April 18, 2018
Surprise recognition after six decades of service
By Daniel Arens
“It was a big surprise.”
Throughout describing his years of service to the North Dakota Republican Party, Hazen resident Mel Beckler continued to come back to that point. In no way had he expected, when he heard committee members at the state GOP convention in Grand Forks discussing the honor, that it was him they were talking about.
The honor is the Elephant Celebrated award, which honors a dedicated member of the party who has served in different local and statewide positions. “I did not know that I had been nominated,” Beckler said. “My wife knew about it. The commanding officers of the state committee were up there and they started talking about the experiences of this year’s winner.
