From Valentine to VP candidate: Tim Walz' rural Nebraska roots

VALENTINE, Neb. - A Nebraska native is in the national spotlight. Vice President Kamala Harris has selected Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate. Walz was born in West Point, Nebraska, but spent most of his childhood in Valentine.

"Minnesota's strengths come from our values-our commitment to working together, to seeing past our differences, and to always being willing to lend a helping hand. Those are the same values I learned on the family farm and tried to instill in my students,” Walz said during his first campaign event with Harris.

Dick Jeffers served on the Valentine School Board when Walz’s dad, Jim Walz, was superintendent in the 1970s.

“He was very easy to get along with, and I think he was very efficient with what he did at the school,” Jeffers said.

The superintendent’s son, turned vice presidential candidate, spent much of his childhood in Valentine. Here are some pictures of Walz in elementary school.

 

 

“It’s been a crazy week in Valentine. There have been nationwide media outlets all over town, and they’re still coming this week,” Valentine Mayor Kyle Arganbright said.

While the politician spent most of his childhood in Valentine, when he was a sophomore in high school, his family moved to nearby Butte, Nebraska. Shortly after the family moved, Jim died from cancer. Jeffers was asked to be a pallbearer.

“I enjoyed him, and I thought that was the least I could do. I was glad they included me,” Jeffers said.

Whoever becomes the next president and vice president, Jeffers hopes they have the same values as the Valentine School Board back in the 70s.

“Everybody worked together, and it wasn’t for anybody’s benefit. It was for the school,” Jeffers said.