Wellstone Symposium

March 1, 2003: I am a freshman at Carleton and a native of Washington, DC. When I was a junior in high school, I went with a small group of students to the Capitol to lobby for DC voting rights. Paul Wellstone was the only Congressman who would speak to us and take us seriously. He was very warm and genuinely concerned, and he truly made us feel that we could be heard and could make a difference. We took a picture with him and he signed it and sent copies to all of us. I tacked the photo on the wall of my dorm room a week before the crash, and it's still there. I did not know him as many of you have, as a professor, a fellow activist, a friend. But he was still an inspiration to me, and I hope he will always be remembered for his sincerity and his strength.

— Sarah Gilberg '06

February 22, 2003: I remember a very young Paul Welllstone standing at the side door of a little house in Northfield, welcoming me as I came to care for his babies while he and Sheila went to a meeting. It was the early spring of 1970 and the campus was alive with protest. Paul was just a little older than the students and even more passionate than the most vocal of our student leaders. But as he kissed the kids good-night, he was just "daddy". He and Sheila welcomed me to their home, reminded me to take good care of the childen, and held hands as they walked to campus.

That reverence for the human spirit, combined with a flaming passion for justice, informed Paul and Sheila's work at Carleton and in Washington. This is the greatness that I remember: a brilliant young professor with a vision and the energy to bring it to life who was, fundamentally, daddy, husband, and friend. How lucky we are to have known him.

— Margaret Crowley '72

February 21, 2003: Paul was one of the first people I met after coming to the Twin Cities in 1983. I was newly married, unemployed and using lots of my abundant free time looking to get involved with the local peace and justice community. He gave me a ride home from some meeting and what could have been a 20 minute ride turned into a long chance to share justice politics over a beer. Over the following years, we'd frequently reconnect, then came his '90 Senate race. Inspired by his campaign and first years of service, I ran for U.S. Congress in '92 against Rep. Jim Ramstad, securing both the endorsement and the DFL spot on the November ballot-- all literally on a shoestring campaign. Our colors were green, and since I had the same name, I "borrowed" about one hundred green "Paul" buttons while adopting a green shoestring for my campaign symbol.

November 27, 2002: It's still hard for me to believe that Paul Wellstone is gone. He was certainly true to his convictions. While we were undoubtedly on opposite ends of the political spectrum (I'm a die-hard Republican conservative), I respected his integrity and energy. Plus anyone who could beat Rudy B. with all the funding he had must have something on the stick when it comes to politics. Has anyone written a book about that campaign?; it'd be an interesting read.

I probably won't be able to make it to event this coming March. However, I hope Carleton and the alumni are considering a possible funded chair in Paul's name for the poliitical science department. I'd certainly contribute. — Eric W. Guttag '74

November 5, 2002: Amen! My thoughts echo all of the nice things that's been said of Paul in all of the tributes that I've read of him. I was honored and blessed to have had Paul as a professor, advisor, friend, and champion for so many of the issues that I care about. He made a huge difference in my life as he did for countless others. He was all about others, not himself. Paul taught, inspired, and, of course, organized. Through others, his life and work will live on. Whatever I've been able to accomplish in working for social justice is due to him and is my ultimate tribute to his legacy. I'm sure many of his other former students feel the same way. Since leaving Carleton, I've never attended a class reunion. The kind of reunion that I would attend is one of former Wellstone students. He had such a positive impact on our lives and careers. From reading the postings on this message board, I now realize that I have far more in common with his other former students, regardless of graduating class, than I do with my former classmates. When I think of Paul, I think of Tom Joad's lines at the end of the film version of the Grapes of Wrath: "I'll be all around in the dark. I'll be ever'-where - wherever you can look. Wherever there's a fight so hungry people can eat, I'll be there. Wherever there's a cop beatin' up a guy, I'll be there. I'll be in the way guys yell when they're mad - I'll be in the way kids laugh when they're hungry an' they know supper's ready. An' when the people are eatin' the stuff they raise, and livin' in the houses they build - I'll be there, too." I know that Paul will continue to be there and that his spirit and work will live on. — Mark Tajima '73

November 5, 2002: I was deeply affected by the tragic deaths of Marcia, Sheila, and Paul Wellstone in a plane crash in northern Minnesota. Paul Wellstone's career in the U.S. Senate made many Carls proud to say they knew Paul when he was their professor here at Carleton.

Paul was a powerful, yet humble teacher, and his passion for issues of social justice was infectious. Rather than devote his spare time to research and writing, in the early 70s Paul was active in the local community. For several years Paul spent much of his free time organizing a welfare rights group, Organization for a Better Rice County (OBRC). Through Paul's work, some of us were fortunate enough to learn real life lessons about community organizing.

