>> ON TUESDAY, FORMER U.S.

SENATOR DAVE DURENBERGER DIED AT THE AGE OF 88.

REMEMBERED AS A MODERATE REPUBLICAN AND CHAMPION OF HEALTH CARE, DISABILITY RIGHTS, AND ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES, DURENBERGER ALSO FACED CENSURE FROM THE SENATE FOR ALLEGED FINANCIAL SCHEMES.

AFTER LEAVING THE SENATE, DURENBERGER RETURNED TO MINNESOTA, TEACHING AT ST. THOMAS FOR NEARLY TWO DECADES BEFORE RETIRING.

MARY LAHAMMER INTERVIEWED DURENBERGER IN 2008, JUST AFTER HE RECEIVED THE REUEL HARMON AWARD FOR SERVICE TO MINNESOTA'S PARKS AND TRAILS.

YOU'LL SEE THE AWARD IN THIS CLIP.

>> THERE'S HARDLY A MINNESOTAN, YOU KNOW, WHO ISN'T IN LOVE WITH THE WATER, WITH THE PARKS, WITH THE TRAILS, WITH THE FISH, WITH THE HUNTING.

YOU KNOW, WHATEVER IT IS.

AND IT'S A RICH TRADITION THAT WE ALL WANT TO HAND DOWN TO OUR KIDS AND GRANDKIDS AS LONG AS WE CAN.

AND, SO, THE REAL JOY OF ALL OF THIS WORK IS KNOWING THAT YOU'VE DONE SOMETHING FOR PEOPLE IN THE NEXT GENERATION.

>> Mary: AND YOU HAVE DONE SOMETHING, LET'S TALK ABOUT A COUPLE SPECIFICS, BECAUSE ALL THE BIG PROJECTS IN THIS STATE HISTORY, YOU KIND OF HAD A HAND IN.

DOES VOYAGEURERS STAND OUT, BWCA, I MEAN, WHAT ABOUT THAT LEGACY WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF?

>> WELL, I COULDN'T PICK ONE OVER THE OTHER.

I THINK THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS EVERYTHING I WAS INVOLVED IN, PARKS AND OPEN SPACE, THE METROPOLITAN AREA, THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER, AND VOYAGEURERS AND BWCA, ALL THESE WONDERFUL THINGS THAT WE ALL KNOW SOMETHING ABOUT, WAS ALWAYS A COMBINATION OF POLICY MAKERS LIKE YOU JUST TALKED TO AND CITIZENS.

AND THE BIG LINKAGE IN THIS HAS ALWAYS BEEN SOMETHING LIKE THE MINNESOTA PARKS AND TRAILS COUNCIL, WHICH IS LINKS COMMUNITIES, LINKS EOPLE, IT'S A CITIZENS ORGANIZATION, AND IT IS ALWAYS THERE WHEN PEOPLE NEED THEM.

I MEAN, THE POLITICIANS ARE ONE THING.

THEY'RE AN IMPORTANT PART OF IT.

BUT IT'S THE PEOPLE THAT MAKE THE DIFFERENCE.

>> JOINING US NOW TO TALK MORE ABOUT THE LEGACY OF DAVE DURENBERGER, HIS FORMER CHIEF OF STAFF, TOM HORNER.

WE ARE SORRY FOR YOUR LOSS.

I KNOW YOU'RE REALLY A GOOD FRIEND OF THE SENATOR'S.

>> THANK YOU, CATHY.

YOU KNOW, HE WAS SUCH AN AMAZING INFLUENCE IN MY LIFE.

I WOULD NOT HAVE MET MY WIFE, WHO IS STILL MY WIFE AFTER 43 YEARS, WERE IT NOT FOR DAVE DURENBERGER.

SHE WAS STAFF PERSON FOR SENATOR UBERT AND THEN MURAL HUMPHREY, SHE WAS THE FIRST PERSON I MET IN WASHINGTON WHEN I WENT OUT THERE FOR AVE TO BE SWORN IN.

SO JUST IN EVERY WAY HAS BEEN SO IMPORTANT TO MY LIFE AND SUCH A DEAR FRIEND.

AND I THINK ALONG WITH SO MANY OTHER MINNESOTANS AND PEOPLE AROUND THE COUNTRY, THEY FEEL THE LOSS DEEPLY.

>> Cathy: WE RAN IN 1978, SPECIAL ELECTION.

DIDN'T HE RUN AS INNESOTA'S NEXT GREAT SENATOR, SOME PEOPLE WOULD SAY, THAT'S PRETTY BOLD, YOU KNOW.

