In remembrance of David Thornton and his legacy of clean air
On July 18 of this year, we lost David Thorton from this world. His obituary in the Star Tribune speaks volumes about David and the legacy that he leaves in the world. We share this remembrance as colleagues, partners, and friends who have been hit hard by the loss of David, and who have been changed for the better for having known him and worked at his side.
We would like to invite you to join us, our colleagues from Environmental Initiative, and our partners at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to celebrate David’s life, to share stories, and to honor the positive differences he has made in the world:
Remembering and Celebrating David Thornton
Thursday, Sept. 24, 4 – 6 p.m.
The Family Corner indoor section at Saint Paul Brewing
688 Minnehaha Ave. E
St. Paul, Minn. 55106
From Bill Droessler
I will miss David. I owe him massively for the success of Clean Air Minnesota and much of my professional work over the last almost 24 years. More importantly, I will miss him as a friend and someone with whom I could debate life’s issues. And we shared some epic bike rides.
I met David shortly before starting work at Environmental Initiative in 2003 — I wanted to meet with our primary partners before I started the job. David was quick to meet — even then, he was going above and beyond. As was his style, he provided a low-key, thorough, and matter-of-fact background on air quality issues in Minnesota. Without pressure, he also hinted at some places where the then new Clean Air Minnesota endeavor might find some early success. The first success really was David’s willingness to dive into such a unique and then unproven venture, a program that had the MPCA working equally with new partners, rather than presiding at the head of the table. We all are breathing easier because of his foresight, selflessness, and willingness to take that chance with us. I could nerd out about the projects, tons of emissions reductions, and details like that, but the real value was the trust and relationships he helped build that are still going strong today and still providing for the common good.
Over the years, David and I found a mutual interest in taking long bike rides and, later, walks. I don’t know how many thousands of miles we rolled around Minnesota, but they were all pleasurable, if not comfortable. We only got lost once. We met a proselytizing bike rider with probably 50 pounds of Bibles he was passing out to people he met along a Mississippi River trail. We debated air pollution with a “rolling coal” pick-up truck driver in a parking lot. I’m sure at some point later the driver realized his passenger side mirror was broken. David and I only had one rule on the bike rides — we were allowed to each bring one and only one work related topic to a ride. But you can constructively chew on a lot of issues over a 30-mile ride.
David was my colleague and my companion. He was my dear friend, and he will be missed.
From Mike Harley
Years before I came to call David a friend, I found admiration for his exceptional ability to do the sometimes-unenviable job of serving as an effective regulator in an increasingly complex world. There was a time in the environmental movement when government clearly led the way, and David was there. Over time, leadership emerged from other sectors, including from communities, businesses, local governments, and mainstream environmental organizations. More than almost any other public sector leader who I have ever worked with, David was able to hold to his statutory and ethical obligations as a regulator while opening genuine space for others to lead. In his conviction that to serve the common good we all need to do our part, he truly embodied the spirit of collaboration, and this made him a superpowered champion for the work of our partnership-based organization, Environmental Initiative.
In a moment of transition in Minnesota’s governor some years ago, I expressed concern to David about the possibility of state government co-opting and consequently undoing a public-private partnership that we had nurtured together over many years. This was Clean Air Minnesota, and David assured me with this statement of clarity: there will always be some things that government will do best, and there will always be things that can be more effectively led by nonprofits, businesses, or communities. He predicted that we would not lose sight of that truth, and indeed we have not. Clean Air Minnesota grew in strength and impact through David’s years as a leader at the MPCA, and its impact has continued to grow after his retirement. David didn’t just do a job when it was his to do, he laid the foundation and the philosophy for all of those who continue to do the work of clean air standing on his shoulders.
When David retired, I came to know him in a different way. It was no longer his job, and still he showed up whenever I told him we needed his advice, his help, or his support. As friends, we kept up regular conversations, and we broke bread many times over the years. When he became sick, he welcomed visits with a generosity of spirit that made those visits a joy. Now I find myself missing those visits and the lunches at Clancey’s Meats that came before, and I feel motivated to carry forward his legacy of clean air, clear leadership, and relationships that serve the common good.