Burgess Owens: “Patsy Mink will be remembered with a broad array of accolades. She was a warm compassionate colleague, civil and…”

“Patsy Mink will be remembered with a broad array of accolades. She was a warm compassionate colleague, civil and generous even to the opponents who angered her the most. For me, she will be remembered as my friend, mentor and personal whip on the floor. At the door of the House Chamber she would often meet me with instructions: "We" are voting No or "We" are voting Yes on this one. I consider it an honor to have been invited to function as an ideological twin to Patsy Mink. In the Education and Workforce Committee as well as on the House Floor, I was always inspired by Patsy's convictions. She was always an independent spirit and she pursued her causes with total dedication. She was not just another advocate for education, for women, for job training, for welfare mothers. Patsy Mink was forever a fiery and intense advocate on these issues. She frequently exuded an old-fashioned righteous indignation that seems to have become extinct. For Patsy there were the right policies and laws which she pushed with all the zeal she could muster. And there were wrongheaded, hypocritical, selfish and evil policies which had to be confronted and engaged to the bitter end. When colleagues spoke of bi-partisan compromise negotiations, Patsy would quickly warn Democrats to beware of an ambush or a trap.”