Meyer, Larry

https://reflections.mndigital.org/catalog/stc:6849#/kaltura_audio

Biographical Information: Larry Meyer was born in 1948. His grandparents were immigrants, coming from Sweden, Italy, Germany, and Czechoslovakia. He lived in St. Paul until he was about 12, then moved to a farm about 12 miles from Princeton, Minnesota. He graduated from Princeton High School in 1967 and then decided to attend St. Cloud State , with the hopes of becoming an attorney. While at the university, Meyer became heavily involved in student government and activism. He was a member of the Student Senate his entire college career, except for a few months when he dropped out due to suffering grades. He was Student Senate president from 1969-1970. After he graduated from St. Cloud State in 1971, he entered the Army Reserves. After BASIC training, he was hired by the Hubert Humphrey organization, which he was with until the Democratic National Convention in which Humphrey lost to George McGovern. He then went to work with Minnesota governor Wendell Anderson, then with the Minnesota DFL party as finance director for three years. In 1976, he returned to St. Cloud where he established his own business, and, in 1980, was elected to St. Cloud City Council. He served as mayor of the city of St. Cloud from 1997 to 2001.

Transcript Summary: Meyer described family background as well as his motivations for choosing to attend SCSU. He said his grandparents were immigrants from different parts of Europe who met in the Twin Cities metro area. His family moved to a farm near Princeton, Minnesota, when he was 12. His parents encouraged him to go to college, despite the fact that they were somewhat poor. He chose St. Cloud State, as it was very close and financially more appealing. Meyer mentioned that there were plenty of scholarships, grants, and other financial aid available at that time for anyone who wished to go to college.

Meyer chronicled his activism while at St. Cloud State. He briefly recalled the Political Science Department, then described the movements that drew him into politics. He claimed that he became caught up in the anti-Vietnam movement, as well as the student power movement. He said many issues were prevalent, including women's hours and other social restrictions. Unfortunately, he and many other activist students had their grades suffer because they focused so much energy on protests. Meyer described his involvement in the Student Senate, including his decision to run for President as a moderate, which alienated some of the more radical activists. Meyer said that his involvement in campus politics took him all over the country, from New York to Los Angeles.

Meyer discussed his experiences after college. Interestingly, he claimed he joined the Volunteer Reserves simply because once finished with college, young men had to either sign up for the active army or the volunteer reserves. He then embarked on a political career, which allowed him to work with Hubert Humphrey, Wendell Anderson, and the Minnesota DFL party. Meyer recounted his time working as an intern with Walter Mondale in Washington, D.C., in 1969, at a time when the city was a very tumultuous place. Meyer explained the ways in which St. Cloud State, both in his educational and political lives there, helped prepare him for the career he made for himself.