What we learned from Paul bore fruit in the 1973-74 school year, when the Government Department announced that Wellstone would not be given tenure. Led by several of Paul's Urban Studies majors, students organized rallies, petition drives, and protests at Board of Trustees' meetings, demanding that Paul be given tenure. These student leaders, schooled by Paul in the lessons of power and organizing, orchestrated such an effective campaign that the Board was forced to appoint several independent professors from outside schools to reconsider the decision. Needless to say, they recommended Paul receive tenure.

Paul touched the lives of thousands of students during his 20 years at Carleton. Despite his distinguished career in the U.S. Senate, I believe Paul's greatest legacy may be his many students, who continue to fight for the visions of social justice he inspired and nurtured. — Chuck Palmer '75

November 4, 2002: An op/ed from the Baltimore Sun: Everyone who has watched television or read the paper in the last few days has been told repeatedly how liberal and outspoken was the late Sen. Paul Wellstone.

We have been reminded of his controversial votes in 1996 on welfare reform and, more recently, his "no" vote on a congressional resolution authorizing an attack on Iraq. Stories have abounded of his combative and fiery rhetoric. We have witnessed political allies and foes praise his principled behavior as a U.S. senator. Even President Bush had a kind word.

But there has been little talk about what may be Paul Wellstone's most lasting legacy.

Long after the tributes are through and tomorrow's election is over and the pundits argue what effect Mr. Wellstone's death had on which party gained control of the Senate, there will still be scores of men and women like myself who will continue his work. We are Paul's Carleton College students, and we form a small army of progressive professionals throughout the United States.

I met Mr. Wellstone my freshman year, 31 years ago, during the Vietnam War, at Carleton, which is situated in Northfield, Minn. Mr. Wellstone was not much older than the students he taught. We were impressionable. He was a young radical professor. He had a following of students like myself. We were attracted to his antiwar stance. He was a professor whom we not only admired but with whom we could identify.

Mr. Wellstone knew how to use the privilege and resources of Carleton. To his classes came George Wiley, founder of the National Welfare Rights Organization, Frances Fox Piven, the welfare scholar, and Saul Alinsky, the famous Chicago organizer and founder of the Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF), of which BUILD is an affiliate.

Even the assignments in Mr. Wellstone's classes were courses of study in the practice of organizing. In my freshman year, Mr. Wellstone assigned us to research the welfare system in rural Rice County, Minn. He took us to organizational meetings of welfare mothers, fighting to replace a food commodity program with food stamps.

In the early 1970s, movement organizing was the only variety of organizing on display on college campuses. Most students were exposed to organizing through mass protest demonstrations. Mr. Wellstone introduced us to old-fashioned community and labor organizing tactics.

We learned that 25 welfare mothers could research a policy and understand it. We learned that those same mothers with kids in tow could close down a county courthouse until someone would recognize them. We learned that compromise and negotiation are a part of organizing. In Mr. Wellstone's classes, we read the theory of organizing, and went on to practice the art.

Today, his students are everywhere.

In Washington state, Joe Crastil is organizing with the IAF. In Chicago, Tracy Abman is one of the bright young labor organizers in the country. Ben Gordon directs organizing for New York with the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees. Matt Finucane is the assistant director of the Civil Rights Department of the AFL-CIO. Kari Moe played a key role in the election of Harold Washington as mayor of Chicago. There are more.

All of those Wellstone students have been calling each other in the past few days. I know because I have received calls from all over the country. We are now in our 40s and 50s.

But it's amazing how many of us still organize as a vocation. Mr. Wellstone's teaching took. He was a unique senator. I'm sure most people will remember him that way.

But we now middle-aged Wellstone students know his true legacy as an inspiring teacher. Thanks, Mr. Wellstone. — Jonathan Lange '75 is the lead organizer of BUILD (Baltimoreans United in Leadership Development).

November 1, 2002: One of my fond memories of Paul Wellstone is his passionate description of how powerless he felt when he was in Minneapolis at an anti-war demonstration throwing marshmellows at the windows of the hall where Republicans (and maybe even the President) were having a dinner. I always wondered what he thought (on a personal level) once he became a senator.

November 1, 2002: There is an image on this page of Paul in the spring of 1970. It's a picture of such youth, and makes one's heart stand still. It is certainly how I will always remember him. The spring of '70 was one of the most important seasons of my life, and probably one of Carleton's most extraordinary—as we canceled regular classes in the wake of the U.S. invasion of Cambodia. It was also the last time I demonstrated for a cause. Eighty of us, including Paul, were arrested on the steps of the federal building in Minneapolis, preventing one short day's drafting of soldiers. We wore black armbands as a sign of mourning for the thousands who were dying. Nevertheless, I was filled with such hope and energy and enthusiasm.

