Iwas blessed to call Ralph Engelstad a friend. I was with him in 1999 when he announced his $100 million gift to construct the world’s finest college hockey arena. I have admired how his wife, Betty, and daughter, Kris, have continued to gift many millions more since his death. Ralph had a famous line he often repeated: “The harder I work, the luckier I get.” That’s a life lesson that should be on the dashboard of every American.

North Dakota has worked hard, and the luck is lining up. Our governor is a gritty, hard-working guy. And he is lucky to be our governor, but he earned it, working his way up from a scrappy criminal defense attorney to state senator, representative, and now, in his first term, governor.

Gov. Kelly Armstrong joined us at the North Dakota Lignite Energy Council ann

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