Supernaut
Supernaut is a podcast about spirituality, sobriety, and the spectrum of self. Hosted by Beth Kelling, this show explores what it means to seek clarity, connection, and personal truth in a world that rarely slows down.
Since beginning her sobriety journey in 2020, Beth has been diving deeper into spiritual practices, emotional honesty, and all the beautiful, messy layers of identity.
Each episode opens the door to conversations about healing, growth, creativity, intuition, and everything in between — because who we are isn’t fixed, it’s a spectrum.
Beth will be joined by guests who share their own stories, perspectives, and spiritual paths — offering insight, inspiration, and the occasional cosmic detour.
Whether you’re sober-curious, spiritually inclined, or just looking to feel a little more human, you’re in the right place
Supernaut
Senator to Survivor: Dan Stevens’ Journey Through Pancreatic Cancer
A diagnosis of pancreatic cancer typically comes with a grim prognosis – just 13% of patients survive five years. But Dan Stevens refused to become a statistic. When severe abdominal pain sent him to the emergency room, doctors discovered a tumor on his pancreas. Fortunately, it was caught at stage two, a rarity for a disease often not detected until it's too late.
Dan's approach to his cancer journey reveals the extraordinary power of mindset. While many would crumble under such news, this former Minnesota State Senator and grandfather to our engineer Veda responded with characteristic determination. When his granddaughter called him sobbing after learning of his diagnosis, Dan told her, "Buck up, Veda, I'm gonna be fine." It wasn't empty reassurance – it was his genuine belief.
Throughout eight rounds of chemotherapy and a major surgery that removed part of his pancreas, his spleen, and gallbladder, Dan maintained remarkable optimism. His strategy? "I would pray for other people that have cancer." This outward focus kept him from dwelling on his own suffering and maintained his hope. As he puts it, "Count your blessings" – wisdom from his mother that's guided him through every challenge.
Before serving 10 years in the Minnesota Senate, Dan grew up on a dairy farm, learning the value of hard work and community service. These early experiences shaped his resilient character and practical approach to life's obstacles. His political career reflects the same integrity that carried him through cancer treatment – a willingness to fight for what's right, even when unpopular.
Now cancer-free, Dan uses his experience to raise awareness about pancreatic cancer's warning signs: unexplained weight loss, changes in stool, and sudden abdominal pain. His message to others facing diagnosis is powerfully simple: "You gotta have faith and hope that everything's gonna be alright."
If you've been touched by cancer or are supporting someone through their journey, Dan's story offers both practical wisdom and genuine inspiration. Listen, share with someone who needs hope, and remember his advice for living well at any age: "Just be kind to other people."
0:00 Meeting Dan Stevens
2:04 Pancreatic Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment
8:50 Symptoms and Early Detection
17:02 Attitude and Support Through Cancer
30:28 Life Lessons From a Dairy Farm
36:33 Path to State Senate Career
49:45 Legislative Accomplishments and Challenges
1:05:04 Being Remembered: Words from Family
Welcome to SuperNot, where we explore the inner and outer dimensions of the self. Today I have on Dan Stevens. Dan is my best friend Shannon's father and Veda, our engineer's grandfather, a past Minnesota State Senator, a pancreatic cancer survivor, and so many more things. I can't wait to learn and hear more about his life. Welcome, Dan.
SPEAKER_00:Well, thank you very much. Thanks for having me on.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, I asked you to pick a song for us to listen to together before we started. What song did you pick and why?
SPEAKER_00:Uh Why Me Lord by Chris Christofferson.
SPEAKER_03:Why did you pick that one?
SPEAKER_00:Well, um, having gone through the uh uh treatment on pancreatic cancer, um when after I was diagnosed in September of 2023, I I entered uh at Mercy Hospital. I was going through the um through the uh cancer treatment, the chemo. And my last chemo was in the spring, and and it was a beautiful sunny day. I saw an eagle that day, that's one of my favorites, and um got to ring the bell.
SPEAKER_01:Woohoo!
SPEAKER_00:On the last chemo thing that uh of of the eight treatments I had. And coming back, and I just turned the radio on and there's that song. And there's uh there's a couple lines in there. The one the one that stands out the most and why I'm here today is is what um what can I do?
SPEAKER_03:Um right, because pancreatic cancer is only three percent of all cancers diagnosed, but the third leading cause of all deaths.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. That's that's so that's intense. Yeah, and I I want to show people that that you can survive it. Um and and that's the thing is you know, every in this country, every year there's there's um two million new cancer cases. Two million, you know. Leading cause the the number one is breast cancer. Okay, the over 300,000. And there's um, you know, there's like 42,000 deaths, but um and and it's a terrible disease, but it's got a 90% survival rate. Um next is um prostate cancer for men. That's um, you know, 313,000 cases a year, but um only 35,000 deaths per year. But you take cancer, pancreatic cancer, um, we're looking at only 67,000 cases, like you said, only 3% of the 2 million every every year, but um, but you know, it's its survival rate of five years is only 13 percent. It accounts for uh over 53,000 deaths per year. Because it's it's the diagnosis of it is so hard to diagnose that people oftentimes I was lucky, I was caught at stage two, and I credit a lot of that um to Dr. Randy Boosterm here.
SPEAKER_03:Here in Mora?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, yeah, I went to the emergency room. Uh, I woke up with the worst pains I ever had across from this this side of my stomach over to this side, and and I knew something was was not normal. Um and you know, that's um that's one of the things too, you know, especially with men. Oh, I'll take a couple aspirin and like my dad, I'll take some aspirin and wash it down with some brandy, I'll be okay in the morning, you know. Well, I knew that wasn't that wasn't uh because of how severe the pain was? Yeah, it was the worst pain I ever had. And and pain usually doesn't bother me. I mean, you know, um, but this this was terrible. Um, so anyway, we went in and and uh they did a CT scan and they did an MRI and he came back and he says we we found some things on your pancreas that shouldn't be there. So then he they sent me down to to Mercy down there and and um they they did a biopsy by running uh instrumentation down through uh in through my stomach into the intestine, get over there. And I come back and he the doctor come back and said, Um I'm afraid you have pancreatic cancer.