DID THAT HAVE SPECIAL MEANING TO HIM?

>> IT DID, ESPECIALLY FOR A FIRST-TIME ANDIDATE, A LOT OF PEOPLE COULD SEE THAT AS A LITTLE BIT OVER THE TOP, BUT, CLEARLY, YOU KNOW, AN APPEAL IN THOSE WATERGATE DAYS, POST-NIXON DAYS, TO ALL OF THOSE DEMOCRATS AND INDEPENDENTS WHO HE HOPED HE COULD WIN OVER BY PUTTING HIMSELF IN THE STYLE OF A HUMPHREY, A MONDALE, A McCARTHY.

AND CERTAINLY DAVE DISAGREED WITH THEM ON A LOT OF THEIR POLICY ISSUES, BUT HE APPRECIATED THEIR COMMITMENT TO PUBLIC SERVICE.

HE APPRECIATED THAT THEY HAD THE COURAGE OF THEIR CONVICTIONS TO STAND UP ON CIVIL RIGHTS, ON THE VIETNAM WAR, ON OTHER ISSUES.

AND THAT'S WHAT REALLY MATTERED TO DAVE IS THAT COMMITMENT TO PUBLIC SERVICE.

>> Eric: CONSENSUS AND COMPROMISE WERE KIND OF HIS WATCH WORDS.

THAT'S REALLY OUT OF FAVOR TODAY.

>> YOU KNOW, ERIC, I PUT A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT.

COMPROMISE SOMETIMES GETS TO BE, LET'S EE IF WE CAN GET TO THE LEAST OBJECTIONABLE AGREEMENT.

DAVE WAS A COLLABORATOR.

>> Eric: OKAY.

>> WHAT DAVE REALLY DID IS CAME N AND RIED TO UNDERSTAND WHERE SOMEBODY ELSE WAS AT.

WHAT THEIR ISSUES WERE, AND WHAT PROBLEM WERE THEY TRYING TO SOLVE.

DAVE WOULD ARTICULATE WHERE HE WAS AT.

WHAT EDUCATION HE COULD BRING TO THE OTHER PERSON.

AND THEN TOGETHER TO SEE IF THEY COULD WORK OUT THE BEST SOLUTION.

SO YOU LOOK AT SOMETHING AS INFLUENTIAL, SIGNIFICANT AS THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT THAT DAVE WAS INSTRUMENTAL ON, AND THAT REALLY WAS A BLENDING OF WHAT CAN WE THROUGH THE MARKETPLACE AND WHERE DO WE NEED GOVERNMENT AND REGULATION.

AND BETWEEN THOSE TWO SECTORS, LET'S REALLY CREATE SOMETHING THAT'S POWERFUL, THAT CREATES ACCESS FOR ALL AMERICANS, AND HAS DONE A REMARKABLE JOB OF FULFILLING ITS PURPOSE.

>> Cathy: I'M THINKING, YOU KNOW, WHEN SOMEONE SPONSORS LEGISLATION LIKE SENATOR DID, AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ABILITY, I'M WONDERING, WAS THERE SOME KIND OF A PERSONAL STORY BEHIND THAT FOR HIM?

>> BEHIND ALL OF THESE THINGS, WHETHER IT WAS HIS ENVIRONMENTAL LEGISLATION, CERTAINLY HIS HEALTHCARE POLICY, A.D.A., AMERICORPS, WHICH WAS ANOTHER SIGNATURE LEGISLATION THAT DAVE SPONSORED, IT WAS MINNESOTA.

I MEAN, IT WAS ST. JOHN'S UNIVERSITY, AND THE VALUES THAT HE LEARNED FROM THE GOOD MONKS AT THE ABBEY AND THE PROFESSORS.

IT WAS ALL OF THE PEOPLE THAT HE MET IN MINNESOTA.

YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE HALLMARKS OF DAVE, WHEN HE WAS ELECTED TO OFFICE IN 1978, UNLIKE 99 OTHER SENATORS, DAVE PUT A LOT OF HIS POLICY PEOPLE IN MINNESOTA.

AND THEY WEREN'T JUST PEOPLE TO GO OUT AND ATTEND MEETINGS ON HIS BEHALF.

THEY ERE THERE TO DEVELOP POLICY, TO GO OUT AND TOUCH BASE WITH MINNESOTANS, TO LEARN FROM MINNESOTANS, TO GET THEIR INPUT, AND TO BRING IT BACK TO DAVE SO HE COULD BRING IT TO THE FLOOR OF THE SENATE.

