The Duluth International Airport terminal is one of two Northern Minnesota airport hubs that could be renamed for Jim Oberstar. The Range Regional Airport is also vying for the distinction. PHOTO: Duluth Int’l Airport
When longtime northern Minnesota congressman and transportation titan James Oberstar passed away in May, everyone knew that an airport would deservedly be named in honor of his tireless work to expand aviation in northern Minnesota. The question, as the Duluth News Tribune now reports, is which one?
Oberstar, a Chisholm native, was instrumental in the growth of both the Range Regional Airport in Hibbing, operated by joint powers between Hibbing and Chisholm, and the Duluth International Airport in northern Minnesota’s largest city. Now both Duluth and the Range are vying for the Oberstar family’s blessing to rename their airport terminals for the late leader.
In a cursory reading of the story, it would appear that the Duluth airport has prepared a more formal proposal, while the Range pitch is based more on the closer personal ties to Oberstar’s roots. As I see it, the options provide the following considerations: the airport in Hibbing was probably closer to Oberstar’s heart, but the airport in Duluth moves more people in and out of northern Minnesota, and would probably provide a more significant tribute to Oberstar’s expansive transportation legacy in the region.
My personal view is that Duluth should name their airport for Oberstar, while the Range should pursue something else outside of aviation if it wishes to make such a tribute. The political capital on the Range would allow for a school or highway to be named for Oberstar, and that might be the better move.
I think a fitting tribute would be to name a bike trail in his honor.