Profiles in Service - May 15, 2017

Bob Fox

NACo Board of Directors
Commissioner
Renville County, Minn.

Number of years involved in NACo:  12 years.

Years in Public Service:  27 years of public service - township supervisor (12 years) and county commissioner (15 years).

Occupation:  Agriculture and county commissioner.

Education:  Willmar Community College and South Dakota State University (GO BIG BLUE!).

The hardest thing I’ve ever done:  Surviving farming in the 1980s.

Three people (living or dead ) I’d invite to dinner:  Abraham Lincoln, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Richard Allen (my grandfather who passed away before I was born, but was the last member of my family to leave Queenstown, Ireland, which is now known as Cobh, County Cork).

You’d be surprised to learn that I:  Prefer rock ’n’ roll music to country. 

My favorite way to relax is to:  Watch a baseball game or walk to check crops or enjoy the great outdoors of rural America.

I’m most proud of:  Having the privilege to develop and promote the ethanol industry in Minnesota; and along with community members from my hometown, identified the need for a local daycare center and assisted with the construction, operation and partnership with our local school district. 

Every morning I read:  Four regional newspapers, as well as multiple national newspapers.

My favorite meal is: Grilled beef, pork or salmon, fresh vegetables from my vegetable garden or local farmers market.

My pet peeve is:  People who complain about an issue, but don’t want to help change or improve the situation.

A dream I have is to: Visit all of the presidential libraries and museums...I have a ways to go!

My motto is:  Take the world as it is, but leave it better.

The last book I read was: Sundown at Sunrise by Marty Seifert.  A historical fiction based on a true story of a gruesome ax murder that occurred on a farm in southwestern Minnesota 100 years ago.

My favorite movie is:  Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

My favorite music is:  Rock from the 1960s – ‘80s.

My favorite U.S. President is:  Abraham Lincoln.

My county is a NACo member because: Small, rural counties need and rely on NACo’s partnership to help make their community better.