GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. — Editor's note: The video above first aired on KARE 11 in 2017 to mark the 15-year anniversary of U.S. Sen. Paul Wellstone's death.
Twenty years ago today, U.S. Sen. Paul Wellstone was tragically killed along with his wife, daughter and five others in a plane crash on Minnesota's Iron Range.
Wellstone, who became well-known for his big green bus, activism and passion for improving people's lives, was born in Washington, D.C. in 1944. After earning his B.A. from UNC Chapel Hill, Wellstone took a teaching job at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota, where he taught for 21 years.
In 1990, the underdog Democrat won a seat in Congress, a role he served in for another 11 years until his death.
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On Oct. 25, 2002, Wellstone's private plane crashed on approach to the Eveleth Airport, killing him, his wife Sheila and daughter Marcia, campaign staffers McLaughlin, Tom Lapic and Mary McEvoy, and Captains Richard Conry and Michael Guess.
The National Transportation Safety Board eventually blamed the accident on human error, determining the crew failed to maintain adequate air speed for the blustery weather conditions.
A monument now marks the wooded area where the plane came down and draws thousands of visitors each year. This year, the Wellstone family plan to launch a 3D virtual tour of the Wellstone Memorial and Historic Site in Eveleth. “The Wellstone Memorial and Historic Site in Eveleth is a beautiful moving tribute to my dad, mom, sister, Will, Tom and Mary, and I encourage Minnesotans who are in the area to visit, learn more, and pay their respects," Dave Wellstone said in a statement.
“While the Wellstone Memorial is near the site of the plane crash, it is about so much more than that tragic day in 2002. The memorial tells the story of my dad’s life, his career in public service, and his incredible devotion to improving the lives of Minnesotans everywhere. Paul was a remarkable person and we can still learn so much from the passion and dedication to service that he brought to everything he did," Mark Wellstone added.
The Wellstones were buried in Lakewood Cemetery in Minneapolis.
On Tuesday, Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith will mark the solemn anniversary by announcing bipartisan legislation to rename the Minneapolis Federal Building in honor of the late senator. In September, Klobuchar, Smith and Republican Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley put forth legislation to designate the building as the "Paul D. Wellstone Federal Building."
"He was a friend, a mentor, and the person who taught us the power of politics to make a real difference in people's lives. We miss you all," Klobuchar tweeted Tuesday morning.
In 2017, on the 15th anniversary of Wellstone's death, Dan Cramer talked to KARE 11 political reporter John Croman about being Wellstone's student and what drew him to Wellstone's approach to politics.
"I remember the first classes I took from him was on movements and social organizing, and I remember one of the first things he said in one of his early classes was, 'you can't separate the life you live from the words that you speak,'" Cramer said.
"The idea that politics wasn't about left, right or center, wasn't about big money or power game, it was about the improvement of people's lives," he added.
The Minnesota Senate DFL also tweeted Tuesday, writing "20 years ago, Minnesota lost a bright light too early. Today, we remember Senator Paul Wellstone and the impact he made on his community and the good he did on behalf of all Minnesotans."
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