Governor Askew passes

http://news.msn.com/obits/former-florida-gov-reubin-askew-dies

I read his mother was from Pensacola, and he was raised here at the age of 8. He seemed like a good man.

He practiced law in Pensacola before moving to the governorship. Liked by most everyone. Back in the day when conservatives voted for Democrats. Not so many divisions then.

RIP....one of the good guys.

When he was Governor the Vice President could not stay at the Governor's mansion because we had no fence around the mansion and the street in front was a regular street.

I was the manager of a large department store while he was governor.  He and his wife came into our store without a security guard in sight.  There was a big football game on TV and he came over to the TV department where 10 or 20 customers were sitting on the floor or on other TV's (remember those big console TV's) watching the game.  He sat down on the floor with everyone else which his wife went shopping in our store and then down into the mall.  No one was talking politics, he talked and cheered with the rest of the folks seated on the floor.

That would have been in 1971 or 72.  What a different world we live in today.  He was an excellent governor, at least that was my opinion.

He graduated from Pensacola High School with my dad.  When he came to the 25 year class reunion in 1971, there was no special security.  He was just another guy who enjoyed seeing his old friends, especially the ones with whom he played basketball.  I think he might have been the only person who was not a relative who still called my dad Billy.

These are very nice tributes to the man. I think we need people who are human, but the 24/7 scrutiny has made our politicians into robots who hide their vulnerabilities and their humanity.