Minnesota Rep. Bruce Vento Dies

Tuesday October 10 7:02 PM ET

By FREDERIC J. FROMMER, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - Rep. Bruce Vento, a 12-term liberal Democrat from Minnesota who championed environmental and homeless causes, died Tuesday of lung cancer.

Vento, who was diagnosed in February, died at his home in St. Paul, surrounded by his family, spokesman Rick Jauert said. He had malignant mesothelioma, a rare type of cancer caused by inhaling asbestos fibers.

Vento, who was 60, announced in February that he had cancer and would not seek re-election. His treatment included the removal of one lung, chemotherapy and radiation, but doctors discovered more cancer last month.

As a young man, Vento worked as a state-paid laborer in several St. Paul-area facilities that he claimed exposed him to asbestos fibers. Two weeks ago he filed a lawsuit against 11 companies that allegedly supplied or installed asbestos products at those job sites.

Vento made his most significant legislative contributions on environmental issues, which he called his ``true passion.''

``I have been a member of Congress for the past 24 years, dedicated to making the federal government work for the people, to do for our community and state - and, yes, even internationally - that which we cannot do for ourselves,'' Vento said in February. ``The federal government can and should make a difference.''

When Democrats controlled the House, Vento was chairman of the Natural Resources subcommittee on national parks, forests and lands for 10 years, pushing for more money for national parks and other environmental priorities.

``I think Bruce Vento has been one of the most impressive and effective congressmen in modern Minnesota history,'' said former Vice President Walter Mondale. ``It's hard to think of an environmental issue where his leadership has not been found.''

Vento worked on efforts to ban oil drilling on the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and on preserving tropical rain forests. The Wilderness Society recognized Vento's work in 1994 with the Ansel Adams Conservation Award.

``He's been a hero,'' said Debbie Sease, legislative director for the Sierra Club. ``He's done more for parks than anyone I know.''

Vento also helped establish the emergency shelter grants program and preserve the Federal Housing Authority.

President Clinton (news - web sites) paid tribute to Vento at a dinner in June for his environmental record and work on behalf of the homeless.

``He has steered into law more than 300 bills to protect our natural resources,'' Clinton said. ``The thing I like even more about Bruce Vento is he cares about people, especially people without a voice - the homeless.''

Vento was born Oct. 7, 1940, in St. Paul and attended the University of Minnesota and Wisconsin State University. He worked as a science and social studies teacher before winning a seat to the state House in 1970. He was first elected to Congress in 1976.

For the last decade, Vento pushed a bill to make it easier for the Hmong - an ethnic group in Laos- who fought with U.S. forces during the Vietnam War to become U.S. citizens by waiving the English-language requirement for them.

After he was diagnosed with cancer, Vento made passage of the bill a top priority. His effort ended successfully when Congress approved the measure in May.

``This bill would have never been conceived or passed if it had not been for Bruce Vento,'' said Philip Smith, Washington director of Lao Veterans of America, which lobbied on behalf of the legislation.

``He reached across the aisle and worked and persevered to make this happen. He is our hero. He is a champion of the Hmong people.''

Vento is the second member of Congress to die in the last month. Rep. Herbert Bateman, R-Va., died in September after battling lung and prostate cancer.

Vento is survived by his wife, Susan Lynch Vento, whom he married in August, and three sons by a previous marriage.

Bruce Vento remembered by friends and colleagues

Curt Brown
Star Tribune
Wednsday, October 11, 2000

U.S. Rep. Bruce Vento was remembered Tuesday as a champion of Hmong veterans, homeless people and the wilderness.

Michael Yang of the Immigration Task Force of Minnesota: "Today is a very cold and dark day for refugees and immigrants in Minnesota. We lost one of our greatest brothers and friends who had worked endlessly on behalf of immigrants and refugees for the past 24 years in Congress."

Lee Pao Xiong, former chairman of the Hmong National Development Group: "I remember seeing a huge Hmong embroidery on the wall [of Vento's Washington office] and felt so proud. He took 45 minutes out of his schedule to show me around the Capitol complex, showing me areas that were off-limits and chatted with me in such a personal way. I ... will never forget that."

Becky Rom, vice chair of the Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness and governing member of the Wilderness Society: "Bruce Vento helped protect lands from Alaska to Nevada to American Samoa, but his greatest love was for the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, and he was a marvelous champion for that area."

Gov. Jesse Ventura: "The people of Minnesota will long honor Congressman Vento's dedication to the needs of working people and his tireless defense of our natural resources."

Minneapolis Mayor Sharon Sayles Belton: "His legacy will live on through the many policies and pieces of legislation he helped shape."

Mark Dayton, Democratic Senate candidate: "Bruce was the best of public servants. He was dedicated to the people he served and to the causes he believed in."

Former St. Paul Mayor George Latimer: "Bruce ... understood if these [homeless] people had even a temporary place to hang their hat, it would mean an awful lot. It's what you do for the people who really don't have a voice, I think, that finally matters in politics."

New Brighton Mayor Steve Larson: "Bruce had a way of working for the common person and will always be remembered as someone who looked out for blue-collar America."

Doris Serlin of Serlin's Cafe on St. Paul's East Side: "His ... concerns were the environment, recreational areas and the blue-collar worker -- and that's me."

Rep. Gil Gutknecht, R-Minn.: "Regardless of the odds, he would fight for what he really believed in and he always fought passionately and he always fought fairly."

Rep. Bill Luther, D-Minn.: "Bruce ... would go out of his way to be helpful."

Rep. David Minge, D-Minn.: Vento "really exemplified what I thought was the very best in terms of a concern about future generations, conservation and quality of life."

Rep. Martin Sabo, D-Minn.: "He probably was the most knowledgeable person in the Congress on public lands from his years chairing a park subcommittee, where he left a legacy that will be enjoyed by ... Americans for years to come."

Rep. Jim Oberstar, D-Minn.: "He brought a balance to all that he undertook and with a science teacher-like care for facts and detail, he pursued his causes with only the greatest of ... skill."

Rep. Collin Peterson, D-Minn.: "Minnesota has a rich tradition of outstanding elected leaders who show the way for the rest of the nation, and Bruce Vento will be remembered as one of these people."

Rep. Jim Ramstad, R-Minn.: "Bruce not only talked the talk, he walked the walk and cared ... about people in need."

-- Washington Bureau correspondents Greg Gordon and Andrew Donohue contributed to this report.

Several mesothelioma claimants have wondered why the press continues to refer to the insidious cancer that took Vento's life "lung cancer." This man did not have lung cancer. He had mesothelioma, a tumor of the pleura which wraps around the lung. The reason this distinction is important is because for too many years mesothelioma patients have been forgotten in the world of medical research. A serious effort to cure this disease has never been undertaken, as it has with AIDS, prostate cancer, breast cancer, testicular cancer and even with lung cancer. As you can read from Vento's speech about this problem, much more needs to be done and more can be done -- (Click here to view Congressman Vento's entire speech).

I am writing this on behalf of the many mesothelioma patients out there who have expressed great sympathy at the loss of such a wonderful man -- many are now even more afraid, on the theory that if modern medicine cannot save or even meaningfully extend the life of such a powerful and influential man, then they -- the rank and file of America -- have little chance.

The eradication of this tumor -- which does not respect power, influence, beauty, charity, compassion or fitness -- begins with education and awareness. It is not simply a "blue collar" disease that is dying out since asbestos was phased out in the early 1970s.

Best regards
Roger Worthington

*** POSTED OCTOBER 11, 2000 ***