Dakota Beacon

The Influence of One Man’s Life

He was born in a small town in ND.  He grew under the watchful eye of pioneer grandparents with the values and ideals they passed on to his parents.  I’m not sure of his political affiliation, but soon after he married and started his family, he lived with those traditional values as a moral compass and a guide for his life.

He was impeccably honest and conservative.  He had a work ethic to match his distinctive haircut and personality.  Soon his carpentry business was on its way to substantial success, and he became known throughout the county as the one you could trust to keep his word.  (His bids were honored to the last penny).

When the time was ripe for a new face at the State Capitol in Bismarck, the Senator from a neighboring town recruited him to run.  He did and was elected.  Since he was a much younger man, he has continued to run and Served as the Senator himself from District 8 for over 30 years in the North Dakota Legislature.

While many knew him as the Chairman of the Senate Education Committee, held by his principles to provide excellent education while holding the line on spending, I knew him in a variety of other ways as well.

I campaigned with him as a candidate for the House in 1984 (he ran for the Senate that year).  He was elected; I was not, but I worked as a bill clerk (along with now U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer) at the legislature and caught a vision for the importance of involvement in the process.  When he became State Chairman of the Republican Party in 1986, I was his Executive Director.  I learned to raise money and the importance of a philosophy to govern political activity.  Under his tutelage I became a conservative and learned what it meant to stand on those principles.

Many years later, I had the privilege of owning the homestead of his family farm—established in the late 1800s.  It was during those few years I spent there with my family in the summertime that I learned of another dimension of his life.  He was completely devoted to his wife and family and especially his grandchildren.

I heard a quote once which summed up the impact of his life on mine and it follows:

All men hold opinions, but few men are held by their convictions.

Those of you (and that would be most of you) who knew this man can appreciate it when I say—of all the voices I have ever heard, of all the lessons I have learned, of all the opinions I have ever had which have been forged into convictions on the anvil of life, I can honestly say that none has had the power to change and keep me on the right track as that of this one man.

Thank You Senator Freborg.  Layton, you’ve been like a father to me.

Gary Emineth

Emineth is a North Dakota native businessman and political activist. He is a former executive director and chairman of the North Dakota Republican Party. Emineth has served on the Republican National Committee and chaired numerous presidential campaigns in North Dakota. He is the host of “The Legislature Today” and “Open Range” daily TV shows on BEK. He is a serial entrepreneur and has 40-plus years of business experience with multi-national companies. He has traveled the world extensively and has served as CEO and president of mid-tier companies.