Remembering Dave Durenberger

The Under-Told Stories Project mourns the loss of an advisory board stalwart;  Dave Durenberger demonstrated exemplary leadership focused on the care of others as a legislator and in emerging from personal problems to make a difference in the life of others.  His willingness to serve on our board was a tiny part of it.

The obituaries are all over the media today, harkening back to an era of moderate politics, instrumental in the passage of landmark legislation that included the Americans with Disabilities Act and, for Minnesota, the BWCA Wilderness Act.

I got to know Dave first as a leading health care expert in the U.S. senate and later, when I began reporting from the farthest corners of the world. He’d faithfully write in, with analysis and perspective.  He had forged intimate ties with leaders from Burundi to Bangladesh during his three terms in the senate and remained deeply engaged in foreign affairs.  He was generous with his time, happy to offer advice and, to the end, curious.

Thank you, gentleman from Minnesota.  Thank you, dear friend.