Lindsey
Oh, I’m so glad somebody started this thread. It warms my South Dakotan heart! I grew up in the same tiny eastern South Dakota town as George McGovern, and had the privilege of meeting him on several occasions. Let me tell you, he was one of the kindest, most honest and large-hearted people I’ve known. Not that you need my word for it – his lifetime of public service speaks for itself. In a place like Mitchell, SD, where everybody is pretty darn Midwestern nice, McGovern’s generosity and kindness stood out.
My father was working on the sewer lines in front of McGovern’s house one hot summer day. Before too long, George came out with lemonade and ice water for the crew.
He also had great taste in movies and was often seen at the local theater attending movies by himself after his wife Eleanor passed in 2007.
He was a patron of the museum where I was employed as a teenage tour guide, and commended me on my passion for our local history. Just about everybody in Mitchell has a great McGovern story like that. He was a wonderful neighbor.
For a young person still developing my world views, he was an example of what it was like to be a Democrat, especially a democrat from a deep red state like South Dakota. He taught me that being a liberal didn’t run counter to my South Dakota values, but was a deep part of them! I am so grateful for his representation of South Dakota and his lifelong fight for the poor, the hungry and needy. May he rest in peace.