The late Senator George McGovern lived a very public life. But there was a dark side very few people knew about; that is until one cold night in December 1994 when his daughter Terry was found dead in a Wisconsin snow bank.
Theresa McGovern was .339, drunk in a state of acute alcohol intoxication, when she passed out and died in a snow bank of exposure.
News of Terry's tragic death was all over the news. Although the McGovern family was deeply saddened by her death due to her struggles with alcoholism, Senator McGovern saw an opportunity.
"He recognized that this was a very devastating area of human suffering and need," River Park Foundation founder Glenn Jorgenson said.
McGovern went public with his daughter's death and addiction to alcohol on River Park Foundation's 'It's Great To Be Alive' television series.
Jorgenson hosted the show.
"They said Senator, we've got some bad news, your daughter is dead," McGovern said during the interview.
"Here he sat, just another one of the millions of people who were confronted with the problem of having family members who were afflicted with the disease of alcoholism," Jorgenson said.
McGovern talked candidly about his daughter's addiction and how he and his wife had tried to get her help on numerous occasions.
"She'd drink sometimes until she'd either black out or collapse," McGovern said during the interview.
The 'It's Great To Be Alive Series' highlighted many celebrities over the years, who battled their own addictions.
Jorgenson said McGovern's story was no different. Although it had a tragic end, McGovern found the strength to open up and tell his story with hopes of helping others.
"This was really the mark of a good man, he was able to come forth with information that would be helpful to other people as he relived his experience and the pain he'd been through," Jorgenson said.
If you'd like to watch the entire interview click here.
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