What happens as one ages? Now I understand that age doesn't simply bring complacency and lots of "stuff" to be preoccupied with. If we aren't careful, it brings a sort of despair. Perhaps especially with our political system. We give up believing what we do makes any difference. Paul never gave up believing in the American system, or the responsibility of each citizen to participate. Last Saturday I could not sit at home and mourn. It was too painful. I went down to the Vietnam Memorial and demonstrated with (so they say) about 99,999 others, against war in Iraq. My first demonstration in 32 years. Lo and behold, there were many nondescript old people like myself, this time some with green armbands. Paul, I know you meant to make a difference with your life—not with your death. But your death has also jolted me back into consciousness.

— Renny Seidel '73

November 1, 2002: My encounters on campus with Senator Wellstone are ones I shall never forget. He a liberal, and me trying to figure out just what I was, but not exactly that. But agree with him or not, he touched us all, and he made us think and confront ourselves and our own beliefs. He admired those who spoke out and stood up for their beliefs. He showed us all how grassroot politics really works, by getting himself elected. And so the value of not only voting, but discussion of issues, and the encouragement of others, regardless of their beliefs and politics, to get involved. And above all else, to vote. He reinforced my belief that apathy was and is today one of the biggest enemies of this country and our democracy and our very freedom. His teachings helped encourage me to stay involved, and so I am at least somewhat of an activist. I read and listen a lot, I discuss with others frequently, I encourage others to get out and vote because their vote does make a difference, and I vote.

I did not agree with Senator Wellstone in many of his beliefs, but I valued him as a very good and honest human being. We need more like him in the world today, and most ESPECIALLY in politics. His values, his passion, and his honesty were always a breath of fresh air in the classroom, on campus, and in the Senate. He will be missed terribly. I will miss him terribly.

— Steve Parker '74

October 31, 2002: "The personal is the political." I was taught this concept, stemming from feminism, populism, the civil rights movement, in one of my many political science classes at Carleton. Paul Wellstone knew the truth of this statement more than any other Senator. He put himself on the line so often by standing up for the many who are never allowed a voice. The moment we forget this concept, the personal is political, is the moment we lose our agency to be active participants in our democratic society.

I met Paul Wellstone while on the Washington DC Political Science program led by Prof. Steve Schier. Meeting with him one gray afternoon, I was inspired by his willingness to truly speak his mind. He was not appealing to us as potential voters, but as people, asking us what we thought was right and just.

Unfortunately some of my fellow students poo-pooed Paul after we left, calling him a blow hard. I was saddened to hear their surface assessment. True, Paul wasn't the polite statesman, he was challenging and aggressive. But of all of the politicos we met on the trip, Paul was one of the only ones who truly spoke his mind, candidly and openly. He was someone who I could believe in, he was there fighting the fight. That afternoon in his office still inspires me to act when I know it would just be easier to go along with my everyday life.

As we remember Paul we must remember his legacy. This is not the time to be polite, but a time to speak our minds and stand up for others who do not have a voice.

— Anne Godfrey '97

October 31, 2002: Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. PhD said, "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." If I learned nothing else from Senator (Professor) Wellstone, it was to stand my ground in times of challenge and controversy. Do not opt for that which is popular, but rather for that which is right. It's usually a lonely place to be, but "a man who stands for nothing will fall for anything."

While I was a student at Carleton, I did something that was very "unpopular, inconvenient and uncomfortable." I became pregnant my junior year and did the unthinkable; I decided to keep my child and raise him while still a student at Carleton. My last 18 months as a student at Carleton were very uncomfortable and full of inconveniences, but I stood on my beliefs and morals. Today, I have a very sharp, aware and compassionate son whom I could not imagine existing without. I have a son who has been taught to stand up for what you feel is right even in the face of adversity.

I am very proud of the job Senator Wellstone did not Washington. He was a lamb amongst wolves, but he did not let that deter him from doing what he believed was right. He did not waiver to follow the crowd and did not compromise his beliefs. He was a man of dignity, and a man who made the impossible seem possible. I remember when he decided to run for office. Who would have thought a college professor in small town Minnesota, with 1/10 of the financial backing as his opponent, who traveled the State, campaigning on a bus, would have made it to the White House? He epitomized the saying by Pearl S. Buck, "All things are possible until they are proved impossible - and even the impossible may only be so as of now."

Wellstone did not live for himself, but for others. He did not neglect the least of us. I read an article in the New York Times about him and it spoke of how he returned to the House after midnight to thank the cleaning crew for everything they had done. That's just how he was and from his example, that's how I am today. He did not see kind acts as something that was required, but it was his nature. He found joy in doing the small things for the least of us and as a result, had a far-reaching impact on every person he came into contact with. Mark Twain said, "Let us so live that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry." And, so did Senator Wellstone.

