There’s a lot of living tucked into the Lifetime Achievement award Arnie Mohl recently received from the Montana Contractors’ Association.

From a hardscrabble childhood in North Dakota as No. 13 — “Lucky No. 13,” he notes — in a family of 14 children, to an impressive career in the paving business and as a state legislator, Mohl never shied away from challenges.

Even after suffering a stroke in August 2000, he continued working with his partners at A-1 Paving until the company was sold the following year.

“His parents had Roscoe Steel install a little extra rebar in his character structure,” joked Cary Hegreberg, executive director of the Montana Contractors’ Association, as he presented Mohl with the coveted state award given by the association in conjunction with the Montana State University Civil Engineering Department.

“In the political world it was pretty well known that having Senator Mohl on your side was a good thing, and having him on the other side was a very bad thing,” Hegreberg added.

Life is a little slower for Mohl, 75, these days. He golfs a little but prefers sitting on the patio of his home on Village Greens and chatting with golfers as they meander by.

He and his wife, Maggie, travel to spend time with their two sons, five grandchildren and one step-great-granddaughter. Son Mark and his wife, Shari, live in Texas, while son David and wife, Stacey, live in Missoula.

IT DOESN'T TAKE much to get Mohl reminiscing, especially when the talk turns to politics. His eyes light up as he talks about being in the trenches of legislative work in the mid-1990s.

Mohl was elected as a state senator in 1994 and served through 2001. His background with the Montana Department of Transportation — he joined the department in Glendive in 1959 and by 1970 was a project engineer in Kalispell — gave him insight into road issues. He served on the Legislature’s Senate Transportation Committee all four sessions, chairing the committee for three sessions.

He’s most proud of legislation he sponsored in 1999 for a speed limit in Montana. The bill drew national attention because Montana was the only state without a daytime speed limit on its highways. The Seattle Times quoted Mohl in 1999 when he said “everyone will be more comfortable behind the wheel now that they know how fast it too fast.

“People were driving in constant fear without knowing how fast they can go before they get a fine,” Mohl told the Seattle newspaper.

Mohl doesn’t remember exactly what it was that led him into politics, but it may have been a well-timed phone call from then-Gov. Marc Racicot, his wife recalled.

Several prominent Flathead Valley Republicans, including John Harp, Bob Brown and Bob DePratu, had nudged Mohl, saying his business experience could be put to good use in the Senate. Mohl remained a little ambivalent.

“Then Governor Racicot called and it was like God calling from heaven,” Maggie said. “He told the governor, ‘Oh, yes, I’ll be there.’”

Mohl said he enjoyed serving in the Legislature during Racicot’s time as governor and also respected Gov. Judy Martz, who followed Racicot. A lifelong Republican, Mohl smiled and said his dad “wouldn’t let you be anything else.”

Mohl learned about hard work at an early age on the family farm near Beulah, N.D.

“GROWING UP on a farm in those days, you probably had to be tough just to get something to eat with that many brothers and sisters,” Hegreberg said during the awards presentation.

Those years shaped a work ethic that would follow Mohl through life.

After graduating from high school in Zap, N.D., he served in active duty with the U.S. Army for two years and remained on in the reserves for another four years before being honorably discharged in 1963.

A two-year stint at Allen Hancock College in Santa Barbara, Calif., gave way to his career with the Montana Department of Transportation. He left state government work in 1973 and with two partners started American Asphalt.

In 1986 he split from that partnership and began A-1 Paving with his son, Kevin, as a partner. Other partners were added, including Jim Bob Pierce, Chris Rasmussen and Mark Sandry.

A-1 Paving tackled major projects through the years, including the highway reconstruction between Libby and Troy, work on Interstate 90 in the Brady and Bozeman areas, the Swan Highway and lots of work on U.S. 2.

Mohl also was involved with the Montana Contractors’ Association, serving as a director, vice president, senior vice president, and in 1997 was named chairman of the MCA board.

Mohl suffered a second stroke in 2001, and though that one wasn’t as strong as the first, the medical events left him with some memory loss. He’s thankful he’s able to travel and enjoy his retirement.

Mohl has been a member of the Elks Lodge for 31 years and the couple are members of Bethany Lutheran Church.

Hegreberg said he got to know Mohl both through the Legislature and the contractors’ association.

“I quickly realized he was as widely respected by his peers in industry as he was his peers and lobbyists in the state Senate,” Hegreberg said.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by email at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.