
Yes, Mondale and Quie were products of the “Greatest Generation” and their lives reflect those values.
