Those who knew the late Sen. Richard Lugar remembered him as someone who never hesitated to use bipartisanship to achieve what was best for the United States.
“What an iconic individual,” said John Brown, a Columbus native who worked in the late President George H.W. Bush administration and got to know Lugar through the former senator’s two oldest sons, who were his fraternity brothers.
“He (Lugar) always put everyone else in this country above himself,” Brown said. “He always worked in a bipartisan manner for America’s goals around the world. I have to say this, that’s sadly missing in today’s environment.”
Brown, who was a political science major at Ball State, got to know Lugar very well when Lugar’s son, Bob, was in Brown’s fraternity pledge class at the university, followed the next year by Lugar’s son, Mark.
He also credited Lugar with providing an introduction to his wife, who Brown met when she was on leave from IBM to work on Lugar’s 1982 campaign.
“Six terms in the U.S. Senate — that’s just unheard of,” Brown said. “What a remarkable man from Indiana.”
Longtime Indiana State Sen. Robert “Bob” Garton also reached out to remember Lugar, mentioning Lugar’s service as mayor of Indianapolis.
“He led the city through remarkable change and renewed national recognition. Ironically, when he was elected to the U.S. Senate, he was known as an international expert with a unique ability to work across the political aisle,” Garton said.
For more local and state reaction, see Monday’s Republic.
