All my life, I have been surrounded by extraordinary, loving people. However, one in particular has stood out throughout my childhood as a caring role model that helped mold me into the person I am today-my grandfather. My grandfather, my Poppop, taught me everything I needed to get through in life from grilling steaks to international relations and politics. He helped influence my out look on life, all while stressing the importance of good, active citizenship and its responsibilities. His patriotism and contributions to the state of Virginia inspire me constantly to educate and involve myself in my school and my community. As a Naval helicopter pilot, my political hero was exposed to many global experiences that helped shape his actions for the rest of his life. After 1994, he retired from the Navy and began working in Norfolk as a real estate agent and soon became acquainted with the World Affairs Council, where he now serves as a member of the Board of Directors. With his encouragement I joined, and became an active member in the many activities the World Affairs Council has to offer. As a real estate agent, Poppop is acquainted with many people, some who work in all levels of government. Sometimes when I stay with them, they have company over who are involved in politics. It is really interesting listening to their job descriptions and how their influence concerning education, elections, even roadways, really impacts my daily life.

Patrick was the third place winner in the National Women’s Hall of Fame contest for his essay on Clara Barton and the establishment of the American Red Cross. www.greatwomen.org. The amazing teacher is Mrs. Elizabeth Harris from Great Bridge High School, recently selected as the teacher of our region. Coincidentally the first and second place winners of the same national contest were also from her Advanced Placement U. S. History class.

In 2003, Poppop was elected as Chairman of NATO’s International Azalea Festival. That year the most honored nation was Greece, and many important diplomats from Greece and Virginia attended the festivities. As chairman, Poppop introduced me to countless politicians and dignitaries and it was interesting listening to the present condition of Greece’s policies and industry. They discussed Greece’s impact on American culture over the years and how Greece is becoming a prime area for trade and tourism. That experience was especially enlightening and will remain with me forever, especially the fact that I got to ride in a limousine several times to the various functions!
At the same time, my grandfather became involved in a program called Sister Cities where he became President for an unprecedented four years from 1998-2002. Currently he is the Vice-President and is involved in the Wheelchairs for Peace Program. This organization raises money for handicapped children across the world and just sent over 200 wheelchairs to Russia. Additionally, he participates in the local Food Bank and donates and distributes food regularly. He took me to help him on several occasions, and I must say that it was a very powerful and moving experience to hand out food to needy families across Norfolk and Portsmouth. Currently, Poppop serves on the Board of Directors as Secretary to the First National Bank of Virginia. He also works as an auctioneer at Interstate Auction in Suffolk and continues to remain active in NATO.
My political hero, the man who constantly involves himself in local and international politics, taught me to be open to others and to constantly educate and challenge myself. So, whenever I want to discuss world relations over a couple of steaks, I know my political hero, Mr. Timothy B. Persons, is just a phone call away.

t is hard to fathom a man more energetic, more optimistic, and more passionate about his work, than the amazing gentleman who is my political hero. He is a businessman who has worked with and guided countless politicians in an effort to better the lives of all Virginians. For the past fifty years, he has done nothing but donate his time, effort, financial resources, and heart to serving those less fortunate than he in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
My political hero is a native of Salem, Virginia, a community in which he still resides, and is proud to call home. After graduating from the Virginia Military Institute and serving four years in the Armed Forces, my political hero felt his talents were best utilized in the world of business. He returned to Salem and began his renowned career as Vice-President of Ortho-Vent Shoe, and founded the Stuart McGuire Company. He later merged the two businesses and sold the company to the Home Shopping Network. Following years of travel overseas and witnessing the destruction and poverty of Europe after World War II, my political hero knew in his heart that he had to put his business ethics to the test, and do something greater to help those in need.