SPEAKER_03:Was this all in the first first doctor's visit in the after that pain? Or did you go back later to find the results out?
SPEAKER_00:Um the um the first emergency room visit didn't really, you know, they they knew something was there. And the the tumor is very small. It was, you know, about that big uh is about um a little over an inch long and half inch in diameter. But what it was doing on on, and this sounds really terrible, but I can give some people some of the symptoms, you know, other than the pain. If you're if you're losing weight without trying to lose weight, um two things You're not just lucky, it's yeah. Yeah, it's like I you know was I'd lost, you know, like 20 some pounds, 25 pounds, and and I wasn't trying to lose it, but um what was happening, the you know, your pancreas regulates a a lot of your blood sugar and and such. But the the thing with the um with the tumor was also um causing the um the digestive system to to to um uh to get rid of the fat too. And so I was losing I I had just been put on jardians for my diabetes, so that was dumping the sugar. The pancreas was helping dump the sugar, and then the tumor was causing the pancreas to dump the fat too. And so I was I was dropping a lot of weight. And one of the symptoms, and this is where it gets kind of gross, but is be aware of your stools because they were very odorous and very oily and floating, and there was no consistency in in the stools at all.
SPEAKER_03:So so when you know did you notice this before this pain?
SPEAKER_00:But you were just like, ah, it's well, I thought this was part of the Jardiance thing. I thought this, you know, I thought this losing weight was because because right on TV, if you use Jardians, you're gonna drop some weight. Okay, well, so I thought, well, you know, this is weird, but I didn't think that much of it.
SPEAKER_03:What was what caused the pain? Because luckily you have that pain.
SPEAKER_00:Well, when they uh um when they took out the um did the surgery and and took took that out, they also had found that I had gallstones and they took the gallbladder out at the same time. So I think that's why your pancreas is over here, your gallbladder is over here. So I think I think there was just a a flare-up of both of them together, and luckily for me it it was because a lot of people aren't diagnosed at stage two pancreatic cancer, usually gets into stage four, which is is is not good.
SPEAKER_03:Well, that's been a theme in my life lately is realizing that as the bad things happen, if you can realize that there's blessings in these bad things, and that's like an exact moment right there where this pain was a blessing, because if you hadn't gotten that can pain, who knows how long before you would have found out.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:So when the doctor told you you have pancreatic cancer, what was the feeling that you had?
SPEAKER_00:It's like a punch in the stomach, you know, because as you know, I mean, when you have celebrities like Patrick Swayze and Alex Trebek and and other famous people, and and then local people around here that oh, well, uh a classmate, a good friend of mine, his his wife, um, she was just in her early 50s, you know.
SPEAKER_03:Because the medium age is 70, so that means it can be a lot earlier.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. I mean, and that's the thing too, is people are being younger when they're being diagnosed with that too, you know. So um it's um it's one of those things, it's like I said, it's it's like a like a punch in the guts. But but at the same time, you know, um you kind of go into this mode, at least uh this is for me. I I don't know what other people do. But it's like, well, thy will be done, you know. And so you're gonna fight, you know, and and stuff, and and you, you know, and I I think it was important too when I went from the oncologist to talk to the first surgeon. He was uh somebody that I wouldn't go to because he was like, let's slice and dice, you know, we'll we'll cut this thing out right away, and and you know, you'll be on your way. Well, the one and that's when I I previously had been down to a Mayo clinic. I had a hip replaced down there and stuff. So I I called up down a Mayo and I went down there and met with oncologists down there and met with the uh uh cancer surgeon down there, and they said no, the outcome is much better if we do the chemo first and try to kill that tumor and then remove it from your body. You know, so that was that was the plan that we went forward with there.
SPEAKER_03:Was it a hard decision which plan to go with?
SPEAKER_00:No, not for me.
SPEAKER_03:Because you didn't want to be cut open or you didn't trust that doctor.
SPEAKER_00:Well, I wanted, you know, uh I think that's why it's important to get a second opinion, you know. And and the I talked to two or three oncologists, and they said, no, the results are better if you have the chemo first.
SPEAKER_01:Okay.
SPEAKER_00:They were all that was a consensus from the oncologist. The surgeon was let's get it out of there. And then the second surgeon, um, she said, no, she says, let's uh um let's do the chemo first, and then after the chemo, then then we'll we'll remove it because they got to take part of your pancreas, you know. Luckily it was not on on mine was on the tail of the pancreas, it wasn't on the uh on the crown like so many, and then they have to have the whipple procedure. I had a distal procedure, which is take the tail of the of the pancreas. So yeah.
SPEAKER_03:So what's the correlation with diabetes?
SPEAKER_00:I they you know they can't really prove causation, but there's a strong correlation, Beth.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah. And and so there's gotta be something there.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. But you know, not everybody with diabetes is gonna get pancreatic cancer. Some people are gonna get pancreatic cancer that they've never had diabetes, you know, and stuff, but but I think um, you know, the medical people are indicating that there is a correlation.
SPEAKER_03:So they're trying to figure it out. Why do you think there's less funding and public attention than other major cancers despite this high mortality rate?
SPEAKER_00:That's a good question because, you know, as you go further down, well, it's only three percent of the of the cancers, you know, and and and I think you know, I don't know, but I think it's it's um it needs to be public awareness, is is what it is, and and more research and stuff.
SPEAKER_03:So talking about these symptoms and everything. Yeah. Um, when did you get diagnosed with diabetes?
SPEAKER_00:Uh 2002.
unknown:Okay.
