Tributes to Ben Nelson

Ben Nelson is retiring. It has been a long, interesting journey for him, and a career that I'm sure has not always been easy, but one in which all of us in McCook can take great pride. I am reminded of that day so long ago when Ben applied for his first job -- at our bakery. ...

MARK GRAFF Chairman MNB Financial Group As a member of the McCook Community Foundation Fund and as a past board member of the Nebraska Community Foundation, I have a deep appreciation for Ben's public service. It was during Ben's term as Nebraska Governor that the Nebraska Community Foundation was born...

I had heard of Ben Nelson when I moved to McCook 30 years ago, but I had not met him. It was not until Ben upset Kay Orr in 1990 to become Nebraska's Governor that I came to know Ben and meet with him on a regular basis. His victory in the governor's race was dramatic, because -- at the time -- Kay Orr was the first and only female Republican governor in the nation...

EDITOR'S NOTE: Through the years, the paths of Jerda Thompson Vickers and Ben Nelson crossed many times. In the paragraphs to follow, Jerda remembers the many encounters she and Ben had. The first memorable meeting occurred in the 1950s. Listed in chronological order, the many meetings are numbered (1) through (15)...

PHILIP LYONS McCook Mayor (1990-93 and 1996-97) Governor Ben Nelson was very good to McCook. In his first month as Governor he listened to concerns of local officials about how small towns were doing. He listened and gave small towns a chance to land businesses with a helping hand from the Nebraska Department of Economic Development...

KAY (RANDEL) ROBBEN Former MEDC Director The first time if met Ben Nelson was shortly after I had been named the Executive Director of the McCook Economic Development Corporation. I was at an event in eastern Nebraska with a lot of high profile people in attendance. ...

When Gene O. Morris let me know that the McCook Gazette would be publishing a Tribute to Ben Nelson edition, I knew that I had to be a part of it. I was excited for the opportunity to participate because it would give me a chance to thank Ben for all that he has accomplished during his tenure in Lincoln and Washington...

J.L. SCHMIDT Capitol View Columnist I got to know Ben Nelson when he was Governor and reported on seven of the eight years he was in office. The last year I worked in the Department of Administrative Services in his administration. During those eight years I experienced a lot of firsts in my career. ...

JIM ULRICH President and CEO Community Hospital This article is in tribute to Ben Nelson's 26-year public service career. In a rural town like McCook, access to healthcare services is certainly a precious thing. Ben understood this and over the course of his career in the U.S. ...