St. Cloud Times – The tragic news of Dr. Earl Potter’s death this week compounds in me an enormous sense of loss in the wake of recent events. At a time when we as a nation are reeling from the massive gun violence in Orlando, and closer to home so many mourn Minnesota native son and iconic musician, Prince, we are affected locally and personally by the loss of SCSU’s own President Potter.
It creates in me a sense of immediacy — of urgency— in uniting as a community.
Dr. Potter was among the first to welcome me to St. Cloud when I became Superintendent of St. Cloud Area Schools. He offered me assistance and support, and invited me to call him at any time. And he was a man of his word and answered those calls.
I had the privilege of serving with him on the Board of Directors for Partner for Student Success and admired his commitment to uniting the St. Cloud community in a joint effort to educate and prepare young people for today and tomorrow’s society. He believed in the collective impact of individuals and institutions. He understood and supported collaboration and partnership among education entities, businesses, and non-profit organizations. In short, he embodied community leadership.
Dr. Potter was one of many leaders in this community who believed that we have a great opportunity in St. Cloud right now to impact the future in positive, meaningful ways. By educating and supporting all our children in this community, we create a thriving and healthy community. That belief is part of his legacy.
Time is precious and tragedy has an odd way of uniting strangers. Perhaps we can all try to live up to his legacy.
