October 25, 2004
Wellstone!
Two years ago today, a tragic plane crash killed Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone, his wife Sheila, his daughter Marcia, and three campaign aides. Wellstone had received both his undergraduate and doctoral degrees from UNC-CH, and two weeks ago, UNC dedicated a brand new Paul & Sheila Wellstone Memorial Garden at the corner of Murphy Hall on the main UNC quad. I was fortunate enough to be getting out of a nearby class when the ceremony was going on. UNC Law School dean Gene Nichol spoke about Wellstone and what a principled Senator he was, how he had an unfair advantage over other politicians because he actually believed everything that he said, how he had voted against the Iraq War Resolution in spite of being in the middle of a tough re-election battle where his vote might have cost him some support, how other Senators who had voted for the Iraq War Resolution probably now wished that they could go back and vote the way Wellstone had voted, and how raising private money for the Memorial Garden had been the easiest fundraiser that he had ever been associated with because so many people were eager to contribute to something that would honor Wellstone.
Wellstone was such a rarity as far as politicians go and it's great to see him fittingly remembered by his alma mater. It's also great to see that the Wellstone Action folks are still at work, focusing on Get-Out-The-Vote efforts in swing-state Minnesota right now.
So that this post doesn't wind up being too somber, here's a little Wellstone-related trivia:
Q: Paul Wellstone was on the UNC wrestling team and won an ACC championship for his weight class in 1964. What other former UNC wrestler was very much in the national news in October 2002?
Click on the 'Continue Reading' link for the answer...
A: Former Montgomery County, MD police chief Charles Moose (UNC-CH class of '75) who led the manhunt for the infamous DC-area "beltway sniper" in October 2002.
Posted by Tim at October 25, 2004 05:21 PM