When President Clinton first landed in Grand Forks almost 15 years ago, he had a captive audience.
His listeners in a Grand Forks Air Force Base hangar on April 22, 1997, included about 3,000 homeless who had nowhere else to go.
Some of the evacuees were disinterested, still in shock from the unthinkable that had happened. Others were too exhausted to leave their olive-colored cots. However, those who trudged across the hangar to listen were rewarded.
"Be good to yourself," Clinton said. "You don't have to be ashamed if you're heartbroken."
He praised the Red River Valley's spirit and faith: "Water cannot wash that away, fire cannot burn that away and a blizzard cannot freeze that away."
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And, he served up optimism: "Believe me, it may be hard to believe it now, but you can rebuild stronger and better than ever."
Only the blindest of optimists could have believed those words. Stronger and better? Riiiight.
It turned out to be true. The people at the top of our thank you list include President Clinton.
He brought compassion. He brought praise. He brought optimism. He brought hope. He brought all of the needed intangibles.
Last, but certainly not least, he brought money. Lots and lots and lots of money.
On his 1997 visit, just a few days after the water hit the proverbial fan, he promised $500 million in flood relief. Nine months after the flood, the federal government had poured more than $1 billion into flood assistance in North Dakota and Minnesota. More than half of that amount was concentrated in the Grand Forks area.
This was free money, too. It didn't come in the disguise of low-interest loans or federal matches. It was cash, much of it going to people, not governments. And, remember, this was back in the days when $1 million was real money.
So, who knows how much federal help over 15 years has arrived in our flood-plagued precincts? I don't have a numerical answer. But I have an accurate answer: Enough so we could flourish.
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President Clinton isn't bringing bags of money with him Saturday. But it's never too late to say thank you.
Reach Bakken at (701) 780-1125; (800) 477-6572, ext. 125; or send e-mail to rbakken@gfherald.com .
