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CATHY WURZER: I'm Cathy Wurzer. It's Morning Edition here on Minnesota Public Radio News. There are many people who have worked or are still working at the State Capitol who feel a sense of sadness this morning, based on the news that a longtime former state lawmaker has died. DFL Senator Allan Spear died over the weekend at the age of 71, after complications developed after he had heart surgery.

Spear represented Minneapolis for nearly 30 years in the legislature. He made big news in 1974 when he revealed that he was gay, becoming one of the first openly gay legislators in the country. One of those who served with Allan Spear is former DFL Senate Majority Leader Roger Moe, and he's joining us this morning on the phone. Good morning, Senator.

ROGER MOE: Good morning.

CATHY WURZER: Allan Spear used to say that he was more than a gay legislator, and I'm curious, from where you stand as a former colleague, what did Senator Spear stand for as a legislator?

ROGER MOE: He'll go down as one of the top handful of legislators, I think in the history of the state, he had all the skills for that position. No question about it, his politics were liberal, but he had this wonderful ability of bringing people together. He was very collaborative. I think it's fair to say that even very strong conservatives were able to find common ground with Allan on a number of issues, and it's a testimony to his ability to bring people together.

CATHY WURZER: And how do people react in the legislature back in '74 when he made his announcement?

ROGER MOE: Well, it made big news back then, but I doubt it would be much of a ripple today. But it made big news. I think for a while there might have been some question and concern, but Allan was able to very quickly, by the power of his knowledge on issues and his ability to work with people, overcome whatever negatives might have been at that time.

He was tenacious, as evidenced by the fact that in, I think in 1976, we had the first vote on the Bill that would have amended the human rights provisions of our law and include gay rights. And of course, it didn't pass until, I think sometime in the late 90s when he was able to plan to get it passed. But what that is, is testimony to his knowledge of the process and how you have to bring people along, and eventually win them over, and he was able to do that.

CATHY WURZER: Allan Spears was an intelligent man, too. He, of course, was a former history professor at the University of Minnesota. He blended his deep knowledge of history with politics, and it was interesting to watch.

ROGER MOE: The highest compliment you can pay to anybody in the legislative arena is, when they stand to speak, people will actually listen. And everybody got quiet when Allan stood to speak, because we knew we were going to learned something. Not only was he always well-versed on the issue, but he would blend that in with his immense knowledge of history, and use some historical event to make a point about what we were talking about at the moment.

And then he also had this fabulous sense of humor, and was able to make us laugh at a time probably when we needed to. And we probably needed more than most. But he was extremely skilled. He was a great communicator. He had a hard time standing still. So whenever he spoke, I think everybody who sat around and moved away because he moved around so much as he spoke, but was gifted, without a doubt.

I once told him that at his retirement party when he retired his professorship, I said that I regret that I hadn't audited some of his classes because he must have been just a fabulous professor, and I'm sure students got a great deal out of his classes.

CATHY WURZER: He could be very entertaining on the floor, as you say, and even in committee meetings, too. Can you recall a specific instance where he made you laugh?

ROGER MOE: Well, of course, the legendary one was the recipe for a particular dish made of dove. Almost every year, we would have a Bill that would legalize dove hunting in the state. And of course, Allan was against it. And he would start by standing up and noting the irony that we would be having a legalized season to kill the bird of peace. And he would start with that, and then he would launch into this recipe that he had made up.

Now, he was a cook himself and loved to cook and loved good food. And I don't know if he actually ever made this recipe, but he sure made it sound delicious. But he went on to point out the absurdity of how many doves you'd have to shoot to make a serving for a couple of people. And of course, by the time he got done, we were all howling, and I think probably with that story, I think he single handedly stopped that bill for many years.