Achieve the Honorable: A Missouri Congressman's Journey from Warm Springs to Washington

Acknowledgments

xiii Acknowledgments My life, my work in public office, and indeed whatever success I have enjoyed through the years are attributable to the efforts of many other people. This is also true of this memoir. I want to take this opportunity to particularly acknowledge some people who have been especially important in helping me share these memories. First and foremost are two of the most important women in my life—my wife, Patty, and my late wife, Susie; my sons Ike V, Jim, and Page and their wives and children; my longtime Chief of Staff Bob Hagedorn and former Chief of Staff Jack Pollard; Deputy Chief of Staff Whitney Frost; former Press Secretary Lara Battles; my veteran research guru and advising wordsmith, Michael Rowan; Professor Richard H. Kohn of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, one of the nation’s most respected military historians; Dr. Archie Barrett, a former Air Force officer who soared to still greater heights as a critical staff player and deep thinker advising the House Armed Services Committee; my cousin Dr. Earl F. Skelton of Georgetown University and his dear wife, Francesca, who provided invaluable Skelton family historical research; and past colleagues in public service too numerous to name for their ideas, comments, memories, and participation in the events I recount in these pages. God bless them all. Special thanks go to my friend and former Armed Services Committee staffer J. J. Gertler, who reviewed the manuscript and suggested many helpful revisions. I can attest that if you ever need an unfamiliar religious service translated from Armenian to Latin to Italian to English, he’s your man. And I want to thank my initial collaborator on this memoir, Scott Charton, with whom I spent many pleasurable days reviewing my life and its ups and downs. We first met more than two decades ago when Scott covered Missouri politics as a veteran Associated Press correspondent. A student of history, Scott has coaxed from me so many memories of my life and helped me organize those memories into this narrative. Scott is a superb journalist and a trusted friend to whom I remain grateful. Finally, I must thank the people of Missouri for so many precious memories and the opportunity to represent them for thirty-four years in Congress. I am eternally grateful to call Missouri home, and to call so many Missourians my friends and neighbors. God bless Missouri, and God bless America, land that I love. Achieve the Honorable ...