Dave Roe, an influential figure in Minnesota's labor movement and a former University of Minnesota regent, died Monday. He was 92.
Roe served as president of the Minnesota AFL-CIO from 1966 to 1984 and emerged as a powerful figure in state labor battles and in Minnesota politics. More recently, he was instrumental in the creation of a Workers Memorial Garden at the State Capitol, which honors the state's laborers.
Former Democratic Vice President Walter Mondale called Roe "a great labor leader and an honest and decent citizen."
Roe became a friend and confidante of state political leaders, including the late Vice President Hubert Humphrey.
Humphrey called Roe the night before he died in 1978. Roe said later that what touched him most was Humphrey insisted on speaking to Roe's wife Audrey. She died last October after 70 years of marriage.
Roe spent a dozen years as a member of the U's Board of Regents, where he was a sometimes controversial force.
He was a frequent critic of embattled President Kenneth Keller, and drew criticism for saying publicly that Keller would likely be forced to quit after an audit questioned the $1.5 million spent to redecorate the president's official residence. Around the same time, Roe blasted Legislative Auditor James Nobles for placing at least some of the blame at the financially troubled physical plant on the prevailing wages paid to union employees.
Roe had a reputation for being gruff and didn't shy from disagreement. In a 2015 interview on "The Mary Hanson Show," a cable program, Roe said one of his toughest decisions was to keep the state federation's convention from endorsing Democrat George McGovern for president in 1972.
