Gerald Christenson

Crafter of schools 'Miracle' dies at 75 Christenson was influential in state politics for 4 decades

BY BILL SALISBURY
Pioneer Press

Gerald Christenson, one of Minnesota's most influential public policy-makers in the past half-century, died Tuesday of cancer. He was 75.

Christenson, of Arden Hills, was:
• Chancellor of the state's community college system for nine years.

• The first state finance commissioner.

• The state planning agency director who helped devise the "Minnesota Miracle" in school financing.

• The legislative auditor who oversaw state agencies.

• The head of a federal agency created to avert race riots.

• And an adviser to many of the state's top leaders.

"I believe Jerry had a greater impact on important public policy in Minnesota than any other official, elected or appointed, in the last 40 years," said former Gov. Wendell Anderson, for whom Christenson served as planning director and finance commissioner.

Christenson touched the lives of millions of Minnesotans.

As community college chancellor, he opened college doors to thousands of nontraditional students older than 25. To overcome their fear of returning to school, he devised a plan to offer one free course to anyone who had been out of school for at least seven years and didn't have a bachelor's degree. The try-one-free-course program attracted 42,000 students in its first six years. "It epitomized Jerry Christenson," former St. Paul Mayor George Latimer said.

The 1971 legislative package that later became known as the Minnesota Miracle was based in part on his doctoral thesis. It largely erased funding disparities between rich and poor school districts by shifting a large amount of education spending from property taxes to income, sales and other taxes.

Based on his deep belief in the importance of reading, he developed a Right to Read program that became a national model in the 1970s.

He prodded legislators to rein in a runaway property tax relief system that threatened to bankrupt the state.

Even after he retired in 1992, his favorite hobby was devising new education policies. He, Latimer, former Minneapolis Mayor Don Fraser and former Macalester College President John Davis formed a group that grappled with ways to ensure that children could read. They gave speeches, wrote position papers and newspaper columns, brought in guest speakers and advised public officials. "Jerry was the driving force," Latimer said.

"He was a consummate public servant," said his daughter Becky Christenson. "He didn't really care about money or power or any of the trappings. He wanted to make the world a better place. He woke up daily thinking about that."

The son of a gas station manager, Christenson was born April 9, 1930, in Litchfield, Minn. He worked his way through St. John's University, graduating with his bachelor's degree in 1953, then earned a master's degree in education in seven months at the University of Minnesota. He taught high school social studies at Long Prairie and Mounds View.

The political bug bit him in 1962, when he ran for the state Senate and lost. A year later, he was elected 4th District Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party chairman and soon went to Washington as U.S. Rep. Joseph Karth's chief of staff.

Christenson returned to Minnesota in 1966 to play a supporting role in one of the bloodiest political battles in DFL history. Then-Lt. Gov. Sandy Keith launched a revolt to unseat DFL Gov. Karl Rolvaag, and he picked Christenson as his running mate. They won the DFL endorsement but lost the primary election to Rolvaag. The intraparty battle was so divisive, however, that Republican Harold LeVander easily unseated Rolvaag in the November election.

When race riots broke out in 1967, Vice President Hubert Humphrey tapped Christenson to head the President's Council on Youth Opportunity that funded summer jobs in inner cities.

Christenson returned to the University of Minnesota in 1969 and finished his doctoral degree. Two years later, newly elected Gov. Anderson appointed him state planning director and in 1975 named him finance commissioner.

He became a vice president at Metropolitan State University in 1978, top aide to Senate Majority Leader Roger Moe in 1980 and legislative auditor in 1981.

Christenson returned to his first love, education, in 1983 when he was named chancellor of the 21-campus community college system, a post he held until his retirement.

"Jerry was a visionary," said retired Normandale Community College President Tom Horak. "He worked hard to pull the large and small colleges together and focus on serving students effectively."

Moe said Christenson was a talented leader and manager who could have been a success in business had he not chosen public service. "His family was his first love, but a close second was public policy," he said.

Christenson was teaching up to the end, said former Vice President Walter Mondale.

Two weeks ago, he invited Mondale, Anderson and former Attorney General Warren Spannaus to his home to talk to his children and grandchildren about the importance of "service to others, being engaged in democracy and making it work and the use of your mind in finding truth."

"It was a description of his life," Mondale said.

Christenson is survived by his wife, Pearl; daughters Carol Christenson of Rochester, Becky Christenson of St. Paul and Karen Christenson of River Falls, Wis.; sons Michael of Falcon Heights and Tom of St. Paul; seven grandchildren; sisters Kate Merz of Plymouth, Bette Mathias of Bethesda, Md., and Peggy Wald of Falcon Heights, and brothers John Christenson of Los Angeles, Henry Christenson of Minneapolis and Chuck and Paul Christenson, both of St. Cloud.

A memorial service will be held at 7 p.m. Monday at St. Mary's of the Lake Catholic Church, 4690 Bald Eagle Ave., White Bear Lake. Visitation will precede the service starting at 5 p.m.