More than 100 people gathered at the Duluth Labor Temple Thursday night to name the meeting hall in remembrance of the late Senator Paul Wellstone.

A number of Wellstone staffers joined union members and others at the dedication, where they unveiled a large portrait of the man who often called himself a "Labor Senator."

A plaque beneath the portrait outlines Wellstone's strong record during his 12 years in the U.S. Senate on behalf of workers and the disenfranchised. Wellstone; his wife, Sheila; their daughter, Marcia; campaign staffers Mary McEvoy, Tom Lapic and Will McLaughlin and two pilots were killed Oct. 25 in a plane crash near Eveleth.

Marge Baker, labor liaison for Wellstone in Washington, D.C., talked about how "working for Paul was a life transforming experience." She described how he always used to say that "good intentions are not enough. You have to act and live them."

"Paul and Sheila both acted out their values every day of their lives," she said.

Wellstone staff member Josh Syrjamaki, an Iron Range native who worked closely with organized labor, said the senator would drive his staff crazy by always throwing the schedule out the window so he could join workers on the picket line.

"He loved walking with workers on their picket lines," Syrjamaki said. To honor Paul, the Wellstone staffers went out to the AFSCME picket line at the Western Lake Superior Sanitary District after the ceremony.

Reported by Erik Peterson. Photos by Erik Peterson.