Mark Lempke here interviews Peter Stavrianos - a long-time friend of the McGovern family. Peter drove McGovern around as he campaigned for his seat in the US Senate. The overarching theme of this episode is the tremendous kindness and humility with which Sen. McGovern treated everyone no matter what their political opinion. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/joel-allen4/message ..read more

Peter Stavrianos knew George and Eleanor McGovern when he was a small child. His father was one of George's history professors at Northwestern University in the 1950's. Peter went on to be McGovern's driver when he campaigned for his seat in the US Senate in 1962. Peter went on to work on the Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs (along with Marshall Matz and Alan Stone whom we have interviewed here). He later worked both for Senator Jim Abourezk and Senator Tom Daschle. The overarching theme of Peter's talk is McGovern's remarkable and genuine kindness. Throughout his whole life, from ..read more

Sen. George McGovern was born on July 19, 1922. To celebrate his 101st birthday, and to extend and enliven his legacy, I offer this conversation. Ann McGovern, the eldest daughter of George and Eleanor, and her brother-in-law Jim Rowen, joined us to get a glimpse of both George and Eleanor on a more personal and intimate level. Historian Mark Lempke led our conversation. Thanks to all for your participation! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/joel-allen4/message ..read more

The bios for Marshall Matz, Alan Stone and Catherine Bertini Marshall has devoted his career, for the most part, to domestic and global food security. Starting as Counsel to the Senate Committee on Agriculture he crafted all the nutrition legislation championed by Senators George McGovern (D-SD) and Bob Dole (R-KS). He was also counsel to the Senate Select Committee on Nutrition when it published Dietary Goals for the United States, which has been memorialized as the USDA-HHS Dietary Guidelines and updated every five years. This focus on food security has led to a devotion to sound science, ag ..read more

I’m here today to interview Judy Harrington. This is a part of a larger project called, “George McGovern: an Oral History.” The goal of this project is to document the personal memories of those who worked closely with Sen. McGovern and to preserve those memories for posterity. My hope is that some day, historian may draw on these episodes as a primary source in crafting the history of that period and particularly the legacy and import of the life of this truly great American. Of particular interest here is the pertinent question for our time: How did Sen. McGovern become so respected, so impa ..read more

Senator George McGovern would have turned 100 on July 19, 2022. It has been almost exactly 50 years since he received the nomination of the Democratic Party to run for president. It has almost been 10 years since his passing in October of 2012. This podcast is a commemorative conversation between three people who know and deeply appreciate the contributions made by the Senator.  Professor Thomas Knock is a chair of the history department at Southern Methodist University in Dallas Texas. He is also the Altshuler Distinguished Teaching Professor History and author of "The Rise of the Prairi ..read more

Don is a great friend and partner in crime or ministry (whichever makes greater sense to you :). Don is a graduate of DWU, a former president of DWU (our youngest ever), former president of Iliff Theological Seminary and now the executive director of the Center for Health and Hope. Here is his latest newsletter which we will discuss. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/joel-allen4/message ..read more

Sarah is a retired educator in Sioux Falls, SD who, in her retirement, has now written a lovely book about George McGovern. She holds undergraduate and master's degrees from University of South Dakota in Vermillion SD. She was motivated to write this book about McGovern after he died in 2012. She realized that nothing for children had yet be written even with the great impact he had on South Dakota and the US. Sarah felt that elementary children should know more about McGovern's leadership in the House and Senate and Democratic candidacy for president in 1972. His work as the United Nations Am ..read more

Since 1980, progressive Christianity, once the powerful force for civil rights and against the Vietnam war, has faded from the scenes. Voices like George McGovern and Walter Mondale who proclaimed a social gospel, are fading. In their place is a more conservative muscular version of evangelical Christianity that downplays the need for social justice and works instead to preserve traditional values. Why the shift? Is there a role for progressive Christianity in the future? How can progressive Christian find its voice again? Included in this conversation are David A. Gerber and Mark Lempke. Davi ..read more

Its a privilege to welcome Dr. Shawn Moore to DWU on March 18th as our 2021 Stark Lecturer. Because of COVID, we can only welcome a limited number of guests from off-campus. If you want to come in person, email me (Joel Allen) at joallen@dwu.edu and I'll send you a sign-up link. If you prefer, you can watch online at www.dwu.edu/live.  Shawn is the pastor of Living Spirit United Methodist Church in Minneapolis and a former US Navy Security Specialist. He's worked as a policeman in Brooklyn Center MN and has 10 years combined experience in law enforcement and law enforcement training. Shaw ..read more