Over the decades, Minnesota has been blessed with a vast array of community leaders that truly defined our unique quality of life. Many were businessmen who saw beyond the bottom line and understood that success could only become a meaningful reality with the involvement and commitment of all.
Bob Dayton was one of those giants. Yes, he was born into privilege but he gave back to all of us so much more and he did so with modesty and humor. He will be sorely missed
I cannot recall a conversation with Bob when he was not excited about some project and throwing all of his enthusiasm into it. Others willingly came on board because we all knew the journey would be successful and fun. It made no difference if it involved building sports facilities, funding the arts, creating scholarships or refurbishing the Governor’s Residence, Bob was enthusiastically involved.
Central to his leadership and accomplishment was a combination of optimism and hard work. He fully believed that nothing was impossible and knew that successful people would participate if they had confidence in the final result. With Bob on board, the outcome was never in doubt.
From a more personal perspective, he appealed to the best in us. He understood that we all have instincts for the good and he had the rare gift of being able to tap into the redeeming part of us. As a result, we felt better.
Oh, I enjoyed his humor, his can-do approach and his genuine love of our splendid Minnesota community. I am thankful for his friendship and for all he has done.