I have a picture I took with Senator Wellstone when he visited the school towards the end of my senior year. I'm standing next to Wellstone, holding my infant son. I will forever cherish that picture and a man who measured up in every respect and taught me to just stand.

— Stacy LaShae Burnside '92

October 31, 2002:

A Letter To Paul. It was supposed to be a vacation. Three days, two night away. A chance to relax and reflect on the life I had found myself in. Someplace where I could only be found by those I chose. To hang out with penguins and just write. To act like a tourist so close to home.

But, no. God forbid, you had to ruin it all. You had to rip apart my peaceful morning. Couldn’t leave me to pretend everything would be ok could you? Just had to force me to look at the bigger picture and reject the easy way as usual, didn’t you?

I remember the last time I saw you. It was July 3, 2001. I was back at the same window I had looked out as a girl. My best friend’s house, the high school gymnasium across the street. Amongst a hundred others there you stood. Even after fifteen years, I was in awe of you. My teacher, my mentor, my friend. Not sure you would even remember me, I went out to see for myself.

"I used to teach you know?", I overheard you say to another young woman. "Yeah, he was a pretty damn good one too", I interrupted. Your face erupted with surprise and joy. "Kim, what the hell are you doing here? What have you been up to?"

We hugged and I filled you in. I told you about my three years in Chicago fighting for social justice. I shared how my mom died 5 years prior. We talked about my move to CA and my continued work with homeless kids and my attempts to save the world. You couldn’t talk long, but I knew you couldn’t have been prouder. When I saw you a little later, I remember you pointing me out and bragging. You promised to come visit. You never did keep that promise.

October 25, 2002

"Today in a tragic plane crash near Eveleth, MN, Senator Paul Wellstone, his wife Sheila, and daughter Marcia along with three staff and two pilots were killed."

It couldn’t be true. It just couldn’t. How was I to make sense out of this? How could I relate to a nation mourning for the loss of Senator Wellstone, when I was mourning for the loss of Paul? That voice that still lives in my head challenging me to do what is right.

I sit here now, watching penguins to recapture my sanity, wondering. Wondering if you knew how you changed my life, and the lives of so many of my friends. Did you know, how that day in your office when you shoved me towards a semester in Chicago would bring me to where I am today? You challenged every political and ethical belief I held. You showed me how to sort mine out from those of others and how to stand up for them unwavering, no matter who else was beside me. You taught me that one person can change the world. I learned about integrity and passion and truth.

So often it is the last time we see someone before they die that we remember most. For me it will be the first. That day in August 1986, a young girl trying to make sense out of a world she was living in. Politics and such so foreign to me. You stood up there bigger than life, talking about things I can’t even remember now. After though, we talked about my little town. About how the mines were closing down and how a way of life was disappearing. I knew then, this was the beginning. A year later, you stopped mid thought in a room of a hundred other students, to recognize me, a mere freshman, on her first day of college, in her first class. You remembered me, and our conversation, and the connection we had made. For four years I would hang on every word you said. Soak in every idea you put before me. I would find peace in the world of injustice and wrongs, determined to do it different. I watched you live what you believed and was determined to do the same. You were what was right about politics. To stand alone if necessary for what you believed. To take the unpopular stand. To be the one out of 100 not to agree.

I will mourn for you. Not because this world lost a great senator, but because it lost a great human being. My life is a tribute to you, one I know you were proud of. One of a thousand others who you touched. You did not die in that plane crash because you live on in the hearts and work of so many still alive.

— Kimberly Fallon '91

October 30, 2002: So many people have stories about their personal interactions with Paul - how did he do it? He seemed to have made time for everybody in the state. I cherish my encounters with him. While the Tuesday Memorial service is criticized, and probably deservedly so, for some of the passionate but partisan speeches, personally I was proud to be part of it. I was amazed and awed by how many people loved and respected him, and it helped assuage some of my grief to yell, and scream, and chant his name with 20,000 other people, equally saddened but fired up to "struggle on", in the name of Paul and Sheila. — Amelia (Amy) Sparks '94

October 30, 2002: Since my freshman year at Carleton in 1988, I've learned a lot from Paul Wellstone - and the remarkable thing is, he's the only teacher I had at Carleton from whom I learned my most important lessons from outside the classroom. I worked a bit on his campaign in 1990, mostly making sure people turned out to vote, but I was pretty skeptical that he would win, and from his victory I think I learned to have faith in what might initially seem to be hopeless causes. Since I left Carleton to teach and do research in political science, I've always looked to Paul as one of the only members of Congress who could always be counted on to stand up for his beliefs, and as someone who generated a sort of passion that can't be quantified in opinion polls or any of the other measures political scientists use to look at how politicians are doing in office or in their elections. That, as well, is a valuable lesson.