SPEAKER_00:In September. And Beta was born in May that year. So I've had diabetes as long as she's been born. Um, but you know, and and actually um it was my own fault because I was up to 240 pounds. And right now I weigh like 185. So I had packed on a lot of weight. And, you know, I would go in for my regular diabetic checkup, talk to my doctor, um, great, great doctor, Dr. Ronald Mink, when when he when he retired, when Dr. Mink retired, it was, you know, I I just loved to go in and talk to him. We would sit down and he'd examine me and you know, stuff. He encouraged me at one time to get my hip replaced and stuff, because he says, with your diabetes, if you wait, you're in pain. Why be in pain when you can get it taken care of? And who knows if you're gonna be um well enough or or you know, whatever, to have the surgery done later. But we would talk about diabetes, and he was so concerned um with the younger population that he said, look, Dan, you're your typical middle-aged male, got too much weight here, you know, like Ron. Sorry, Ron, but uh, but anyway, um you you you're carrying too much around your middle. And he said, Um, but you have a sedentary job, you're not active enough, you're not burning up enough calories, you're putting on too much weight, um, it's not healthy for you. But um he says, I'm seeing so many high school kids are coming in being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, not the juvenile diabetes. It's nothing you can do for type 1 diabetes, but this is the type 2 diabetes. And he says, so many of these young people are coming in, and he says, it's too much soft drinks, too much snacks, uh, too much screen time, not enough activity, not enough exercise, poor diets. And he says, all this stuff contributes. And he says, after 30 years, diabetes takes a big toll on your body, a big toll. And, you know, here 52 when I was diagnosed with it, 30 years, 82, you know, I just turned 75. So so, you know, um, but uh, you know, diabetes, it's leading cause of amputation, blindness, you know, and and heart and kidney disease. So there's a lot of a lot of bad stuff. He says, these kids are going to be, you know, 50-ish when they have all those all those bad things happening to them. So people have to take care of themselves.
SPEAKER_03:We'll get into your career as a state senator later on, but as someone who is passionate about the obesity and somebody who's been in politics, whose responsibility do you think it is? Is it the parents? Is there more the government should be doing?
SPEAKER_00:Well, I think again, it's it you know it gets back to education, um, uh bringing up the the awareness what what cancer costs us as a society, it's it's t it's terrible. But you know, if there's if there's research that that needs to be done, and and there is ongoing research with whether it's uh melanoma, whether it's uh lung cancer, whatever. Um but I I think there there has to be there has to be a way with pancreatic cancer, it's it's treatable if it's caught early. And the big thing is how what is what needs to be developed so that we can catch us in stage one and stage two instead of stage four when it's already uh spread to so many other organs.
SPEAKER_03:So we talked about your treatment.
SPEAKER_00:Oh, there's another organization here locally I wanna uh acknowledge, and that's Kick Canter to the Kerb. Just the most wonderful folks. They did a lot.
SPEAKER_03:That's great. On your hardest days, what went through your head?
SPEAKER_00:Well, you know what uh helped get me through was um, you know, I'm and like Beta and the rest of the family knows I'm a fighter, I'm not gonna give up. But the other thing is um, you know, there's always um my mom would always say, count your blessings. So I got 14 grandkids, you know, I got four uh four adult children, and now recently got great great granddaughter and great grandson, you know. And but but back then when the days I felt lousiest and and kind of really depressed, um, I'd say, you know, um there's other people that got things worse off. So um I would pray and I would pray for them.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, um, was there a turning point where you felt the hope shaft?
SPEAKER_00:Uh I always had hope. Uh it just said when, you know, when I found that the uh the chemo that I went through um uh that I experienced wasn't as bad for me. I for whatever reason. I uh you know, my my cousin who's like a sister, um, she had um uh non Hodgkin's lymphoma, and she would get her chemo, and for three days she'd be in the in the bathroom on the floor puking in the toilet, you know. I never once had that. Um maybe get a little nausea once in a while. So and I didn't lose weight, and my walking partner, Tom, who he's 84 years old and he walks four miles every day. So I would walk with Tom and he'd say to me, he says, um, he says, you know, uh how come, how come you're you're doing okay, you know, you're you're not getting all this other sickness and symptoms and stuff. He says, is it because you're Republican? I says, no. I says, because I'm a contrarian. I just do I'm just contrary to what other other people do, you know. So but anyway, I think I think part of it is is um I try to watch what I eat. Um and I I just um been been doing that for for quite a number of years. But I I think the other thing too is you know gets back to a lot of people on prayer chains saying a lot of prayers for me. And I think the other thing, like, is it help what did I do to help? Uh or how did how did I cope with it? And I I'd I would say I would pray for other people that have cancer.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, yeah, you wrote that on that your plan was praying for other people. Yeah. It's a good way to stay optimistic and hopeful. I think so. Instead of praying for yourself, praying for other people, it spreads more.
SPEAKER_00:And I think the other thing too is is um, you know, what can I do from that from that song is and that's why I really appreciate this platform, because um, well, uh take it back to to my walking partner Tom, his um his um uh uh family member member that that he knows is you've just been diagnosed with cancer. I don't think it was pancreatic cancer, but but uh you know, wanted to know what what he could do. And I said, you gotta uh have a positive attitude, number one. Gotta fight it and and and such. And and those are the things that you do. Um, you know, keep keep your spirits up.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, because I believe your cells can talk to each other and they act differently in a positive body.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, yeah. So I mean, because my two brothers that live over in Pine City, there's a um fellow over there, and and I don't remember, Beth, what he was diagnosed with, but he went on and on. Oh, poor me, poor me, why me? Why did why did I get this, you know, and and so and and he didn't even live two years, you know. And I don't think it was pancreatic cancer, but whatever cancer he had. I mean, it's like he his attitude was like he get gave up already.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, and if in those two years he could have been happy and he could have been praying for other people and help helping build people up, maybe maybe he would have lived longer, maybe he won't have, but at least I think he would have found more joy in those two years.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, I think you're right. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, so I think this is great that you're here telling this story. Thank you so much for coming on and talking about it. Um, did surviving change how you lived your everyday life?
