Jan 11, 2003 - 23:15:53 CST
North Dakota's most famous talker has an illness that affects his speech.Leo Reinbold, the senior member of the Public Service Commission and popular banquet humorist, was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease about 18 months ago.
The news was distressing at first.
Here he was, in decent shape for a guy of his years, no medical problems, not even taking any medication.
He thought what most people think when they get bad news.
"Why me?" he asked himself. There is no answer to that question.
Today, he understands Parkinson's and talks about it openly and even humorously.
Symptoms vary from person to person, but uncontrollable tremors of the hands is the one most commonly identified with Parkinson's. It is a symptom he does not have.
In Reinbold's case, the disease causes him to sometimes stutter and stammer when he begins a sentence.
The speech effect is not overly exaggerated, and to the casual listener, it sounds like his thoughts occasionally trip ahead of his tongue.
Reinbold takes medicine three times a day to calm his symptoms.
At first frustrated, he developed a technique for when he can't kick-start a sentence.
"I back up and take another run at it," he said.
The slight stammer and a stoop to his shoulders are the two most obvious effects of his illness. It was the stoop that originally alerted him to a potential problem.
There is no test for Parkinson's. A diagnosis is based on clinical observation of the patient's symptoms and condition.
Reinbold said he wouldn't feel comfortable in public office if he also were afflicted with tremors.
Parkinson's is a disease identified with several public personalities -- notably actor Michael J. Fox, retired boxer Mohammad Ali, former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno and Pope John Paul II.
The only other public official in North Dakota known to have Parkinson's is Charles Tighe, who served as lieutenant governor in 1964-68 under former Gov. Bill Guy.
Reinbold will be 71 on March 24.
He's been a public service commissioner for 22 years, the longest run of any utility regulator in the country, he says.
He has two more years left in his term. He has not announced it is his last term because he isn't sure it is and because he doesn't want the lame duck stigma attached to him for the duration.
Reinbold said his family -- his wife, Rose, three children and grandchildren -- is ready for him to become Leo, private citizen, instead of Commissioner Reinbold, public servant.
But remember, this guy loves to talk, to kibbitz and to be with people.
He's blessed with a deep, clear voice that would have made him a great radio personality and served him well as a teacher in the geography department years ago at Valley City State College.
He also has a memory for names and good stories.
These days, names don't always surface like they should.
He attributes that to the one thing everybody gets if they live long enough -- old age.
"It's an aging process, and I'm at that age where I process," he said.
Reinbold keeps his normal work schedule, attending to the utility regulation that oversees electric and gas business, telecommunications, elevators, railroads and coal mining and reclamation in North Dakota.
Susan Wefald, a fellow Public Service Commissioner, said she continues to enjoy his humor and contributions to their work and it's evident to her that he enjoys it, too.
Wefald said both her father and father-in-law had Parkinson's.
"I'm really familiar with the disease. For them, it was scary when they first got the diagnosis, but then they just learned how to cope," she said.
Reinbold said he is coping in a couple of ways.
First, he takes care of himself through medication, diet and exercise.
Second, he no longer does what causes stress.
One activity that's stressful is public speaking. The stress isn't solely due to the Parkinson's, but also to the travel required to get out to, say, that Lions Club dinner in Elgin.
He vividly recalls his first speaking engagement after he noticed the occasional stutter and stammer in his speech.
The Chamber of Commerce in Linton called and asked if he would give one of his humorous speeches after dinner.
He worried, "Could I handle this?"
He went out and did it, coaching himself to simply slow down and relax.
The speech went well, but it was among his last.
That is, except for an upcoming talk to the North Dakota Rural Water Users Association.
He figures he won't know if he really misses public speaking until the day after he gives that speech.
Knowing when to stop talking is the most important part of any speech, he said. It doesn't matter how hard the audience is laughing at the latest Ole and Lena story, another five such stories might just make them nod off.
By the way, he points out, Ole and Leo are just different versions of the same three letters.
He keeps a couple of "notes to self" posted in his office on the 12th floor of the Capitol. The notes say, "When you're done talking, stop."
Knowing when to stop giving speeches is another matter.
Reinbold knows.
"That's one phase of my life that's over," he said.
Former Lt. Gov. Lloyd Omdahl, also a humorist and public speaker, said he'll miss having Reinbold's name to recommend for those less interesting speaking requests.
Omdahl said Reinbold is a genuine humorist, because he can depart from a prepared script with improvised repartee.
He said Reinbold's absence from the public speaking circuit will leave a noticeable vacuum.
"North Dakota needs humor more than any other state in the union. He'll leave a pretty big gap," Omdahl said.
But public speaking is only one part of Reinbold's life.
He said his doctor, during a lull in a recent consultation, turned to Mrs. Reinbold and told her to expect another 20 years out of her husband.
"I never felt so much like a used car in my life," Reinbold said.
Two months ago, he buried his mother. She was 93.
That's a long life by any standard.
He said he expects the same for himself, because he's decided Parkinson's won't get the best of him.
In the meantime, like with his stammer, he's got a technique that gets him going every day.
"I read the obituaries, and if I'm not in there, I continue," he said.
(Reach reporter Lauren Donovan at 701-748-5511 or scoop@ndonline.com.)
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