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Groton Daily Independent
Friday, April 20, 2018 ~ Vol. 25 - No. 280 ~ 12 of 43
to sister Amy and brother David would need to be strong despite waves of grief and doubt that threatened to knock him to the ground.
Back home, there was boundless support for a family that had been part of South Dakota politics since George T. Mickelson, Mark’s grandfather, entered the state legislature more than a half-century earlier.
Much was expected of the namesake, George S. Mickelson, and he delivered. At 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds, his physical size was matched by ambitious ideas, many of which reflected principle more than party line. He worked to raise teacher salaries and increase state aid to schools while stressing economic devel- opment and manufacturing growth. He addressed a problem that many state leaders averted their eyes from, seeking to improve white and Native American relations by declaring 1990 the Year of Reconciliation. Though some viewed that outreach as merely symbolic, it signified a willingness to step forward in good
faith to explore solutions, no matter how long the process may take.
“He was a politician who was not driven by the power of the pull of the next election,” said Miller. “His
motives all involved doing good things for other people, not himself. And his compassion for other people had no limits.”
On April 22, three days after the crash, an estimated 12,000 people walked past Mickelson’s flag-draped casket in the Capitol rotunda during the six-hour period before an afternoon memorial service, many paus- ing to admire a nearby portrait of the governor with his trademark smile.
Attending the service were 12 governors from other states, national Republican leaders such as Dole and John Sununu, and former South Dakota chief executives Frank Farrar, Harvey Wollman and Bill Janklow. Boy Scouts served as ushers and occasionally brushed away tears.
“For those of us who survived, there is a feeling that George did not live long enough to do all that he might have done,” said the Mickelsons’ former pastor, the Rev. Don Veglahn of Asbury United Methodist Church in Sioux Falls. “Life is not really measured by years, but by what we do with those years. By that measure, George Mickelson lived two lifetimes.”
For South Dakota as a whole, mourning for Mickelson was mixed with the realization that tragedy couldn’t stop the march of time. Other voices would have to emerge.
“When you lose one of your leaders, it’s like losing a leader in combat,” said former governor and World War II fighter pilot Joe Foss. “You step up and take the slack.”
Janklow challenged Miller in the 1994 Republican primary and prevailed, setting up his return to Pierre for two terms, followed by eight-year stints by Mike Rounds and Daugaard.
If the hope was that Mickelson’s broad-based example would spark a fresh era of leadership for all South Dakotans, that goal saw fits and starts. With healing came new agendas and priorities, but to heal does not mean to forget.
Later this year, the 25th anniversary of Mickelson’s death will be commemorated with a bronze bust to be placed in the House of Representatives lobby, a testament to the fact that his passion for public service and love for South Dakota continued to shine long after the darkest of days.
“It would be a tragedy of far greater proportion,” said Rev. Veglahn, “if we allowed a mangled airplane and silo on an Iowa farm to be the final word.”
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Information from: Argus Leader, http://www.argusleader.com
Excerpts from recent South Dakota editorials By The Associated Press
American News, Aberdeen, April 19
County needs to fix Gmail problems ASAP
For months, Brown County officials and employees have not been receiving much of the email sent to them from Google accounts.
If your email is “somethingsomething2018@gmail.com,” for instance, and you have tried to reach a county