My Own Personal Piece of History

I write to you all today, not as the sovereign leader of Chuckonia, but as the humble fan and friend of a great man in Tennessee. On Tuesday, January 9, between 12:30 and 1:00p.m., our state Senate elected itself a new Speaker and, thus, a new Lieutenant Governor for the state. It was more significant in that it was the first time in 36 years that the victor of that election was not Senator John S. Wilder. More significantly to me was the fact that the winner was the Senate Majority Leader and my former boss on Capitol Hill, Senator Ron Ramsey. I have delayed writing about this historic occasion for several reasons. Primarily, I can never fully express how thrilled and relieved I am that this finally happened.
There have been several moments in my life when something on television or in the newspapers gave me the thought that "people will read about this in the history books one day," but never has such an occurrence felt so close to me. I know Ron Ramsey - really know him, and call him a friend. He was a great boss and is a great Senator. He is truly concerned about his constituents and cares about their opinions. He works hard and treats his family well amidst his incredibly hectic schedule. One of my first memories as his intern last year was at the end of the first day I spent in his office. When the Senate's session and his afternoon meetings were over, he asked me to come into his office for no other reason than to speak with me and get to know me. We spent about 40 minutes together that afternoon, and it meant so much. In his position, I knew I would be lucky to have that much time with him again, but it was so good of him to make time for me so early in my time with him. Some interns weren't so lucky. In fact, some probably didn't see their bosses for 40 total minutes all session. One day toward the end of session, he realized that he did not have a black belt to go with his favorite boots. So, on my lunch break, I went to my apartment and brought him my black belt. I loaned it to him that next-to-last week of session and we both forgot about it before we left Nashville for the summer. I didn't care. The next time I saw him in the early fall, he mentioned that he still had it and had planned to send it back to me. I told him to forget about it and just wear it in January when he was elected Senate Speaker. I don't know if he did, but I like to think of it as the belt that bound me to history.
I would not be living up to my Chuckonian code of honor if I did not also write a bit about former Speaker Wilder. People give mixed reviews (depending on how they exercise any level of political temperament), but I firmly believe that John Wilder is a good man, a good Senator, and has been a good Speaker of the Senate. It was definitely his time to step down, but Tennessee is better for having had his service. He was very kind and gracious to me and the other interns. He treated us as guests in his home and never spoke a cross word about anyone in public. He was also very good to Senator Ramsey during the two years that the Republicans controlled the Senate's votes but not the Speaker's chair. It is unknown, as of now, whether Senator Wilder will remain in the Senate for the rest of his term. Should he stay, we are proud. Should he leave, we will truly miss him.
It is one thing to see something historical from afar. It is another to watch something historical occur in person. But it is quite another to see a historical moment in its final year of buildup and then burst into reality. Congratulations Speaker Ramsey! I'm so proud of you!