Legislative staffer was a great help to lawmakers and a proud Czech

The South Dakota Capitol is reflected in Capitol Lake. (John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight)

Reuben Bezpaletz, who was one of the main staffers for the Legislative Research Council in our state Capitol for 42 years, died this past weekend at age 77.

He was very kind and fair to all legislators, including Democrats. He worked hard to keep legislation between the staff and the legislator. There was no disclosure of proposed legislation to Republican or Democratic leadership under his watch.

His respect for the Legislature and the legislative process was as big as his heart. One example of this is when he drafted the bill requested by Scotland teacher Gary Pepper that changed the state constitution to set the minimum age for governors at 21. It was approved by an overwhelming vote of South Dakotans. Before this change, there were no constitutional age restrictions on the office of governor.

Reuben knew the state constitution and rules of the Legislature inside and out. Over Reuben’s 42-year career, he helped many committee chairs run their committee hearings correctly.

Reuben, who was married to Teresa, was a Czech from the Woonsocket area. He loved state, national and international history, his Czech heritage and poppyseed kolaches — or as he spelled it, “kolaces.” Reuben loved Tabor, its church, museums and rich cultural history, and he really enjoyed Tabor’s Czech Days.

Reuben was a brilliant Legislative Research Council staffer who went the extra mile for legislators to explain current laws, proposed laws, rules and their impact. Reuben paid attention to the fine details of legislative draftsmanship. He was a perfectionist who went over and above to help legislators.

Lynn Moran was a classmate of Reuben’s at Woonsocket High School and the University of South Dakota. She told me he was an accomplished artist already at 5 years old and was Woonsocket’s Class of 1965 valedictorian. He graduated from USD and went on to work with distinction for 42 years at the South Dakota Legislative Research Council. Linda Stensland told of his excellent work on environmental bills, which are still on the books today. Many legislators can attest to Reuben’s integrity and honesty.

Many of the bills he drafted for me became law or were copied by Republican legislators and then became law. He was not afraid to stand up for the little guy or the minority when they were getting trampled on. Reuben helped Paul Symens and the landowners with flooding and property rights issues concerning water rights and hunting access in northeast South Dakota. He was fair and honest and helped many Democratic and Republican legislators over the years, especially those who did not always get a fair shake. He made a positive difference in many legislators’ lives, including mine.

One of Reuben’s finest hours was taking a group of legislators to the Klas Czech restaurant in Cicero, Illinois, which he loved very much. As a connoisseur of fine Czech food and a history buff, he delighted in the fine food and rich history of the Klas restaurant. Their roast duck was his favorite. They cooked it similar to how his mother cooked it. Reuben knew his Czech heritage very well and always beamed proudly when describing the Czech Republic breaking away from Russia to become an independent country.

Reuben Bezpaletz was a great man with a heart as big as the great state of South Dakota. He will be missed.

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