The thing that makes the lessons Paul has taught me so remarkable is that although I worked on many of the same political causes as he did, and while I spoke with him frequently while I was there, I can't really say I knew him that well when I was at Carleton. On the other hand, though, Paul was always an open book to even the most casual acquaintances. At Carleton and afterwards, I always considered him a friend. The two or three times I encountered him after graduation he was always talkative and friendly. What politician wouldn't be, right? But with Paul I always knew his interest was sincere. He was the only member of Congress whose voice I could recognize instantly, and every time I heard him giving a speech I would flash back to my time at Carleton. I guess that's part of why I am so saddened by his death - his death is a great loss to the nation, but for me, it also feels like a loss of one of the links I had to my own college years. It's evident that there are many people who feel this way, and so I think that Paul's legacy will be felt for years in the actions of the people he touched.

— Rob Boatright '92

October 30, 2002: Paul Wellstone was a great man. I took a Political Science introductory course from him as a sophomore in 1978. I remember him as both tiny and huge -- a short man with an enormous physical presence. He moved and spoke and acted with confidence and passion, but also showed tremendous respect and kindness for those of us who were lucky enough to be students in his class. I remember him agonizing over what books to require in our class to represent conservative viewpoints. He very much wanted to be fair, and respectfully hear and allow different views to be represented in his classroom, but said that he could not find books that represented conservatives well. He asked for our help.

What an incredible loss, and what a daunting call to us to try to honor him through our own actions. My heart goes out to Paul's family and friends. Shalom Paul.

— Dave Rapp '80

October 30, 2002: When I think back on the professors whose courses and personalities live with me even today, I always come back to Paul Wellstone. Paul's ability to move a classroom discussion directly past textbook thinking and challenge his students to get to the heart of their core beliefs remains the most powerful lesson I received. It didn't matter that Paul and I already agreed on most political issues from the day we met; he was just as hard on me to think through my beliefs as anyone else - perhaps harder.

Paul was a great presence outside the classroom as well. I've lost track of all the organizing meetings, protests rallys, and who knows what other occasions I attended where Paul was a vibrant participant. While his energy was not enough to keep me active in political causes past Carleton, it certainly has kept me thinking about my political decisions. When I vote on Tuesday, I will vote having thought through the ramifications of my decisions, with a full knowledge of the core, fundamental values that will guide the elected officials I choose. That is the greatest lesson I learned in political science, and I couldn't have learned it without Paul Wellstone. Thank you, Paul.

— Dennis Wallick '82

October 30, 2002: I am profoundly saddened by the tragic accident that took the lives of Paul Wellstone, his wife and daughter. At Carleton, I saw Paul in action. He was a relentless advocate of Divestment in the 1980's, much to the irritation of many members of the College Council. He would attend the Council meetings in Great Hall and stand near the back. When it was time to speak, Paul would convey his outrage at the college's investment policies (in his now famous oratory style) for all to hear.

In some ways, I can see that Paul was headed for a stage much larger than that in Great Hall. On the other hand, I continue to marvel at the gumption that it took for him to run for Senate. His willingness to "live his values" is rare and extremely inspiring to me.

I keep wondering why. Why would Paul and two very powerful women in their own right be taken from our community and country now? Something that Rich Kahn said at Paul's memorial service stuck with me. Rich said that to have compassion in our hearts is not enough. It is the actions that we take that reveal who we are. With our country at the brink of war, and with Paul's passing, it is up to us.

— Susan Vobejda '87

October 30, 2002: A letter to the editor in the Raleigh News & Oberver: Paul Wellstone came to Minnesota's Carleton College as a professor at the start of my sophomore year. Only about three to six years older than the students, dressed in T-shirts, turtlenecks and jeans, he seemed more like a student than a professor. However, he brought to the classroom a deep understanding of how our political system worked, how change could be made, and a passionate belief that we could make that change for the good of all, especially the disenfranchised (a philosophy that came largely from his Russian Jewish immigrant parents, as it came to me from my Russian Jewish immigrant grandparents).

Thirty-three years later-- following the entire Vietnam War era, Watergate and other political and social scandals -- it is hard to keep that belief alive. Sen. Wellstone's death does diminish that spirit, that belief. But in honor of that spirit, in honor of the bravery Wellstone displayed in his political life, in honor of the bravery of thousands of other Americans who have fought and struggled to keep our American legacy and freedom alive, we all have the responsibility, whatever our political beliefs, to make it to our polling places between now and Nov. 5, taking others with us, and vote. It is the best affirmation of the senator's belief and what we owe the victims of Sept. 11.