SPEAKER_00:I think so. Yeah. I mean, you know, you just um you give more joy out of life, you know. And especially um, you know, and I like to equate things that make people laugh and stuff. So I tell them that that, you know, um uh life is like a roll of toilet paper. Yeah, closer to the end, the faster it goes.
SPEAKER_01:That's true.
SPEAKER_00:And believe me, I'll tell you what, is is this year, like I said, turning three quarters of a century old. It's like it's like yesterday was Labor Day, and here it is, we're ready for the first of October, you know, and and and it just seems and I think we're living in a in a world that is everything so fast now. You look at the iPad, and we everything is so so much, you know, it moves so much faster than when I was a kid. I mean, when I was a kid, there was there was I was I was five or six years old before we ever had a TV set. And then it was just black and white with three channels on it.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, time goes that fast for me as well. So I can't imagine because I understand now why it goes faster the older you get. I've finally heard it explain that when you're 10 years old, five years is half your life, or maybe go back. So when you're one year old. Okay, I'm gonna start over. I finally understand because I had it explained to me why time goes so much faster. So when you're two years old, one year is half of your life. When you're 10 years old, five years is half your life. So then one year is only one tenth of your life. When you're 20, it's one one year is one twentieth. So right now it's 75. One year is one seventy-fifth of your life. Um I don't know if that's how fractions work, but um, that's why it goes so much faster because for reference. Yeah. But yeah, it's ridiculous how fast it goes.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, it is. That you hit it on the head with that one, you know, and stuff. So yeah, but yeah, you know, and the thing is, is I, you know, I I uh like I said, I go back to my mom. You you gotta count your blessings, you gotta, you know, think of of all the good things, you know, and stuff. And you know, because a lot of stuff that we get very upset with uh at the end of the day, it it's not that important.
SPEAKER_03:That's so true. Why let it affect us so much when in the grand scheme of things just be happy?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_03:What would you say to someone um who needs help in supporting someone going through cancer? How can they best support someone?
SPEAKER_00:Well, just to be there, listen to them, you know. Don't you can't fix it unless you're a doctor, unless you're Merlin with a magic wand. You know, you can't fix it for them, but but just know that that you're there, you're there for them, and and stuff, and and that's the thing. I had a family that rallied around me, you know, and and stuff. And and I mean, um that's the other thing is is is you help them through it too, you know, and and stuff by by being your best, yeah.
SPEAKER_04:Can I say something about that? Yeah. The day that he was diagnosed, I was living down in the cities at a time at the time, and mom had called me to let me know. So she and I are on the phone sobbing. I had to go into work. Cried to my manager, he made me call grandpa, and here I was expecting to see you at your weakest moment, and you were like, Buck up, Veda, I'm gonna be fine. It's okay. We got this. And that was his mentality the whole time.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:Did you in your mind state, Veda, was it like it's cancer, and you didn't know that pancreatic cancer is as bad as it is, or did you were you already aware?
SPEAKER_04:Like, no, I hadn't I just heard grandpa cancer, and I was like, Well, my world is blowing up right now. So, yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, I mean, you know, it is it is one of the kind of the end of life diseases that people get, you know, and stuff. And um so yeah, and and poor Beta, that that was that was quite a uh it was kind of traumatic um talking to her, but but I knew I had to be strong for her because she was she was really, really taking it so hard, you know, because we got a special relationship with you know not just her, but all all the grandchildren. See, I never had a grandpa. When I was born, both my grandpas were dead. Never had now here I'm a great grandpa, and I and and I'm so blessed with with being that way. I you know, I've I've tried to bend uh a good grandpa for my grandchildren and and such, and and I think I have been. Yeah, you know, probably better for them than my own children, yeah, to hear my children anyway.
SPEAKER_04:And but they definitely didn't get uh waffles with heated up syrup. That's right.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, that was uh you know it's it's funny that she remembers little things like that that that you know I mean it's like in nowadays, and and there's something new viewers can take, is that is that take the 30 seconds and heat up the syrup for the for the kids' pancakes and waffles, you know.
SPEAKER_03:Because that equals love. Yeah. And that's how people feel love is those extra moments that you take.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, right. Bingo right there.
SPEAKER_03:And if you had been playing victim mode and everything, first of all, like we just agreed on, I don't think you would have stayed as healthy, but also, yeah, your your family would have had such a harder time going through it. But when they see you so strong and they know they have to be strong and optimistic, so it passes down.
SPEAKER_00:Like it feeds off of each other. Yeah, that's right, Beth. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:Um is there a misconception that you wish people understood? About about cancer in general and um everything that's gonna be a good idea.
SPEAKER_00:Well, I I I think, you know, again at my age, it's back in the day when when um I had a f first cousin, she died of leukemia. I had uh a good friend in high school. Uh he went to one year college and then passed away that that fall. And leukemia was something that was was terrible. It was terrible. And we're talking, you know, back in the 50s and 60s. And and I think um I think when when people get cancer, um there's this, oh, you know, it's typical reaction just as you heard from from Beta here is the fact is is that her, you know, world fell apart. Well, you know, there's there's a lot of success, you know, breast cancer, 90% success uh survival rate. I think um I think prostate's even better, and I think that's up about 95%. Lung cancer is not as good. And but but a lot of the other cancers, if if you catch them they're okay. So um so I think the the the thing that we have to understand here is that you you gotta have faith and hope, you know, that that everything's gonna be alright.
SPEAKER_03:Is there anything else you want to share about that part of your journey?