>> Eric: BEING A PERSONAL FRIEND OF HIS, I'M INTERESTED IN YOUR TAKE ON, AFTER THE ETHICS, IMPROPRIETIES, AFTER THE CENSURE IN THE SENATE, DID IT CHANGE HIM?

HOW DID HE KEEP PUSHING ON?

TELL US ABOUT THE AFTERMATH OF ALL THAT.

>> I THINK TWO THINGS REALLY STAND OUT.

IT WAS IN THE REMARKS THAT HE MADE ON THE FLOOR OF THE SENATE.

THAT HE REALLY SINCERELY WAS COMMITTED TO, AS HE PUT IT, F HE HAS TARNISHED THE SEAL OF THE SENATE, THE NORTH STAR SEAL OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA, THAT HE WOULD SPEND THE REST OF HIS LIFE TARNISHING THOSE SEALS.

AND I THINK HE DID THAT.

HE COULD HAVE STAYED IN WASHINGTON, TAIL BETWEEN HIS LEGS, AND BECOME A HIGH-PRICED LAWYER, A LOBBYIST, AND MADE, YOU KNOW, A SEVEN-FIGURE SALARY.

THAT'S NOT DAVE DURENBERGER.

HE CAME BACK TO MINNESOTA, HE TOOK ALL OF THIS EXPERIENCE, ALL OF HIS CONNECTIONS, ALL OF HIS RELATIONSHIPS, WHICH WERE SO IMPORTANT TO DAVE, AND CONTINUED HIS WORK IN HEALTHCARE, IN THE ENVIRONMENT.

WHEN YOU SAW THE CLIP THAT YOU LED WITH, WITH THE PARKS AND TRAILS, YOU KNOW, THAT'S DAVE DURENBERGER.

COMMUNITY ACTION, GRASSROOTS ACTION.

AND THAT'S WHAT HE BROUGHT TO MINNESOTA -- TO MINNESOTA AFTER HIS TERM IN THE SENATE.

>> Eric: HE HAVE THE HUMPHREY SCHOOL OF GOVERNANCE OVER AT THE "U."

MAYBE AT St. JOHN'S, IS THERE PLANS FOR A DURENBERGER DURENBERGER-NAMED INSTITUTION OR SOMETHING?

>> WELL, THANK YOU FOR RAISING THAT.

YES.

THERE'S THE DAVE DURENBERGER LEGACY FUND AT ST. JOHN'S UNIVERSITY.

PUBLIC AFFAIRS SCHOOL.

AND IT'S GOING TO BE A FUND THAT IS SO UNIQUELY DAVE DURENBERGER, IT WILL SPONSOR STUDENTS ROM St. JOHN'S, St. BEN'S, WHO WANT TO GO OUT TO WASHINGTON, D.C., TO INTERN IN PUBLIC POLICY.

YOU KNOW, I'M HOPEFUL THAT ONE DAY, MAYBE MY THREE GRANDDAUGHTERS, MOLLY, EMMA AND LUCY, WILL BE PART OF THAT, BE ABLE TO GO OUT TO WASHINGTON AND CONTINUE THE LEGACY OF DAVE DURENBERGER.

>> Cathy: I'M PLEASED THAT HE WILL HAVE HIS FUNERAL MASS AT THE ABBEY.

>> YES.

>> Cathy: WHICH IS APPROPRIATE T. WILL BE LIVESTREAMED.

>> YES, IT WILL BE, YOU CAN GET THAT THROUGH THE St. JOHN'S WEBSITE.

IT WILL BE LIVESTREAMED.

ABBOTT JOHN CLASSEN IS THE CELEBRANT.

GOVERNOR WALZ, SENATOR KLOBUCHAR ARE ABLE TO DELIVER EULOGIES.

PARTICULARLY HAPPY THAT SENATOR KLOBUCHAR, WHO OWNS THE SEAT NOW THAT DAVE ONCE HAD.

YOU KNOW, SHE'S GOING TO BE AT THE SERVICE, EVEN THOUGH THE STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS IS TUESDAY NIGHT.

MUCH SO SHE'S GOING TO BE THERE.

AND THEN FLY BACK TO WASHINGTON QUICKLY.

I THINK, YOU KNOW, JUST A MEASURE OF RESPECT THAT EVERYBODY HAD FOR DAVE DURENBERGER.

>> Eric: APPRECIATE YOU COMING BY WITH THE