Bruun’s Views: Vic Gilliam, We Salute You
Wednesday, December 09, 2015
It was 1996 and I was a twenty-something Republican running against Earl Blumenauer in the most liberal U.S. House seat in America, Oregon’s Third Congressional District. Honestly, the chances of a long life for a snowman in Hawaii were better than my chances of beating Blumenauer in CD3. Which is exactly why my little bit of support came almost exclusively from family and close friends.
Exclusively, that is, with one exception: Vic Gilliam.
Vic Gilliam had spent years working for Oregon’s venerable senator, Mark Hatfield. When I met Vic, he was doing good work at Oregon Health Sciences University. This background, combined with his exuberant personality, made Gilliam well-connected. Connected to just the sort of people a novice candidate needs. Gilliam - without reservation or reward – went out of his way to help that novice candidate with referrals, calling-lists and fundraising ideas.
He took a little bit of time with a guy he barely knew. And in doing so, earned that guy’s lifelong devotion.
Years later, when Vic Gilliam and I served together in the Oregon legislature, I reminded him of the help he’d once given me. He had totally forgotten about it, then laughed and shrugged once I connected the dots for him. That he forgot was not surprising. You see, doing acts of kindness and grace for people is standard operating procedure for Gilliam. There’s never been a need for him to keep score because he’s never expected favors in return.
If more of us were able to consistently put the needs of others ahead of ourselves, as Vic Gilliam has always done, our world would be a much better place.
Gilliam’s public disclosure last week that he may be one of the thousands of Americans suffering from Lou Gehrig’s disease came as a shock to those of us who love and admire him.
Yet in thinking about Gilliam, that anger gives way to hope. If anyone has the faith, the good cheer, the good humor and the love of life to fight a dread disease like ALS, it’s Vic Gilliam.
No one who has ever served in the Oregon legislature had a better sense of humor than Vic. His one-on-one interactions, committee comments, practical jokes and laugh-until-you-cry floor speeches are legendary.
He’s always been a ham for the spotlight. But that is also what makes him one of the most effective, constructively bipartisan legislators in Oregon. His personality has allowed him to work well across party lines, which in turn - through his legislative work in family services - has helped Oregon’s most vulnerable citizens.
It didn’t dawn on me until I began thinking about this piece, but Vic Gilliam has many of Ronald Reagan’s most admirable qualities. Both Reagan and Gilliam were actors. Gilliam did commercials and smaller roles in TV series like Leverage. And while I’m sure Vic would have loved to have made it big in the movies, Hollywood’s loss was Oregon’s gain.
Like Reagan, Gilliam is a rock-ribbed conservative but never an ideologue. Leaders on the left, most famously Speaker Tip O’Neil, could vehemently disagree and argue with Reagan publicly, yet could never dislike him. It was this bond of good-natured competition, easy humor and comradery that allowed our nation to make bipartisan progress in key areas like taxation and defense.
Gilliam has the same ability to keep a smile on his face and help put a smile on the face of others. In the legislature he brings out the best in others, even during contentious debate. This is perhaps the greatest skill any legislator can possess.
Finally, both Reagan and Gilliam faced their challenges with public courage and grace. Both wrote public letters explaining their disease. Both reverently named their wives, Nancy and Becky, as bedrocks of strength. Both expressed their high honor in publicly serving our people and our nation. And both named God as their ultimate source of faith and optimism.
In his letter, Gilliam wrote that he will “enjoy the years God gives me pursuing meaningful opportunities including and with your support, serving you in the Legislature.”
Vic Gilliam’s constituents could not be better served than by taking him up on this.
Related Slideshow: Slideshow: Five GOP Leaders to Follow in 2015
As the Oregon GOP works to build their place in the state after their heavy losses in the 2014 mid-term elections, they will look toward members who can help lead the party. Check out five Republican politicians who are becoming the new faces of the GOP.
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