Chris Van Hollen's Eulogy for Jane Lawton

Chris Van Hollen's office has received a lot of requests for a copy of his eulogy for Jane Lawton at her memorial service on December 2nd. I'm happy to post a copy here:

“Hey darling, how you doing?” Jane would ask in her endearing drawl. The first time I heard that accent, about twenty years ago, I thought it was southern. No, she informed me, it was a voice straight from the American heartland. It was the voice of a daughter of Oklahoma. Jane had first come to Washington to work for Speaker of the House Carl Albert. She never forgot her roots. In a political world filled with too much posturing and too many pretensions, Jane was authentic and down to earth. And how she made us smile. Her full Oklahoma laugh was infectious.

She left us at the top of her game – making her mark though her many important achievements in the Maryland legislature, her job protecting the interest of consumers as Cable Administrator and, most of all, as everyone knows, delighting in the talents and accomplishments of her wonderful daughters – Kathleen and Stephanie. She was so proud of you two.

To all of us, Jane was a friend, and what a friend she was. “It will be fun!” Jane would say, no matter where she was going – whether it was going to a long hearing, the eighth meeting of the day, or a party. Whatever it was, every step along Jane’s journey was a moment of adventure. And with Jane, no matter where you were, it WAS fun and her enthusiasm swept you along with her. And of course she was a complete nut case when watching football games – Redskins, University of Oklahoma – yelling at the teams through the television.

Jane had a long and very distinguished resume, but that is not the measure of who she was. She was caring, compassionate, directed – always trying to help others. She tackled the big issues important to the entire community, but with equal vigor she would take on an issue of great moment to just one constituent. If it was important to a constituent, it was important to Jane. She extended a helping hand to all. Her own needs were at the bottom of the list – if you needed something as an individual, as a group, or as a community, Jane was there to help. Sometimes she helped by passing a bill. Sometimes she helped by bringing fresh flowers and warm pumpkin bread to a friend in need.

So many people from all parts of our community and, indeed, from around the nation, have placed moving reminiscences and tributes on Jane’s website. They all have one theme – Jane made an important difference in their lives. Whether it was as a member of the General Assembly, in her professional life in the cable communications world, as Mayor of the Town of Chevy Chase, as Special Assistant to former County Executive Neal Potter, as a leader in the PTA, as a mentor to women and students, as a cousin or family member, or as a friend to turn to in tough times – Jane touched each one of us. She encouraged and inspired us and cheered us all on.

Like many gathered here whom she helped along the way, I will always be grateful to Jane for being on the front lines of my campaigns for the Maryland legislature and the U.S. Congress. You just could not go wrong with Jane Lawton on your side. No one could say “no” to Jane. And we were all thrilled when she decided to run for the State legislature in her own right. There is a great story in one of the entries on Jane Lawton’s website that beautifully captures her irrepressible and irresistible style. It is from Adam Pagnucco. It reads:

Jane did not mention she was running for office the first time I met her. It’s not that she was shy. I think she just forgot. But the second time I met her she definitely did mention it. It was the Taste of Wheaton day and there was a huge crowd. Jane saw me, gave me that big Oklahoma laugh of hers and cried out, “Hey! It’s Adam the carpenter!” And then she slapped me right on the chest. Whap! I looked down and saw that she had planted a “Lawton for Delegate” sticker on my shirt. She turned on that irresistible grin and said, “Now I’ll bet you really wanted one of those, didn’t you?” If another politician had done that, I would have found it to be very presumptuous. But this was just how Jane was and it was really funny. After all, how could someone shoot the breeze with Jane for ten minutes and not want a “Lawton for Delegate” sticker? That made sense to Jane, and it made sense to me too. What a way to get drafted as a Lawton supporter!

It is no wonder that Jane Lawton won that election by a large margin. Then she took Annapolis by storm. Sometimes when elected officials get to Annapolis they have an air of reserve, of excessive formality. Not Jane. She couldn’t help but yuk it up with everyone she met. “Hey, Charlie!” “Hey, Mike!” “Hey, Maggie!” she would call out. And not everyone knew what to make of her. But once they saw her in action, with her brilliant, unassuming and incredibly effective style, they knew that she was something special. Something extraordinary. She got it done, and they quickly knew what she was all about.

Jane’s time here with us was way too short, but she accomplished so much. She also had a great faith in the future and each of us here has an obligation to keep faith with Jane by carrying on the many good works she began. We must make her work our work and re-dedicate ourselves to making our community and state an even better place to live, work and play.

To Steve, to Kathleen and Andy, and to Stephanie – you know Jane was extraordinary. You know how much she loved her family. Thank you for sharing her with us all these years. She was one-of-a-kind, and we will miss her enormously. We hope that you will each be comforted by her amazing legacy and by the many people whose lives she touched. We are each privileged to have known her and to have counted her as a friend.

So, when we hear Jane’s voice calling down from heaven, asking: “Hey darling, how you doing?,” we have an answer.

“Jane, we are not doing well without you right now, we miss you dearly; but our lives are so much better for having known you and the world is a better place because you were here.”