Remembering Wellstone 10 years after his death
by jp cola
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posted Oct 25 2012 10:36AM
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It's hard to believe it's been 10 years since the death of Senator Paul Wellstone. Moderate, liberal or conservative, it was hard not to like Wellstone once you met him in person. Energetic, funny, personable and earnest, you felt like he was listening to you when you talked. I first met him in the Summer of 1990 and took a ride from one side of Willmar to the other in his now famous green school bus and did an interview with him. A few months later, as election day drew near, I was watching the Vikings lose to the Packers on a Sunday afternoon when I got a call that Wellstone was making a late campaign stop at the Willmar Airport in an hour or so, so I drove out there and Ann Polta from the West Central Tribune and myself did a little interview with him. Fast forward 12 years...the fall of 2002...the nation's capitol was being terrorized by a series of random sniper shootings. I did my last interview with Wellstone and he was concerned about the safety of his staffers going to-and-from work. Two weeks later, I was at work when word came across the wire that a plane was missing in cold and snowy northern Minnesota. Then came word that Wellstone was on his way to the funeral of Representative Tom Rukavina's father in Virginia MN that afternoon, but it was uncertain if the plane that was missing was Wellstone's. Then it was confirmed...Wellstone's plane was missing. And of course, shortly after came the tragic news that the wreckage of his plane was found not far from the Eveleth Airport. I clearly remember the televised coverage of Wellstone's memorial service in the Twin Cities. Hard to believe it was ten years ago. During Wellstone's tenure in the Senate he had Republican counterparts, including Dave Durenburger and Norm Coleman, and often they cancelled out each other's votes. But Wellstone will always be known for fighting for the little guy, something the diminutive former wrestler and professor could relate to.
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