[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 211 (Tuesday, December 7, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8943-S8944]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                         Tribute to Ron Barber

  Mr. KELLY. Mr. President, today, I rise to honor one of Southern 
Arizona's own--known to many here as former Congressman Ron Barber--for 
a long and impactful tenure in public service. Ron has been a pillar of 
Southern Arizona for decades. He is also a close friend and trusted 
adviser to both me and Gabby.
  Ron has deep roots in Tucson. His dad was stationed at Davis-Monthan 
Air Force Base when Ron was a teenager. Ron attended Rincon High School 
and graduated from the University of Arizona. He married his high 
school sweetheart, Nancy, who is here today, and built his family and 
his home and his career in Tucson, AZ.
  Safe to say, Ron embodies what it means to be a Tucsonan. It is 
written everywhere, from the art that hangs in his house to the bumper 
stickers on his car, and there are a lot of them. His love of Tucson is 
something that rubs off on others--myself included.
  I first met Ron at a meeting when Gabby was hiring folks to begin 
launching her first campaign for Congress. At the time, Ron had just 
retired from his senior post at the Division of Developmental 
Disabilities. He had spent decades serving as an advocate for families 
and vulnerable populations.
  For almost anyone, that would be a sufficient career in public 
service but not for Ron Barber. Ron was moved by Gabby's commitment to 
serving others. Now, he may not have had any experience in politics, 
but he showed up ready to help send Gabby to the U.S. Congress. Now, I 
wondered ``Who is this guy?'' but never really had to wonder again. He 
believed in her, and he did it early on. That is what makes Ron who he 
is--always believing, always early. And this is still true today. 
Really, Ron is literally always early to each and every event that he 
has staffed me for, and I am pretty sure that is the case with every 
person he has served alongside.
  His punctuality is matched by his generosity and his knowledge of 
Southern Arizona. That is why when Gabby was elected, she wanted him on 
her team. He joined as her district director, her eyes and ears back 
home.
  On January 8, 2011, Ron was doing that job when a gunman opened fire 
at the Congress on Your Corner event. He was standing next to his boss. 
Gabby was shot in the head. Ron was shot in the face and the leg. 
Eleven others were injured. Six died. We could have lost him that day 
too.
  Those events rattled the Tucson community that Ron loves so much, and 
there was so much grief. But in the days, months, and years that 
followed, we found out just how strong our community was because of 
people like Ron Barber. Southern Arizona needed Ron, and Ron needed 
Southern Arizona.
  Even through his own injury, he was there for me and Gabby and our 
family and countless others, as selfless as always. It is that exact 
selflessness that meant Ron never thought of himself as the right 
person to run for Gabby's seat after she stepped down.
  I remember sitting in a room with Ron and Gabby during her recovery. 
We were discussing what was next for Gabby and who would run for her 
seat in the House of Representatives. There was a long list of names 
that was thrown out, and at the end, Gabby said that it should be Ron. 
He was sitting right there, and I think he was probably pretty shocked, 
but, you know, he wasn't exactly in a position to refuse, either. He 
was reluctant at first but eventually rose at the chance to continue 
serving the community he loved in a way that he never imagined--in the 
U.S. Congress--and he did that job with grit and independence.
  Ron fought to protect our military installations. He worked on 
lowering healthcare costs and to get mental health services to 
Arizonans and Americans across the country. He was a public servant 
through and through or better yet, a ``citizen legislator''--a term he 
used to describe his vision for Washington lawmakers.
  After leaving Congress, Ron continued finding ways to serve. When 
Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick was elected to his old seat, Ron went 
back to work as her district director for nearly 2 years. For Ron, it 
is never about ego; it is only about helping in whatever way he could 
and wherever he could.
  Then, the day after my election last year, I called Ron and asked him 
to serve on my transition team.
  And then I asked him to join my office as our southern Arizona 
director, and he signed up for that as well, once again delaying his 
retirement to go back into public service one more time.
  I can't tell you what an asset it has been for our office and for the 
people of Arizona in that role.
  Now, we are going to miss Ron, but we also know that he is not really 
going anywhere either. While Ron might be retiring from his day job, he 
will still volunteer his time at several

[[Page S8944]]

organizations in Tucson that impact his neighbors in ways that are 
unique to them and to him. In fact, a couple weeks ago, I saw Gabby 
trying to sign him up for something. And our southern Arizona community 
will be better for it.
  On top of being an extraordinary leader, Ron is a family man; a 
supportive and loving husband to Nancy, father to Jenny and Crissi, and 
grandfather to Kieran, Tillie, Ailsa, Elliot, and Emmy.
  And now that he is going to have some more time on his hands, I know 
that his family is going to be glad to see a lot more of him.
  So, Ron, happy retirement to you, but let's make it for real this 
time. I mean, it is true that you have been saying ``I will retire next 
year'' for well over a decade now, I think, but I think this time it is 
going to stick.
  But the fact is, you know, we have all really needed you on our 
teams. It was so important and so critical and it was critical to Gabby 
and it was critical to the success of my team, and I am sure 
Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick feels the same.
  So on behalf of the State of Arizona and our Nation, thank you, Ron, 
for your lifetime of hard work and service.
  And thank you, Mr. President, for allowing me to dedicate a few words 
to my friend.
  I yield the floor.