SPEAKER_00:Um well it's it's not over yet. I have to um not for ever since the surgery, you know and the surgery was supposed to be relatively a piece of cake, you know, they got the robotics and they just go in a little deal. Well unfortunately for me when I woke up after the surgery I had I had a zipper from my belly button up to up to here because they there were they had to take part of the cancer, part part of the uh pancreas, the tumor, the spleen because the s the um blood vessels with the spleen and the and and the pancreas are so in the close proximity and so kind of intertwined and then they had to take the gallbladder and because of that gallstone. So so the whole thing is is that I was only supposed to be in the hospital for maybe three to five days and I wound up I was there eight days so and but so it it um it took a long time before I really recovered my strength and stuff. I started walking again right away and and stuff but it's like man this zapped a lot out of me. Oh I bet yeah and and stuff and and but at the same time it's just like anything else you gotta you know how what is the Chinese proverb how how do you how do you um take a journey of a thousand miles? One step at a time you you start with one step you know one step at a time and and that's that's that's how that that's that worked for me. That's my mentality and that's how I got through it. Yeah so I I I think other people can too yeah um okay so let's get into you being a state senator I want to go back to the beginning I'm interested in how you were raised would you describe that you know I uh I was so blessed with my family and and and stuff I was raised on a dairy farm and and a lot of kids oh yeah I remember working on a farm you know but the whole thing is is you you know you got the whole family involved you know everybody cows don't take a vacation and and very dairy farmers don't take much of a vacation either you work seven days a week you gotta be there twice a day to milk the cows um you gotta raise all your feed for the cows most of the feed and you know and and you know we uh we weren't rich we weren't poor we we were just like everybody else back in the 50s and 60s and we uh it was a good life you know you learned that was one of the things is you learned hard work you learned that the day doesn't stop at four or five o'clock in the afternoon um after supper you still gotta go out and milk the cows and and stuff or unload the hay or or whatever and and you know it it taught me in uh taught me some very valuable lessons uh folks also made sure that we were involved in um stuff like 4-Hm- and that's where I remember your mom from and and stuff and and your brothers and and and such uh uh because our kids were involved in 4-H as they were and and and such and and and then uh I was in Future Farmers of America and and the thing is in both of those organizations I held pretty much all of those offices so I you know sometimes secretary uh treasurer um and uh vice president president you know and stuff and the other thing about 4-H uh I don't know if you were in 4-H but yeah and and demonstrations you get up in you have to get up in front of other people and you have to give your demonstration it's public speaking and and stuff and you know the the the thing where most people would rather go to the dentist than than than do public speaking it it taught at a very early age um well it's not so bad you know uh you can you can do it and and stuff so I blacked out I was just like wouldn't even remember I didn't even now this is the first time I've thought about that in 30 years is yeah I did have to do demonstrations in front of people 44H but I I must have just shut my brain off and pretended it wasn't even happening. Oh okay well yeah everybody has a little different experience you know but yeah but those were those were the pluses and and you know high school was like I said back in the that day it was it was a little different than they but I also in my education I went the first two years to country school so you got one room country school where you had eight grades in there you know so uh distractions well maybe um but at the same time you also when the when the one teacher is teaching the other grades you're picking up stuff for the future. True um and then I went six years to uh St. Mary's uh Catholic school over in Pine City parochial school school and that was four nuns taught eight grades over there there was two grades in each classroom so the interesting thing was you got a a preview of what you're gonna learn next year and when you were in that grade well let's say it was fourth grade and you had had been there for third grade then you got a review of what went through there because yeah so you're really really learning it. Yeah yeah and then we then uh four years in in high school over there and and stuff went on to to University of Minnesota at Duluth and in the St.
SPEAKER_03:Paul and and such so yeah I just kind of a I think a real unique education you know yeah and uh the community involvement started really early with the 4 H and everything.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah yeah yeah and then what kind of jobs did you have well my dad one time said uh because I've oh geez I I uh you know I worked in a drying plant a milk drying plant over in Pine City you know of course you do everything you can on the farm so uh bah vast uh variety of that um and uh then I uh uh I was in s sales I was I was selling pots and pans and and uh hope chests and stuff to the the the uh girls that were were gonna be married some days and and stuff did that and then I worked at Finger Hut here in in Mora and then I was um I went back farming for a while but uh the economy ag economy got kind of bad so then I got into uh artificial insemination of cattle it was still ag related and and I did that for a number of years we were even doing computer dating for cows before it got um before eHarmony and all the rest of these were in it so I was a genetic mating service evaluator uh did that I was did some embryo transfer work in cattle um uh did some um then got out of that because again the farm economy was kind of going down so so I did uh I was in insurance and um securities and about that time my buddy said um there's gonna be a vacancy on the township board here once you come in and and be on the township so I said oh okay we all do that and then the township led to the uh county commissioner uh county commissioner um I was you know had my business in town here and and did the county was on the county board and then the the uh state senator from Princeton he just when whenever our our um county auditor would would write to him or bring up something to him down there never was much of a result so I said well if he isn't gonna uh be uh responsive to us then then I'll do it so I ran for state senate and I served 10 years ten years down down there then the dumbest thing I ever did was run for Congress that didn't work why was it dumb just did you spend money and I spent a lot of money and a lot of time yeah a lot of time and and the thing is is it's really really tough to unseat a a uh uh sitting congressman uh the 90 pro 92 percent are are put right back in office and that's then and and Beth that's a real problem in this country you got you got people that have been there way too long I mean I I served 10 years in the Senate that was about right uh let somebody else come in and do that there's a pretty good healthy turnover in state offices um because there isn't much of a much pay because we're a part-time legislature um so but in in Congress it's it's it's it's ridiculous I mean there's people been there 20 30 40 years yeah I don't like that at all get some fresh blood in new perspectives go do something different yeah I've always liked doing new things like I've never been able to do the same job for more than three years like yeah well like I said I was and then after I got out of politics I was back in with the National Federation of Independent Business going around the small businesses and area and getting them involved in that um I uh and then wound up my career in uh um as a property manager of of uh uh housing here in in Mora elderly and disabled and and section eight housing and stuff so so many different things and it sounds like it was one step at a time just like we talked about earlier one foot ahead of the other one to get you to the Senate was it something you always kind of wanted to do or was it really that friend saying come to this meeting well you know it it's you see how effective local government is and that and that was one of the things um township government is the most efficient form of government you're closest to the people and the majority of the of the money that you get and spend is is spent up for the right reasons you know but I mean the the the biggest thing that is a township budget is is roads you know you keep up the roads and and some other stuff uh zoning regulations those type of things county government now you're starting to get into social services and you're starting to get into um you know the again county roads and stuff then you get into law enforcement and and jails and you know all of this other stuff that that takes money too um and uh but again it's it's pretty efficient then when you go to state government and federal government it's it's so much of the money goes for administrative costs you know it's it gets pretty bad you know um was there anything that really surprised you when you first took office as senator um well you know it was like um some of these people that were down here shouldn't be down here one of the other things was and and I would c constantly get shot down at it is is why does Minnesota have the largest state senate in the United States?
