FROM THE DESK OF SENATOR DAVID LONG
The recent and untimely death of Governor Frank O’Bannon was a sad day for all of us who knew and worked with this man. The Governor was a fixture in Indiana politics for over 33 years. He served 18 years in the State Senate, 8 years as Lieutenant Governor, and was about to complete his 7th year as Governor. That is an almost unprecedented level of public service to this State.
Yet in all those 33 years, I seriously doubt there was a single person in Indiana politics who didn’t sincerely like Frank O’Bannon. He was that type of person; genuinely nice, down to earth, and, at all times, a true gentleman in a world that, all too often, leaves civility at the doorstep.
Sure, there were detractors. Some, including myself, felt the Governor needed to be a more assertive leader in these tough economic times; that he needed to take the reins and help us fight for a better future. But that wasn’t Frank O’Bannon’s style or inclination. Some said he was just too nice to be that type of leader. I’m not sure if that’s fair or not, but I do know that as Governor, Frank O’Bannon did have some true successes, most notably in the area of education.
Our State, in large part because Frank O’Bannon was such a strong supporter, created a new system of accountability for our schools that was far ahead of the national trends. In fact, our standards for English, math, science, and social studies are national models today for other states attempting to comply with the tough new federal accountability standards. Though he never achieved his goal for full day kindergarten, mostly because it was too expensive in the face of the current economy, the Governor was a champion of early childhood education, rightly recognizing that we need to do a better job in helping young students achieve in order to avoid later problems.
I became a fan of the Governor and first lady Judy O’Bannon early on. In February 1997, one month into my first term as Senator, the O’Bannons hosted a party at the Governor’s mansion for the Indiana Senate, to begin at 6PM. My wife Melissa came down for the event, and we thought we would be “fashionably late” if we showed up around 6:05. Naturally, we were the first to arrive by a good 15 minutes, and felt rather foolish. However, Frank and Judy came right down the stairs and greeted us, and we had a chance for a long talk before others began arriving. They couldn’t have been kinder or more gracious, and shared what it was like to go through the life-changing event of becoming the Governor and First Lady (the O’Bannon administration had just begun its first term as well). I left that party with a warm feeling for the O’Bannons that never left me.
May God bless the O’Bannon family, and give them some peace in knowing that the Governor made a positive difference in this world, and in our State. I will miss him.
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