When asked what he hoped to be his own legacy, Vice President Walter Mondale referred to his three-part description of the Carter-Mondale administration: "We told the truth; we obeyed the law; and we kept the peace — not bad."

The description fit. Mondale had unparalleled honesty and integrity; he was devoted to the rule of law and he worked for a more peaceful world.

That's much better than "not bad." And upon his death last week, I have strong feelings that the description needs a fourth part. Mondale was always thinking of, and inspiring, the next generation.

I know that because, 37 years ago, I was inspired — not by a win, but by a loss. I was a young lawyer. For a year and a half, I had traveled with Mondale as what the political trade calls the "body person." My job included waking him up in the morning, carrying his briefcase, briefing him on local issues, writing news conference remarks, ordering his late-night cheeseburger and bidding him a good night. I saw him up close in the most stressful circumstances. I knew that he was behind in the polls, but the thought that this good man might not be the next president was almost unbearable to me.

On election night, after 49 of 50 states went the other way (and thank God for Minnesota), I was heartbroken. As Mondale went to the podium at the St. Paul Civic Center, I handed him his speech folder and then stood to the side, my face streaked with tears.

He congratulated President Ronald Reagan. Then I heard: "I want to say a special word to my young supporters this evening." I felt that he was looking right at me. "I know how you feel, because I've been there myself. Do not despair. … I've been around for a while and I have noticed that in the seeds of most every victory are to be found the seeds of defeat, and in every defeat are to be found the seeds of victory." Those inspiring words cemented my commitment to public service. Others have said the same.

Now fast-forward 18 years. Sen. Paul Wellstone had just died. But time and the law couldn't stop. Mondale was asked to pick up the flag. There was concern that Wellstone's many young supporters — a vibrant, diverse group — might not take to an old straight white guy known as "Fritz." But when they met him, it took them about two seconds to understand that here was the real deal.

After a long night of vote-counting, Mondale conceded gracefully to Norm Coleman. I wasn't so young anymore, so when he spoke to the campaign staff the next morning, I understood that he wasn't speaking to me. But his message brought back my feelings from 1984: "I want to say a word to the young people. Your ideals are often tested more in defeat than in victory. Know this is not the end but the beginning of what you can do for the state. You are the trustees of a legacy of social justice and decency."

By then a more seasoned lawyer, I took special note when he said "trustee." In the law, a trustee is a fiduciary, bound to the highest duty of care for the beneficiary. Mondale's choice of word was a beautiful way to summarize our obligations to succeeding generations.

Mondale was such a trustee. He started the Mondale Fellows at the University's Humphrey School to encourage promising young leaders to be of service. (Coleman was in the first class.) For 14 years, Mondale taught classes with Prof. Larry Jacobs. Occasionally I would sit in to hear the world-class guests Mondale attracted. No matter the speaker's fame, the attention level in the room always went up another notch when Mondale stood up to sum up. He was inspiring another generation.

The informal Mondale alumni association includes plenty of big Minnesota names: Mark Dayton, Amy Klobuchar, Tina Smith, Steve Simon and Jake Sullivan among them. But Mondale had time for everyone. Students at the U will tell you that he was exceedingly generous with his time, wit and candid advice.

A magnificent trustee of Minnesota's legacy of social justice and public integrity has left us. Now that legacy passes into the hands of the successor trustees who Walter Mondale inspired.

David Lillehaug served as a justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court, 2013-20, and as U.S. attorney for Minnesota, 1994-98.