SPEAKER_03:Did you ever figure it out?
SPEAKER_00:No and I had a bill to reduce see Illinois at one time they had a state senate of 50 senators and they had 150 representatives well in Minnesota it's 67 state senators and 134 representatives two for each Senate district and Illinois eliminated one third of their house they they said now we'll instead of three per senate district there'll only be two that's fine um we um uh we here I I said you know there's no there's no need to have the number of legislators that we we have to that we have here in other state I mean you look at Texas they only got like 33 state senators and they got I think four times our population you know so it seems like a lot less can get done with the more that there is because everybody has to agree and too many cooks in the kitchen. Yeah yeah but um and then another thing that that I went after the um legislators pension see I I a securities license and and investments when when I went into into office and I couldn't believe how poor the uh poorly the um pension programs at the state level how poorly they were administered you know and stuff and and the the worst one was the judges the second worst was the legislators so I said this defined uh benefit program's gotta go you gotta go to a defined contribution program just as the state employees if if if if um what they put into it they're gonna get out of it you know this deal where where you get X amount of dollars just for every year you put there and like I said a lot of them they're in aeronautics they're they're taking up space that's about all they're doing um the you you you sh you should have have to contribute to get it uh out of there um so I after it took me six years but I I I worked with a uh Democrat across the aisle and Steve and I worked out a deal where were um the the legislators were there um they could choose if they wanted to go in the new program or remain in the old one because I had whether a Democrat or Republican they'd come up to me and Steven you keep your fingers off my pension program and they were upset with me and I didn't care.
SPEAKER_03:But they could stay or they could change and the new people coming in did they automatically get they had to go to the defined contribution. That's a great way to make change.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah well and the other thing is it wasn't coordinated with Social Security. So just like at the at the federal level all these legislators out there they they don't pay a dime into Social Security so they have all the you know they they regulate it pass laws for it but that they don't participate in it. Some of them like have never done that for 40 years. It's ridiculous. So um so anyway I I was I got that changed and uh uh you know and you work together and and and do things like that so you know and and that was the thing we we had a we had kind of a motto and Senator Roger Moe who was the uh um majority leader in the Senate and and he was a Democrat from Ada Minnesota and he said we can be we can disagree without being disagreeable and and that was one of the things that that we all kind of lived at lived by back then was and that was back in the 90s and until the till the turn of this century.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah that was one thing I was going to ask how did you balance compromise and principle like when did you have to draw the line in negotiating?
SPEAKER_00:Well you know there's always there's always uh negotiations that you have to do there's some funny stories about um I was uh one for whatever reason um I don't know why people wanted me on their conference committees because if there's difference in bills between the House and the Senate you have to iron those out and they take the bills and one of the one of the uh committees they put me on um was about child custody and and there was three attorneys from the house two attorneys from the Senate and me and they you know politicians love to talk and anyway I was thinking of a riddle and the riddle was because the second time that the hour hand passed the 12 o'clock that day we started around 11 in the morning and it was like one or one or two the next morning the riddle was what do you have when you have five lawyers buried up to their neck in sand and the answer is not enough sand yeah it was ridiculous.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah you know I mean it's like come on guys I'm not an attorney get this thing figured out this is ridiculous I know that's my politics exhaust me and there's so many loopholes and so many things and seems like it takes so long to get things done and I'm like a very agreeable person so it's hard for me to be around people that are really disagreeable.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah well you know and and nobody ever gets a hundred percent of what they want back when we when we did the um um change to to to welfare and limited the number of years that a person could could be on there um uh and Arnie Carlson was our governor at that time and a lot of people didn't like him uh he you know he he was typical he was born and raised out in New York he was to typical kind of bristly type guy but he was he he knew what he was doing he had been state auditor for so many years and a lot of people don't realize when it comes to spending money uh he was pretty tight fisted and he uh he vetoed more bills than all the previous governors combined but on that particular issue he says to the two leaders in the Senate and in the uh in the house on the individual caucuses Democrat or Republican he said you take three members from each caucus you put those 12 people on a committee I was one of them and you you work out uh a deal and I carried Governor Carlson's welfare reform bill and you know I think about two-thirds of my bill got was what it what was in on the final passage but I had people that were marching in the return to the Capitol with with my my uh plaque up there and says Senator Stevens hates kids Senator Stevens public enemy number one you know and so no we said look we'll we'll help you we'll help you help yourself to get off of public assistance so that you can have a better quality of life and and such and you know and it worked and when we come with the final bill that bill passed 67 to nothing in the in the Senate. Oh wow yeah yeah after all the tweaks and everything yeah yeah you know and so I mean if you if you get the right people in there yeah and you get them on board and you work together you can get a lot done. Yeah. Is there any other bills or initiatives that you're a part of that you are proud of uh well there was I it w it was a pretty minor bill and it had to do with with uh um with uh low voltage electric you know like garage door openers and and you know a lot of the stuff that beta works here with low voltage you know and stuff like that and so um um lobbyist his name was Court and Court Holton I think is and he says he comes he comes to me and he says Dan he says uh I want you to carry such and such bill you know and there's a big fight about it and stuff I says what do you want me to carry for I says I'm in outstatement so this is a seven county metro area um and uh I says get somebody else he says no he says I have to have you and I says why I said what he says you don't know I says I don't know what what do you what do I know he says you don't know I says court what don't I know he says out of all the senators on in the minority on the Republican side because because the majority were Democrats he says you have the best record passing legislation oh my gosh what an honor and he's and I said no and he says no honest to God so so I went through and I passed got the bill passed so oh my gosh wow yeah you know I'd and then then I'd have funny stories I'd tell these guys went into went into one uh going into the the Senate chambers one day and you know a lot of there's a lot of strange people down the Capitol and just as I was going in in there this guy he jumps out in front of me and he says Sir Stevenson he says there's gonna be this bill coming up and he's waving his finger in my face and he says you got to vote for this you know and he's just and I says wait a minute I says where are you from and he says Deephaven and I said Deep Haven you know which is out by Lake Minnetonka out there western suburb not anywhere close to Mora here yeah and he says oh that explains it and he looked at me he says you obviously have me mistaken for somebody who actually gives a shit he's like this and I stepped over and walked around the sergeant of arms that they're there there was about four of them there they're I don't know how they they're sitting there just about exploding you know oh you would be so canceled nowadays uh well I mean the thing is is that is that it was a little different era but I was kind of in my caucus yeah kind of a loose canon yeah I I kind of one of those guys if something's out of my mind I'm gonna sing it you know but I I didn't talk that often but if if you would have talked to the other colleagues of mine both in the house and in the in the Senate Republican or Democrat they would have they would have told you they they they may not have liked me because there's some that didn't but they always respected me.