— Jane Pinsky '72

October 30, 2002: I have never been prouder of Carleton than the day that the College hired Paul Wellstone, and the day it decided that it would override its initial denial of tenure for Paul after about 1400 of the 1600 students petitioned the administration to let Paul stay.

Paul was a firebrand in the classroom, raising his voice in outrage, questioning our beliefs, always demanding more, more, more! from himself, the students, and our democracy. He has never been a man of compromise. To take his class was to learn that our system was the opposite of fair; that it was run by large institutions that in no way had the well-being of the vast numbers of working class, black, female, young, and older Americans as its concern. In taking his class, you learned to be angry, and you learned that you could not sit by while great injustice was being done.

Carleton has always been a thoughtful, liberal college, but Paul, always impatient for action, was far more radical than most of us. I vividly recall him speaking at a rally on the Bald Spot, exhorting us to go on strike in, I believe, May of 1972. Some students wanted a quieter life; to just get on with things, but Paul's energy, passion, and commitment prevailed, and because of the power of his words and his passion we shut down the campus and engaged in teach-ins and protests. Here was an example of Paul's refusal to compromise; leading Carleton students on strike was hardly a way to improve his own chances at tenure, and yet he did it.

In the fall of 1972, I spent a number of Saturdays canvassing for McGovern in southern Minnesota. One Saturday, I piled into a car with Paul's close friend, my adviser Mike Caspar, and several other students. Paul and some students were in another car. Mike was the lead car for this tandem drive. Somehow, the cars got separated, but we in the lead car hadn't noticed, and just kept driving. About half an hour later, we were jerked out of conversation by a maniac car driving beside us, flashing its lights and honking its horn. There, in the front seat, was Paul Wellstone, raising a middle finger to Mike, shouting angrily and using the adjective that Mayor Richard Daley used on Senator Abe Ribicoff at the 1968 Democratic Convention (hint: M-F ). Paul had apparently been driving behind us for miles, trying furiously to catch up because we had overshot the turn and now were miles away from our destination. I was shocked that one professor would give another the finger, but that was Paul. I think that it was not the wasted miles driven but the loss of canvassing time that bothered him more than anything.

I have learned a lot more about Paul in the days since his death. Paul was not only about righting wrongs--trying to keep the Alaskan wilderness out of the hands of the oil- and timbermen; trying to provide universal health care; trying to stop 40% of the new tax breaks going to the richest 1% of the population; getting mental health covered on par with physical health; voting against a lunatic war with Iraq—he was also capable of great love and friendships. It is so clear that he and his wife Sheila had a wonderful, magical love for each other and for their children Marcia, David, and Mark.

Paul was able to look beyond politics to find that nugget of goodness in other people. Pete Domenici who represents just about everything Paul did not, was crying so hard in an interview with NPR that he couldn't speak, and Jim Jeffords choked up when talking about how Sheila would wait around late at night for Paul to finish his speeches, then walk hand-in-hand with him down the halls of the Senate. Paul had some enemies, certainly, but he had thousands of friends.

In Paul, we see everything that is right with America. Passion, belief in the goodness of the American people, and in the right of people to live up to their potential. When I heard that Paul had died, I cried, as I did for those lost on September 11th, and for Dr. Martin Luther King, President Kennedy, and Senator Kennedy—all terrible, national tragedies. America will never be the same without him. He needed us, certainly, to support him, to vote for him, but more than that, we needed him, to tell us that there is always hope, that things can always be made better.

I feel blessed to have known Paul in even such a small way, and thankful that Carleton gave me this opportunity. The loss to his family, to Minnesota, to the nation, is just so great. I can't believe that the integrity, passion, and love of this great man are gone from us forever.

— Virginia A. Smith '75

October 30, 2002: I never took a political science class, but I heard Paul speak on many occasions. There was the divestment sit-in during my first month of college, his introduction of Jesse Jackson at a farm in Northfield, his role as Jesse Jackson's representative in a presidential debate held in the chapel, and other spontaneous rallies and events. My most vivid memory of him was on the day he was elected -- a foggy, chilly day. I was going down the hill behind Musser to vote in town, and he was coming up the hill, wearing a Northfield wrestling jacket. I told him I was off to vote, and he grinned and gave me a big thumbs-up sign, happy that I was voting. I wished him good luck, and that was it.

I was surprised how deeply sad I felt at reading of his death online on Friday. It wasn't just because he is a liberal and there are so few of us left, and it wasn't just because he was a man of true conviction. It was because, despite not having taken a class from him, I really felt his presence when I was at Carleton, and I grieved at the loss of such a kind man. I hope the crash was quick and that he did not suffer. I have been telling all of my students (middle school kids) about him, and I hope that his legacy lives on.

