Political Quotes

“I thank Congressman Murphy for yielding, and I want to join him in the remarks that he has made. I had the opportunity to attend a memorial service and speak at a memorial service for my friend, Bill Ratchford. Bill and I first met in the early 1970s. Bill had been speaker of the Connecticut House and was serving as president of the National Conference of State Legislatures. I was about to be president of the Maryland Senate, and another former Member, Martin Sabo, was the speaker of the Minnesota House. The three of us became very good friends. Later in the week, the next week, we lost an extraordinary American, Sargent Shriver. I had the opportunity to speak at his wake last Friday night. The reason I mentioned Sarge Shriver, Bill Ratchford and Sarge Shriver were both extraordinary public servants who believed that service to others was their most important role in life in terms of their public service. Now, privately, they were both also representatives of extraordinary family leaders, revered by their families. And his sons, Bill Ratchford's sons, and Sarge's sons spoke at their memorial services. Shaun, Scott, and Brian spoke movingly of a father who was fully engaged and adored by his sons. Of course his wife, Barbara, a very close friend of mine for some 40 years, as was Bill, was revered as a mother. So these two families, two extraordinary leaders that we have lost recently, represented the best in America. Bill Ratchford was my friend.…”