SPEAKER_03:I believe it because you said the truth you said what was on your mind. Yeah and don't sugarcoat it yeah yeah is there anything you would do differently looking back besides running for Congress?
SPEAKER_00:Well if I would have ran for Congress I would have you know I I don't know that I ever would have or what whatever but the I I think in in retrospect what happened oh this was another story about the judges remember I told you about the pension programs the the judges had the worst um they had the greatest unfunded liability of any of the pension plans and there was um there had they had like a um 45% fully funded or something they had the greatest amount of unfunded liability in their pension program based on years of service again there was a defined benefit program so what was happening to try to make their plan whole they were putting in six percent of their own money into the pension program the the state to try to make their pension program solvent was putting in over 20% of their salary in into their pension program. So anyway um Sandy came with one of the judges she was a she was a a a a good lobbyist and she was a she was a good friend she was a nice nice lady but they come for an enhancement of the judges judges um program and our pension program and I was on the pension commission which was five senators five representatives so they they um um they come in with in this enhancement and I just kind of I I didn't I don't know if you heard the story of of uh Khrushchev taking off his shoe and rapping on the table with it maybe then that was that was in a NATO meeting or not NATO but the UN United Nations meeting I didn't take my shoe off but I started pounding on the table and and I said you want an enhancement and I started rolling off these facts and figures about the unfunded liability we're put we're funding that the taxpayers you guys are putting in this paltry amount you know in comparison to state patrol and and law enforcement they're putting in like 12% of their own money you know and and it was just it was ridiculous. And I said and then and this is probably where I crossed the lines is then the first year you're a judge you get six weeks vacation so you can play play golf all summer well this pension commission room was packed and you could have heard a pin drop because nobody talks to to district court judges like that. And you know why? Because the judges make the rules well yeah but uh here's here's what will really set the tone what's the difference between God and the district Minnesota district court judge? Oh my gosh I don't know God doesn't think he's a Minnesota district court judge yeah so anyway that was was it still silent after you said that I guess or like no well I mean it was like every codita well what happened then with the redistricting plan that that come out uh after that every 10 years they redraw boundaries on the district they withdrew a they drew a district that started down at Delbo here and sometimes this district was as as narrow as 12 miles wide and went up to northwest of the Duluth airport and that's so they they took 80 over 80% of my Senate district away from me and put me in one of the most uh Democrat areas in in in the state and I said well you know okay yeah I'll go do something else yeah yeah yeah I'm not gonna play victim on I'm not gonna complain I'll just do it because that's sounds like who you are yeah so mm hmm that was uh it was a learning I you know people say would you miss it? there i said no but i said uh you know i'm glad i did you know i'm glad i got in involved and and tried to do some better things and which we we got we got some things done they weren't big things they weren't huge things but but we we did improve the process i think um marty marty seifer and i worked on a deal that about rules and regulations because because so many people would come to my office complain about this or that and why'd you guys do this and says no i says we do the statutes what you're talking about is rule and regulation that the um the administrative part does and prior to us passing another bill no governor had the ability to veto a rule or regulation they could veto a law but they couldn't veto a rule that went through the rulemaking process so interesting yeah well last week I asked you to put together some names and numbers of family and friends that I could reach out to and ask them to describe you in some words so that we could see how people perceive you.