— Laura Matheny '91

October 30, 2002: I had many exceptional professors and classes at Carleton, but Paul Wellstone's were among the first. They were the ones that completely dislodged my understanding of the world and made poverty, racism, power and social injustice realities for me that I am forever accountable to. They laid the foundation for the rest of my education.

I still have the syllabus from Paul's Fall 1988 introductory political science class. It contains the following statement: "Requirements that are unyielding: a personal commitment to and active participation in the class...". He expected it of us and he gave no less himself. Years after Carleton, I realize how extraordinary that was. (And how very Carleton.)

I took Wellstone classes throughout my second year. How I think about things has of course been shaped by other influences since then, but the fundamental impact of those classes and of Wellstone himself has been beyond description. I am a political science graduate student now in large part because Paul represents to me a best-case scenario for who I can imagine being someday.

The one thought I turn to for consolation right now is this one: I am reminded, by people here in California who never met Paul but thought of him as "THE Senator" as well as by fellow Carls who experienced his classes (directly or indirectly), that because of who Paul was, how he lived and how he taught, his influence remains a living force. And this calls me to rededicate myself to what I learned from him.

— Molly Patterson '91

October 30, 2002: Paul Wellstone was a force for social change on the Carleton campus--I remember his involvement in a group who studied the book, "Living the Good Life," by Helen and Scott Nearing.

My focus on the sciences deprived me of the chance to experience his teachings first hand. The book by the Nearings did, however, become central to my experiences and my life choices in the 70's and the 80's.

Thanks to the Wellstones for speaking passionately in favor of the potential for the good life. Thank you Carleton for instilling in us the desire to make sense of the intellectual primordial soup, and thanks to everyone who takes action, reaching out to write, to speak, to teach what they have learned.

— Scott Parsons '72

October 29, 2002: I never met Paul Wellstone in person. He arrived at Carleton College to teach in fall 1969, and I had left as a student earlier that year. However, I had the pleasure of editing one of his books for the University of Massachusetts Press in 1981.

I've edited enough manuscripts that the volumes would fill at least one tall set of bookshelves. All of the material has been interesting, much of it wonderful. A few books stand out from that collection as extraordinary. One of them is "Powerline: The First Battle of America's Energy War," by Barry M. Casper and Paul David Wellstone. The book itself is a fine piece of work: solid scholarship, readable, and humane.

But "best" refers not only to the product but to the process by which it came into being. Paul Wellstone and Barry Casper were delightful to work with. Their goal was excellence. They did their job well and they let me do mine the same way. A friend and fellow editor to whom I mentioned this in an e-mail on Friday evening, while I was struggling to accept, if not comprehend, Wellstone's death, wrote back: "I don't know anything about him except that if his book was one of the best you've worked on, that's enormous praise and implies a tremendous loss."

After working on the book, I always felt better knowing Paul Wellstone was one of us humans. I recently sent a contribution to his campaign, because the current elected politicians in my own state do not acknowledge my expressed opinions, much less represent me. My act was one small instance of ìspeaking truth to power,î as Paul Wellstoneís way of living embodied.

May we all carry forward portions of his spirit and legacy.

— Deborah Robson (class of '70, attended Carleton '66-'69)

October 29, 2002: I thought I was a radical liberal...then I took Paul Wellstone's Introduction to Political Science class. In actuality, I was a still naive, sheltered college junior at the time. Paul's class introduced me to a whole new way of thinking about politics in our country and showed me how political decisions affect all of our lives on a daily basis. And, as anyone who was at Carleton while Paul Wellstone taught there knows, Paul did not just talk about politics in the classroom. Paul lived his politics every day in the college community. I recall Paul frequently standing with the students in disagreements with the administration. In retrospect, I realize what a lucky and unique experience we had in seeing someone who so passionately and bravely stood up for his beliefs.

I have been surprised at how profound my sadness has been since hearing of the tragic plane crash. In part, my sadness stems from the Carleton connection. Regardless of politics, I think that everyone affiliated with Carleton felt a sense of pride in Paul Wellstone's innovative campaign and exciting Senate victory twelve years ago. However, even if I had not had the good fortune to sit in a classroom with Paul Wellstone, I think I would be equally sad. I fear that, in the remainder of my lifetime, I will never see another politician with such integrity.

I now live and work in New Hampshire. I ran into Paul Wellstone two years ago when he was here campaigning for Bill Bradley. I went out to the town square to hear Mr. Bradley speak and suddenly realized that I was standing next to Senator Wellstone. I re-introduced myself and told him that I had been in one of his classes many years earlier. He was sincerely pleased to learn that I had become a Public Defender.

I was just in Minnesota a few weeks ago. My dear friend, Dawn Messerly, and I talked about Paul's current race. As Dawn wrote to me today, "He was such a significant part of how I saw the identity of Minnesota."

