Remembering a member of the “family”
By Greg Randa
LCP general manager
We lost a friend, a leader and member of the cooperative family recently when LCP Board President Dale Long passed away after a courageous battle with cancer. We will miss Dale — his positive attitude, his character, his sense of community, his humanity and his leadership.
We were blessed to know him, serve under him and serve with him since he was elected to the board in 2012. Our condolences and prayers are with his wife Diane, sons Jason and Ryan and their families.
As a director, Dale was keenly aware of his responsibilities as a co-op director. He understood his role and personified the Duties of Care, Loyalty and Concern as members should expect of a director.
He acted in good faith and in the best interests of the cooperative. He took time to listen and made decisions patiently and responsibly. When faced with adversity, he responded with dignity and grace.
He acted with the care any reasonably prudent person would exercise when it came to asking questions, making decisions and determining strategy and investments for LCP. In short, he was the kind of director that makes a co-op work – and work well for members.
As president of the board, he set a positive tone for the entire organization. He supported values and initiatives that supported LCP’s mission and vision to better serve members.
He focused on adapting and adopting policies that focused on the best interest of the membership as a whole – not individual gain or benefit or an individual agenda.
Dale loved to restore old cars and trucks. He enjoyed working on, and riding, vintage snow machines. He shared his interests, knowledge and hobbies with his family. They will forever hold the memories of a husband and father who listened, laughed, lived and loved – sharing homegrown values he learned from his parents while growing up, and living, in northern Minnesota his entire life.
He was also community-minded. He served as the mayor of Orr for several years and retired as a Business Agent/organizer for the I.U.O.E. (International union of operating engineers), Local 49 in 2014.
He was a leader. As a leader, some disagreed – and politicized – his decisions and his positions. But from my vantage point, he operated with integrity, patience and grace. He embodied a spirit and an optimism that was consistent and true to his character.
As I stated above, we lost a leader, a friend and member of our cooperative family. The board will determine how to fill the position of District 1 Director in the coming months in accordance with our bylaws and election policies.
That process will unfold in the near future and Dale’s position will be filled on the Board of Directors. But his memory, his spirit and his legacy will remain.
Godspeed, Dale. We will miss you.