SPEAKER_03:Okay. So I put all the words together and I put them into five categories. And the first one especially all of them but the first one especially shows why you were so right for a senator position because your first word is integrity and conviction towards integrity slash conviction. Because people said you're steadfast in beliefs principles opinion or principled opinionated devoted to beliefs loyal to friends dignified authentic absolute patriotic brave leader committed stubborn but in general people perceive you as someone who will always do what's right so that's great not surprising to me I mustn't give you a whole list of liars no and the second theme is kindness so that's another probably more unique but good thing to have in a position like that. Because they said you're warm, compassionate a big friendly bear twinkly always ready to laugh benevolent so listeous which I had to look up that means characterized by showing interest or concern. And I think that is such a beautiful word I would love to be described as that anybody having a conversation solice solistious solistious yeah and respectful of differences family oriented tolerant thoughtful and patient patient community from my mom did you know my mom was a saint um and then your third word theme is intelligence with lots of people said knowledgeable and intelligent perceptive wise creative articulate aerudite analytical factual resourceful and astute astute astute astute yes you are cons you're consistently described as someone people go to for information and perspective oh that's so nice yes and then your drive your fourth theme is your drive you're determined driven lots everybody said driven dedicated patient again practical mature brave confident leader worthy and athletic and then four fifth is humor funny everybody said engaging chatty positive jokester idealistic a dreamer interested in others always ready to laugh no th those are a lot of kind words yeah a lot of kind I told them my weaknesses too yeah but nobody uh gave any stubborn was the which isn't even the overall negative well yeah you know but the thing is is and that's how um around the Capitol the how they describe me is is like you know what they would they would give me some tough legislation was because they said he's he's like a bulldog with a bone you give him a bone and you try to take it away from you ain't gonna get it away never give up yeah yeah and and I think there again too going back to the journey I just had over the last two years I'm not gonna give up you know and and stuff and that's that that's an important message for other people too is don't give up you know keep fighting. Yeah exactly regardless whether it's that or something else in your life keep fighting yeah so I asked AI to put together a synopsis one line to describe you with all these adjectives and it said you're the shield and the smile protecting with principle and connecting with kindness it's so beautiful. That is and I love that you're described as a dreamer because I see that in your daughter Shannon and Veda and I just love dreamers. They're my favorite people and I can see that through them so thank you for bringing that energy to the world you're welcome and there's there's something I'm putting in I know if I did it for you Veda in your graduation card do you remember?
SPEAKER_00:I think I did but I've been putting in the kids I said never you know and I picked this up from one of my favorite authors is Louis Lemour. That was one of his books and he says never let real no never let your dreams interfere with reality but more important never let reality interfere with your dreams I love that yeah maybe you did yeah I did I'm I'm pretty sure I did yeah yeah because I've been doing it for for the rest of them graduating yeah well and speaking of grandchildren I ask everybody at the end who comes on what is something that you do right now at your age that you hope your grandchildren do when they are your age um you know I think it's important for you to just be kind to other people you know just be kind you you know we we got enough people in the world that aren't so and and part of the deal too is you gotta let like water rolls off a duck's back you gotta let a lot of this negativity just forgive you know there's a there's another Chinese thing about two monks you know and and one of the things with monks I don't know if you knew it I was in Thailand twice and over there it's it's if you're a woman you can't touch a monk you can't if you if you if I went if you want to hand this paper to me I'm a monk and you I couldn't take it from you you'd have to set it down then I could pick it up but but there was two monks on their journey they came to a swollen river there was a woman there and she obviously couldn't the current was swift she couldn't get across one of the monks put her on his back carried her across put her down they went all the rest of the day to that evening had their meal were ready to retire and the other monk said to him you carried that woman and the monk looked at him says yes I did and I put her down you've been carrying her all day so you don't let your mind continue to carry negative thoughts once they're done and should be done you know because you just yeah you you just just forget about the yeah yeah don't sweat the small stuff.
SPEAKER_03:One step at a time but leave but you can only take that many steps if you're leaving the baggage behind and the baggage is the thoughts.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah and the thing is the monk was being kind to the woman be kind is there anything that you do right now that you hope your grandchildren don't do when they're your age you have any vices any anything oh I swear too much I love that no I I just um you know um I don't know you have to ask people like I don't think you do a bad thing ever well I've I'm no I'm no saint I don't want people to think that because uh there's too many people know know other stuff about me but um but it's um yeah I I I hope one of the things I I never completed college not that college is for everybody but I think the example is is that I I always continue to learn on my own. Yep you know and and it's like people that um I said I may not have a degree but but I've got a I've got a PhD in political science because I've been township supervisor county commissioner state senator run for Congress and I still you know am aware of political situations and stuff so um so I said you know just just learn new things. Be curious yeah yeah I I took up flying after I was uh 50 years old and if I wouldn't have got diabetes and had to start taking medication I would have oh I loved flying I had um uh uh the uh uh grandson that just had twins the the great grandchildren yeah when um my mom passed away in uh in uh uh uh 2003 and and then January and it was that summer uh Brandon was flying with me and I I took the the plane uh we said come on Brandon let's go flying today it was just a gorgeous beautiful day blue skies a lot of these little flu uh fluffy cow clouds all over all over the sky we flew up over Millax Lake by Millach's lake there and for whatever reason I went up to 8,000 feet and we're flying in between the clouds we're not you don't fly through them but in there and Brandon he always had this deal of how he could get my attention grandpa can I ask you a question yeah Brandon you can go ahead and ask me a question he says are we in heaven and I said you know if you're flying with your grandson on a day like this you're in heaven that's so beautiful yeah and and I felt that way you know that and I love that you not only picked a song for us to play in the beginning but you picked one for us to play afterwards too and unfortunately because of licensing issues we can't play it for the listeners but I'm excited to listen to this song with you together after you picked I will always love you by Dolly Parton and what does that song mean to you? It's just one of my favorite songs by Dolly I just I you know she's been she's been an icon in country music which is my favorite genre and and I just I just love her you know and I think Veda would prefer to pick a CCR song but I yeah probably that was my first concert with CCR.
SPEAKER_03:What?
SPEAKER_00:At Grand Casino Hinckley I love CCR they are they were one of the that's a another connection that Veda and I have is with CCR. Yeah awesome Dolly's okay I like Dolly I'm not complaining should read her book I mean she's she's got quite anything else just told me it was really good. Uh not I haven't read the new one but but her uh one of the first books you know and stuff she's a character that's great well anything else you'd like to share no I think I'll let you sum it up or whatever you want to do but thank you so much I just would want to say thank you for the invitation here thank you for the fact that hopefully we can you know uh get the word out to people and and that people that see this that they can talk to other people that that are going through tough times and and such and and getting the help they need and and and you know and and have how to support other people through this I think. Yeah um yeah yeah be supportive be kind yeah yeah thank you Dan thank you