KTD FEATURED SPEAKERS
FEATURED SPEAKERS 1939-2023
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1939 No Keynote Speaker
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1940 Gov. Harold Stassen
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1941 No Speaker – first Evening Torchlight Parade held
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1942 No Speaker – With World War II raging there was a mass induction of Navy enlistees – the 40-voice Navy Choir sang
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1943 No Speaker – Military Unity was featured and eight Civil Air Patrol plans flew overhead
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1944 Cancelled due to the war
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1945 Cancelled due to the war
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1946 Secretary of Agriculture Clinton Anderson, introduced by Minneapolis Mayor Hubert H. Humphrey
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1947 Gov. Luther Youngdahl
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1948 Miss America Bebe Shopp of Hopkins, MN, was honored guest, Senate candidate Joe Ball cancelled
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1949 Forty Sioux City businessmen were special guests
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1950 Sen. Hubert H. Humphrey
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1951 Sen. Edward Thye
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1952 Sen. John Sparkman, Alabama, DFL candidate for Vice President
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1953 Rep. Charles Hoeven, Iowa, cancelled two days prior to the event; Rep. Ralph Harvey, Indiana, took his place
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1954 Vice President Richard M. Nixon
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1955 Gov. Orville Freeman
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1956 Sen. Estes Kefauver, Tennessee, DFL candidate for Vice President
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1957 Council Member Dr. Hans Theusner, Crailsheim, Germany
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1958 Secretary of the Interior Fred Seaton
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1959 Sen. Hubert Humphrey
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1960 Sen. Lyndon B. Johnson, DFL Vice Presidential Candidate
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1961 Major General Frank H. Britton
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1962 Howard Bertsch, Administrator of the Farmers Home Administration
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1963 No political speaker – Navy’s Blue Angels Jet Team performed, dignitaries from Armour and Co. were special guests
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1964 Ambassador W. Averell Harriman of New York
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1965 Hubert H. Humphrey, Vice President
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1966 Sen. Robert Kennedy – brought 80,000 people to Worthington
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1967 Gov. Winthrop Rockefeller, Arkansas
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1968 Gov. Nelson Rockefeller, New York
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1969 Elmer T. Klassen, Postmaster General
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1970 Sen. Charles Percy, Illinois
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1971 Sergeant Shriver, Director of the Peace Corps
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1972 Sen. Hubert H. Humphrey
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1973 In place of featured speaker, the city was host to Rebecca An King of Iowa, the newly crowned Miss America
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1974 Attorney General Elliott Richardson
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1975 Sen. Hubert H. Humphrey
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1976 No speaker – Hubert H. Humphrey was present
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1977 Gov. Rudy Perpich
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1978 Rep. John Anderson, Illinois
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1979 Gov. Al Quie
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1980 Sen. John Tower, Texas
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1981 Minnesota Attorney General, Hubert H. (Skip) Humphrey III
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1982 Sen. Rudy Boschwitz
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1983 Sen. David Durenberger
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1984 Sen. Rudy Boschwitz
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1985 Rep. Map Sweeney, Texas
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1986 The Rev. Jesse Jackson
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1987 Sen. David Durenberger
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1988 Minnesota Lt. Gov. Marlene Johnson
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1989 State Auditor Arne Carlson
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1990 Rep. Fred Grandy, Iowa
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1991 Brigadier General David H. Adamson
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1992 Sen. Paul Wellstone
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1993 Rep. Rod Grams
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1994 Rep. David Minge
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1995 Minnesota Lt. Gov. Joanne Benson
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1996 “National Teacher of the Year” Mary Beth Blegen & Minnesota Attorney General Skip Humphrey
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1997 Sen. Rod Grams
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1998 Jesse Ventura, Candidate for Governor of Minnesota
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1999 Sec. of Agriculture, Gene Hugoson
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2000 Mrs. Minnesota, Susan Nelson
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2001 Tony Olivia – MN Twins
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2002 No Keynote Speaker
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2003 St. Paul Police Chief William Finney
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2004 Gov. Tim Pawlenty
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2005 Lew Hudson & Jim Wychor
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2006 Andre Kirkwood
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2007 Babe Winkelman
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2008 Republican Candidate Brian Davis and Congressman Tim Walz
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2009 Major General Larry Shellito (Adjutant General of MN National Guard)
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2010 Earl Morse (Co-Chair of Honor Flight)
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2011 Liz Collin (WCCO TV)
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2012 Michael Patrick
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2013 Holly Hoffmann (Survivor Contestant – Nicaragua)
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2014 Lew Hudson & Jim Wychor
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2015 Dan Gable
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2016 Amy Klobuchar, US Senator
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2017 Paul Ten Haken
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2018 Duane Drost
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2019 Paul Summers LaRouche
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2021 Gordon Moore
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2022 Chuck Foreman
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2023 COMING SOON!