Pat Danner: “a good friend passed away the other day. Bill Emerson was a friend of the Congress, a friend of the people of Missouri…”

“a good friend passed away the other day. Bill Emerson was a friend of the Congress, a friend of the people of Missouri, and a friend of mine. Bill was the type of individual whom others hope or aspire to become like. His interest was the public interest. His concerns were the public concerns, and his conscience was indeed the public conscience. One of the many reasons Bill was so beloved by the people of Missouri and the other Members of Congress, both Democrats and Republicans alike, is because of his unique genuineness of character. People know that when they met Bill Emerson, the candidate or the legislator, that they were first and foremost meeting Bill Emerson, the man. He always had a very clear understanding of where campaigning ended and when the business of legislating and serving began. If we had more public servants like Bill Emerson, I have no question that the cynicism many Americans hold toward their Government would evaporate and be quickly replaced by the hope and optimism that was so evident in Bill Emerson. Bill was a man of enormous kindness and thoughtfulness, traits that even the scourge of cancer could not take away. Bill worked diligently, he worked hard, and he worked faithfully right up until the very end.”