[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 17 (Friday, January 27, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1696-S1697]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                   REGARDING THE DEATH OF BOB BADGLEY

  Mr. GLENN. Mr. President, Wednesday, January 25 was a sad and somber 
day in southern Ohio. On that day, America lost a patriot, Ross County 
lost a legend, and I lost a friend. Bob Badgley was one of my earliest 
and strongest political supporters--and he came to be a good and dear 
personal friend as well. Over the years, I called on ``Badge'' often 
for advice and counsel. He was 76 years young when he passed away on 
Wednesday, and I know his hundreds of friends--indeed thousands--around 
the State are going to miss him as much as I already do.
  Although Badge never aspired to hold high public or elective office 
himself, he devoted countless hours to myriad volunteer activities that 
benefited his State, his community, and the Democratic Party that he 
loved so much for so long. On Tuesday, President Clinton delivered his 
State of the Union address. I don't know whether Bob was 
[[Page S1697]] watching that speech on what proved to be the last night 
of Bob's life, but I hope he was. Because when the President recognized 
and lauded citizen involvement, he was saluting Bob Badgley and the 
kind of life he lived--and I know that would have made Badge smile.
  These days, I know it has become fashionable to be cynical about 
politics and all things political; to be suspicious about the motives 
of anyone who would willingly involve themselves in the political 
process of our Nation. But Bob believed that if we want good 
government, we have to be willing to help bring it about. And he 
believed that we all have a responsibility to try. So Bob served as 
Chairman of the Ross County Democratic Party; he served on that county 
party's executive committee continuously since 1957, and at the time of 
his death, he had served 29 years on the Ross County Board of 
Elections.
  Somehow, he also found time to run his own electronics and vending 
businesses, and to be active in the Ross County Senior Citizens Center 
and related community services. In fact, Badge devoted so much time to 
community service that he received the Humanitarian Award from the 
Chillocothe Businessmen's Association in 1973, and the Community 
Service Award from the Ohio Department of Aging in 1992--the only Ross 
countian ever to receive the latter award.
  Mr. President, there is a little story I want to tell about Bob that 
happened recently. I had my family out at Vail, CO, for a skiing 
vacation over the holidays. We came back to Washington a couple of days 
before we were to go back in session in early January. I think we came 
back on New Year's day. On our telephone answering machine at home 
there was a recorded message left. It was from Bob Badgley to Annie and 
to me. He said that he and Jeanne, his wife, had just been sitting 
around talking about particular friends and what they meant, and he 
thought it was a good time to call and just tell us what it meant. And 
he did so on that recording, and it meant much to me and I made a 
little note and had a note on my desk to call him back. Because of 
duties here in the Senate, being so busy in the next few weeks or so, I 
had not called. The note is still over there on my desk for me to call 
Bob Badgley. So it was particularly poignant for me when I heard of his 
demise the other evening.
  For all these reasons and more, Annie and I will miss Bob deeply. But 
we are grateful to have known him, and that the good Lord allowed Badge 
to touch our lives. And we hope that for his wife Jeanne--and for the 
entire Badgley family--it will be at least some consolation to know 
that Bob will live forever in our hearts and in our memories. In that 
most important sense, we will truly never lose, our Badge.
  I yield the floor.
  Mr. MOYNIHAN addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New York.
  

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