VCC Magazine Winter 2020

V irginia C apitol C onnections , W inter 2020 29 Governor Baliles: A Life of Service By Bernie Henderson There have been many wonderful tributes published since the passing of former Governor Gerald Lee Baliles. Many of his friends are more eloquent and more qualified to offer an article in Capitol Connections about this contemporary statesman and philosopher than I. Unlike typical articles upon someone’s passing, this will not be a brief biography, a chronology of offices of trust that he held or a selection of anecdotes; to fit this man, this must be more meaningful than that. The greatest tribute to Jerry Baliles is to share his gift to others through words he wrote a quarter of a century ago that are more relevant today than when he wrote them. This was written on January 2, 1994, at Renaissance Weekend XV, titled “If These Were My Last Words.” This is sheer poetry, and offered as he penned it. I would charge those who remain to remember that life goes on, and they must go forward, recalling Jefferson’s admonition that the earth belongs to the living, that while we should remember our past, and learn from it, we must not become prisoners of it. I would charge those who remain to make the diversity of our nation a source of strength rather than a force for division. I would charge those who remain to keep our country always free and restless, energetic, curious about our physical world and our inner space, committed to faith and families as well as fun and fortune, to social development as well as economic progress. I would urge those who remain to remember that the measure of a civilization is its degree of enlightenment, its commitment to education, the promotion of the arts, the treatment of the less fortunate; its seriousness of purpose and yet its ability to laugh at its foibles and the ironies of life. I would charge those who remain to remember that we are citizens of a culture as well as a country, and that there are obligations that go with that status; and that among those are the promotion of learning, the preservation of democratic values, and the protection of our people against violence and discrimination. I would charge those who remain to remember that learning comes more from listening than lecturing, that there is a difference between discussing and demanding; between reasoning and reacting. For life is a license: to be lived fully and forcefully; to make a difference in the world of change that has so telescoped time and distance and blurred the distinction between information and knowledge, between words and wisdom. So, I would charge those who remain to embrace change, not fear it; to take its measure, determine its direction and understand its dimensions; for change is constant and often chaotic; but if it can be harnessed it can be shaped for the good of humanity. Finally, I would charge those who remain to remember that a civilization must be civilized, that civility must be cultivated, for it is the social glue that holds the fabric of our society together. Kindness counts; good manners can move mountains. The power of passion and the forces of energy are always with us and are necessary elements of ideas and actions, but it is reason that can guide that passion and civility that can harness that energy for the common good. So, if these were my last words, I would remind those who remain behind, that they still possess the gift of life, the length of which is not guaranteed; but then the measure of life is not in its length but in the length of its shadow. And if life can be poetry in motion, then remember the wistful words of Robert Frost in “Stopping ByWoods on a Snowy Evening.” He wrote… I have promises to keep and miles to go before I sleep, and miles to go before I sleep. Sleep well, dear friend, and thanks for keeping all your promises and for giving us your life of service. We remember other notable Virginians who died in 2019. This list signifies just a few: Delegate Ralph L. “Bill” Axselle, Jr. Delegate Mary T. Christian Delegate Howard Copeland Delegate Alan Arnold Diamonstein Senator Tom Michie Senator Willard Moody William “Bill” Lee Owen Jr.: Former pilot; Senior Committee Coordinator, House of Delegates Barbara Regen: Senior Committee Coordinator, House of Delegates Senator Eva Scott Karenne Wood: Advocate for Virginia Indians Baliles V