Winthrop Paul Rockefeller

Winthrop Paul Rockefeller, the Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas, died last week and I am heartbroken. It probably sounds strange since I only met the man once for two minutes and am a poor Arkansan while he was the 283rd richest man in the nation. But its true.

When people hear the name Rockefeller, they think of wealth, oil, and power. When I hear it, I think of public service, humility, dignity, and most importantly, honor.

Winthrop Paul Rockefeller was the son of Winthrop Rockefeller. The elder Winthrop came to a mountain-top in Arkansas to get away. But poor, sad old Arkansas, got into his heart. Something called him down from his mountain-top into the pig-sty that was Arkansas politics. He ran for governor as a liberal Republican in a state that knew neither liberals, nor Republicans. He towered above the pettiness, and he won, and Arkansas won.

Winthrop Rockefeller dragged our state into the 20th century kicking and screaming. The election-stealing, scandal-ridden, political machine that had ruled Arkansas for 125 years struck back with whispering campaigns, class warfare, legislative obstruction, and the race card. They blindly attacked this good and decent man until the Democrats of Arkansas themselves could no longer stand it and replaced their goons with reformers of their own.

And then, like Winston Churchill after World War II, the people rejected him. To them, the war was "over". They wanted no new dynasty, even a benevolent one. They said "thank you very much sir, but you can go now". He had accomplished much, but not the things he had dreamed of accomplishing. The rejection crushed him, and too soon the giant man was buried on his mountain.

And so it was, the people forgot and moved on. But on the mountain there was still a Rockefeller. The people were curious, but didn't pay much mind of the enigmatic figure. These Rockefeller's were still sort of "other".

Winthrop Paul Rockefeller was the son's name. He graduated from a school in Texas with a degree in ranching and he tended to the mountain. He was quiet. But then, at some point, Arkansas got into his heart, maybe it was there all along. Something drew him down from the mountain. He followed his father's footsteps.

He started travelling the world and opening doors that only open to Rockefellers. When he got behind those doors he didn't talk about oil, or stocks, or a corporate takeover. He talked about Arkansas, and jobs, and industry, and opportunity. He didn't publicize his efforts, he just did them. Tirelessly.

He began to serve in other ways. Leading his beloved Boy Scouts. Serving the nation as a spokesman for rural affairs. Serving as head of the State Police Commission. He never said much about it. His fellow Arkansans were paying attention though and they slowly got to know him, and found that there was not much to dislike about this "other". Finally it came, he drew a deep breath, and threw his hat into the political arena. Lieutenant Governor.

They often say that the Vice Presidency is not worth a bucket of warm spit. The second spot in the smallest state west of the Mississippi doesn't even come close. A powerless position in a powerless state. Why in the world would the 283rd richest man in America want such a worthless job? Well, sometimes its not so much the value of the position as it is the value of the man. Lt. Governor Rockefeller took that smallest of soapboxes and made it his, and made it ours. The fact that he had been elected and had the voice of the people behind him seemed to embolden him. He didn't use his position to advance himself, he used it as leverage to reach into the lives of individuals and make a difference.

There are thousands of places the 283rd richest man can be, and most of them don't involve Arkansas, or pickup trucks, or duck blinds, or kids in wheelchairs, or Boy Scouts.

I followed his career, I admired it, and I wrapped a lot of my hopes for my beloved state up in him. It is so very rare when you see a politician who you KNOW will try to do the right thing. I might not have agreed with him on every issue, but I KNEW that his position had come from thought, and consideration, and a sense of duty and right and not from self-interest or self-promotion. Not since his father had I felt that. When he announced that he was running for Governor I said to myself..."FINALLY!".

Now he is gone, and I am heartbroken.

Many in our state saw the new reports and were sad for a moment. But most of them are not political animals. He had not fully come into bloom in their conciousness. He did not get to run his campaign, he did not get to complete his father's legacy, he did not get to show us what a real Governor is. He didn't get to try to help us be the people he wanted us to be with the government we deserve. Many Arkansans do not realize the loss they have experienced. They do not realize that they have lost that rarest of rare birds, a selfless politician who cares about them and identifies with them.

But some of us do realize, and we won't forget.

He was a quiet man, with a deep voice, a brilliant smile, and a dignified quiet way. He didn't respond to insults, and he remained humble and positive until his last day. He was an Arkansan.

The Rockefeller family is not "other", they are a beloved part of us. They are part of our history, part of our immediate past, and who knows, maybe part of our future.

My condolences go to his family, he will be truly, truly, missed.