By Curt Hendel
Veterans writer
Boys State is an American Legion program that helps to expose young men, that have completed their junior year in High School, to the concepts of government, from local to state level. The Minnesota Boys State 2019 was held at St. John’s University near St. Cloud, MN from June 9 – 15. This year, Gunnar Oldre, one of two young men from Luverne that attended, had a great year at Boys State and also represented Adrian and Argonne Post 32 very well. Gunnar is a member of the Sons of the American Legion in Adrian, along with his older brother Knute. Knute had attended Boys State several years ago and has been returning every year to be a counselor for the participants. Also making the trip was Gunnar and Knute’s dad, Kyle Oldre, who also donates his time as a counselor. Gunnar’s Legion sponsor was the Hardwick Legion, of which Kyle is a member.
At Boys State, the over 250 young men were broken down into cities for the chance to run for offices for their adopted city. Gunnar ran for, and was elected to the office of mayor for his city. Former Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court Paul Anderson swore him in.
The young men then ran for state offices. Gunnar was elected as an Associate Justice for the State of Minnesota. The court has two Associate Justices and one Chief Justice.
During the week the attendees of Boys State worked in many phases of government which included writing bills and speeches, as they served in their offices. They are also tasked with competing in sports for one hour per day. Gunnar was placed on a softball team that ended up dominating the competition.
Out of all of the young men there, Gunnar found a way to set himself apart. When he traveled to St. John’s he brought with him his Sons of the American Legion hat from the Argonne Post 32 SAL Squadron. Several of the other young men asked about Sons and how it all worked. Early in the week other peers convinced him to wear his hat during the day. Out of all the participants, Gunnar was the only one wearing headgear, and he rocked that light blue hat! As the week concluded, several young men were selected for awards earned during the week. Gunnar was awarded the Chic and William Zweiner Award as the Outstanding Boys Stater.
On Saturday, Gunnar was told that he had earned the right to attend Boys Nation in Washington, DC, something each of the young men aspire to. Each state sends two representatives from their Boys State to Washington for Boys Nation. He was one of two chosen from Minnesota, the other being Griffin Olsen from Farmington. The fact that he had achieved this was to be kept secret until Sunday, he couldn’t even whisper it to his dad and brother. These young men are considered Senators, and that is where the cherry on top came for Gunnar. He was chosen as Senior Senator from the state of Minnesota, basically putting him at the very top of the group of young men at St. John’s.
Gunnar will travel to the Twin Cities on July 18th and stay overnight with the Olsen family before flying out early on the 19th for Washington, DC. Boys Nation lasts until July 27th and the young men there will learn more about federal government and take tours of the DC area. Each year the young men normally get to meet either the President or Vice President.
When asked for a few words about the experience, Gunnar had this to say: “My time at Minnesota Boys State was like nothing I have ever experienced before. I have been to many camps previously, but none could come close to matching the connections and knowledge I received from this single week. All of the delegates got to dive deep into city, county, and state government by forming their own through elections and appointments. I got the chance to be elected to the positions of City Mayor, State Senator, and Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. This taught me why each level is so crucial to everyday life. I then got chosen by the American Legion Selection Committee to represent Minnesota as one of two Senators to Boys Nation in Washington, D.C. I never expected to receive such an honor, but I hope to make the most of it.”
We will hear from Gunnar again when he returns from Washington, DC and Boys Nation.
