Sen. Hadley travels full circle

Above: Sen. Hadley and his wife, Marilyn, pause for a photo during their two-week trip to Antarctica.

Although he is a freshman senator, the halls of the State Capitol building are a familiar sight to Sen. Galen Hadley.

“I walked through the Capitol every day for three years, never dreaming I would be a state senator,” he said.

The Kearney senator grew up in the German-Russian bottoms neighborhood in Lincoln and used to cut through the Capitol building on his way to and from class at Lincoln High School.

A lot has happened in between his bookend appearances in these halls. Hadley graduated from the University of Nebraska with a degree in accounting and spent 20 years at the University of South Dakota, where he taught, served as vice president and later served as interim university president.

In 1991, Hadley and his wife, Marilyn, both took positions at UNK – Hadley as dean of the Business College and Marilyn as dean of the Education College.

It was in Kearney that Hadley first became involved in public service. He served on the Kearney City Council and also as the mayor.

“I like to be able to listen to people’s concerns and be able to do something about them,” he said.

Hadley said his city council experience has proved valuable in his work at the Legislature, especially in the committee process.

“You get to talk and meet with the public just like a city council does,” he said.

But Hadley also draws on more personal life experiences for his work in the Legislature. Hadley and his wife have traveled to all 50 states and 37 different countries. Each trip has offered him new perspective, he said. Their most exotic trips have been to Kenya for a safari and their two-week trip to Antarctica.

“Visiting a different culture has always been fun for us,” Hadley said. “We find friendly people all over the world.”

The couple has rented an apartment in Buenos Aires, Argentina, for two six-week visits and plans to return in the future. The extended stay provides a less touristic experience that includes trips to the local grocery store and 28-cent bus rides in the city’s elaborate public transportation system.

Hadley said he’s also picked up some other important skills in his travels.

“I can order a beer in eight different languages,” he said with a laugh.

When asked if he finds Nebraska a bit boring after his world travels, the senator seemed shocked by the suggestion. In fact, he said one of the best parts of travel is coming back to the state.

Travel also reminds him of the things public servants in Nebraska should be working to protect, he said, such as clean air and water supply.
“It’s fun to travel, but it’s fun to get back your familiar settings,” he said. “It makes you appreciate what you have here.”