I was proud that Paul Wellstone was part of the identity of Carleton College. I was proud to have lived in Minnesota for even four years because Paul Wellstone was a part of the identity of Minnesota. I was proud of our democracy because Paul Wellstone stood so tall in our Senate.

To the family of Paul, Sheila and Marcia and the families of Paul's campaign aides and the pilots on his flight, I can only say that thousands of us share your grief.

— Jessica Brown '91

October 29, 2002: I was a student in Paul Wellstone's State Politics class in 1989. That was during my more conservative years. Paul, the name he encouraged his students to call him, conducted classes in the bus on the way to the State Capitol. He was passionate about his beliefs, and very kind toward my more conservative views at the same time. The small group in the class got Paul's personal attention in getting internships, attending important hearings in the House and Senate, and getting to know Minnesota's political climate. It was amazing the amount of work he put into that class. He was uniquely qualified to teach it, and I'm not sure if Carleton has been able offer a course quite like it since. It was my pleasure as a Minnesotan to vote for him in 1990. His commitment to working for the people was as obvious in his campaign as it was in the classroom - that mattered more to me that his stand on specific issues where I may have differed with him.

A couple months ago I almost ran right into him in the Minneapolis airport. As we passed one another, I blurted out, "Paul!", not Senator, not Mr. Wellstone, just Paul. He remembered me and asked how I was doing. It was brief, but I thought about writing him afterward and thanking him for the job he was doing for me as a US citizen, no longer a Minnesota resident.

I've heard him over the years on NPR, and The News Hour, working on issues, sometimes when he's the only one in the Senate who would make such a stand. Our country needs that kind of courage in its leadership, especially now.

He will be sorely missed.

— Marc Schwartz '91

October 29, 2002: A letter to the editor in the Star Tribune—As a former student of the late senator at Carleton College, I wish to express my sincere condolences for the shocking loss of Paul, Sheila and Marcia Wellstone. The senator, whom I lovingly remember as Paul, influenced me to care deeply about my community and the larger world and to try to do my part to help.

While a student in his urban politics class, he and I engaged in a heated discussion right at the end of a Wednesday session. The next class was scheduled for Friday, which happened to be Good Friday. I decided to skip class, anticipating a holiday weekend and thinking Wellstone had long forgotten the discussion and would be on his way to celebrate Passover. Of course he showed up in class and bellowed, "Where is that SOB, Lynch?" Needless to say my classmates transmitted this message and I was equally embarrassed and amazed at his passion to continue an argument with an opinionated, punk 19-year-old black student from Chicago.

At this point, all I can do is offer to share the healing power of my higher power to Mark and David as we continue the journey, armed with the love and spirit of their parents and sister.

— Lynch Rodonald Travis '77

October 25, 2002: This news makes me very sad.

I also have some fond and amusing memories of Paul's Poli Sci. 10 class, which always seemed more like a rally than a lecture.

I remember never being in danger of having to sit in the front row, because those seats were always eagerly occupied by the Young Republicans on one side waiting to tear into him, and a bevy of Paul-groupies (in my hazy memory mostly women) on the other side lapping up every word.

Whenever I picture Paul, it is always in a very tight T-Shirt which emphasized his very muscular arms which he used to great effect while speaking. He was an impressive leader on campus and generally an optimistic and inspiring presence. I relished seeing glimpses of him on TV, imagining him stirring things up in the Senate.

He'll be sorely missed.

— Rob Roe '88

October 25, 2002: As a Minnesota resident, I'm mourning my senator's tragic death. He was the only politician I ever voted for with a totally clear conscience and a straight face. — Pamela Espeland '73

October 25, 2002: I was so saddened to hear the news of Paul Wellstone's tragic death this afternoon in Northern Minnesota. He was a champion of the underdog in a world where political expediency often runs over human values.

He will be greatly missed by a great many people. I hope the Carleton community can do something wonderful in his, and his wife's, honor.

— Michael Philipson '79

October 25, 2002: I wish I could've been at Carleton today to honor the Wellstones. I just heard about his death on CNN, shocking patients, staff and families alike when I gasped a breath in and then burst into tears. I am in Montana because of choosing a graduate school that would nurture my flavor of environmental and political activity; I realized that I could be politically active when Paul simultaneously cradled, pushed, demanded and underpinned me. Few people have influenced me so strongly to work for what I believe in while insisting that my values be translated into realistic, smart, effective actions and discourse. Although I have long since left Minnesota, I grieve that it and the nation have lost a person I consider to be a champion, and a man I just plain liked as I admired him. I bear witness to this loss with all the other Carls who appreciated him, wherever we may be.— Katie MacMillen '84