Paul Wellstone: The Life of a Passionate Progressive

7. Last Days and Legacy

7 Last Days and Legacy Certainly all historical experience con‹rms the truth—that man would not have attained the possible unless time and again he had reached out for the impossible. Wellstone was killed just twelve days before Election Day. An investigation by the National Transportation and Safety Board would later conclude that the cause of the crash was pilot error, not bad weather. In the surreal aftermath of Wellstone’s death, his campaign advisers had little time to absorb the depth of the loss. Instead, they and Wellstone’s surviving sons focused on ‹nding a candidate to replace him on the ballot and quickly came up with their choice: Walter Mondale. At seventyone , Mondale was Minnesota’s elder statesman—a former senator, vice president, and ambassador. On the morning of October 27, campaign manager Jeff Blodgett, David Well123 stone, and friend David Lillehaug visited Mondale at his law of‹ce. In an emotional meeting, David Wellstone asked Mondale to step in on his father’s behalf. Mondale told the group that he would likely run but would not announce his intentions publicly until after Wellstone’s public memorial service, planned for the following Tuesday. As word spread of a possible Mondale candidacy, many observers speculated that Coleman stood little chance of winning. Polls taken at the time showed Mondale holding a lead against Norm Coleman. The memorial service was held at Williams Arena, home of the University of Minnesota’s basketball team. Twenty thousand people attended the service, and thousands more watched it live on television. Also attending the service were dozens of former and current elected of‹cials, including former president Bill Clinton, Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, and Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura. For four hours, eulogizers paid tribute to their loved ones. The three staff members were remembered ‹rst. Will McLaughlin’s older brother talked about how Will thought of Wellstone as a surrogate for their deceased father. A friend of Tom Lapic described him as a “wise and comforting presence” and a trustworthy friend. Mary McEvoy was honored by the president of the University of Minnesota, where she was a professor, as one of the university’s “brightest lights.” Following the eulogies for the staffers, the Wellstones were remembered. Marcia Wellstone Markuson’s best friend described her “contagious smile” and effusive charm. Sheila Wellstone was memorialized as an exceptional wife and mother who touched many lives and “made us all bigger than we were.” Wellstone was eulogized last. Four speakers—Wellstone’s two sons, his former student and friend Rick Kahn, and his PAUL WELLSTONE 124 friend Senator Tom Harkin—spoke of his life and impact. Dave Wellstone talked about his father’s deep commitment to teaching and athletics and his parents’ easy relationship. Mark Wellstone said that his favorite memory of his father was having him as a wrestling coach in junior high school. He went on to talk about what his mother meant to him and to his father: “Everything.” Harkin paid tribute to “my best friend.” His voice cracking, he recalled Wellstone’s sharp wit and commitment to ordinary people, describing him as a leader with “a spine of steel.” Recalling Wellstone’s insistence that people refer to him by his ‹rst name, Harkin said, “No one ever wore the title of Senator better and used it less.” But Rick Kahn delivered a speech that overshadowed the other eulogies. For all of his adult life, Kahn had been one of Wellstone’s closest friends. He met Wellstone as a ‹rst-year student at Carleton and quickly became a key part of Wellstone ’s organizing efforts. After graduating, Kahn deepened his friendship with Wellstone, assisting in his political activism and later serving as the volunteer treasurer for each of Wellstone’s campaigns. As a quiet and soft-spoken man, Kahn’s personality contrasted sharply with Wellstone’s. But his former professor was also Kahn’s hero, and it was manifest by his ‹erce loyalty and reluctance to criticize Wellstone ’s judgment. “Everyone should be as blessed to have a friend like you,” Wellstone wrote to Kahn in the dedication of his autobiography. But when Rick Kahn stood up to deliver his eulogy, those who knew him witnessed a stunning transformation. He began by describing Wellstone’s ‹ery ‹rst speech to DFL Party delegates in 1982. Within moments, Kahn himself was on ‹re. He used the eulogy to exhort Wellstone’s supporters...