knew I would write this essay about him the instant that he handed me the scholarship advertisement. I knew because as he placed it in front of me, he pleaded, “Don’t write this essay about me.”
“Bill Mims speaking,” the Virginia state senator answers his Richmond office phone line with a professional tone. What formality! I try my best to keep from giggling. He listens patiently as the constituent passionately relates her complaint du jour. After asking several technical questions and expressing genuine sympathy, he implores the caller to “please put Mom on the phone.”
“Alright,” she replies. “I miss you, Daddy.” She is I, and the senator is, of course, my father - my political hero.
The designations “politician” and “civil servant”, although connotatively different, are synonymous. Put simply, most government officials simply want to serve others. An honorable aspiration without question, but my father embodies the traits of a hero far more than any mere politician could. Flawlessly meshing his political and personal responsibilities, he simultaneously fulfills the roles of politician and father. Senator Mims is a shining example that every politician and father should strive to emulate.
His legislative accomplishments are certainly impressive: after seven consecutive election victories, he has become one of the most well respected members of the General Assembly. My heart swells with pride as I reflect upon his ongoing battle for the welfare of Virginia’s children through such measures as preventing teen smoking, creating a prepaid tuition program, and reforming teen driving laws. It comes as no surprise that Senator Mims has placed himself at the vanguard of conservative family policy-making: the same care and concern are evident in this man’s interaction with his own family.
Rarely missing his daughters’ weekday volleyball matches in Sterling, a day of the Senate session in Richmond, nor a weekly law class he teaches in Fairfax, Senator Mims represents what Machiavelli would term a modern Renaissance man. Until last January, I never fully understood my father’s supernatural ability always to be where it matters most. Upon determining that I must struggle through radiation treatment for thyroid cancer, the medical community imprisoned me within a hospital isolation room, which, theoretically, nurses were not even allowed to enter. Battling indescribable physical and mental anguish, despair consumed me until I awoke one morning. Sitting attentively in one corner of the room, my father looked up from his ever-present legal pad and wryly commanded, “Don’t tell them I’m in here.” I realized with a small amount of guilt that he was missing one of the General Assembly’s opening days, yet I had never been more overjoyed at someone’s presence. A true civil servant, my father was at the place where he was most needed – where he was best able to serve others.
Even though he demanded that I not write this essay about him, I am, naturally, a typically rebellious daughter and therefore have done precisely what he forbade. But honestly, about whom other than Senator Mims, my father, best friend, and hero, could I possibly even contemplate writing?

uring this presidential election year many people seek out the candidate they feel has the best stands on “the issues.” While this person may be their candidate and the one they will ultimately vote for, often the American people have different views on who their political hero is. I have chosen a candidate who I would like to see elected to the presidency, but my political hero is someone who isn’t in politics. Lynne Hughes founded Comfort Zone Camp in 1998. Comfort Zone is a bereavement camp for children who have lost a loved one. I have been fortunate enough to be a camper at Comfort Zone Camp and a volunteer at camps for younger children. Every camp I attend is different and extremely rewarding for me. Lynne’s devotion to her cause, helping others in their time of need, makes her my political hero.
After losing both her parents at a young age Lynne looked for ways to use her losses and help others. Her search led her to founding Comfort Zone Camp. Lynne has taken it upon herself to help thousands of children who have suffered the loss of parents and siblings. She constantly looks for ways to improve her camp and reach out to more and more grieving children. Lynne was recently honored for her efforts in grief relief and invited to meet with the first lady, Laura Bush. She has made a number of television appearances to get her camp known to the public, including news shows like The Today Show and on CNN. Lynne Hughes constantly is making attempts to improve her camp and better the lives of suffering children.
After the terrorist attacks on September 11th, Lynne took Comfort Zone to New York and New Jersey to help grieving families who lost loved ones on that tragic day. Lynne was able to get volunteers from the northeast to help work a series of 911 Camps. Today Lynne continues to travel north to help the families who are still grieving for their lost family members.
Lynne Hughes was my inspiration to not stop living after the death of my mother. She has helped me through very difficult times and continues to do so today. Besides helping me, Lynne has helped children from around Virginia and around the country. Every camp is free for every child. If there are children across the country who would like to attend Comfort Zone Camp, Lynne flies them to Virginia.
My political hero is not a famous Congressman or President, it is a person who selflessly helps others. Lynne is a remarkable woman and offers a great resource for grieving children. Her never-ending efforts to help children of Virginia and children around the country make Lynne Hughes my political hero.

Political Hero is not only a public leader but also a public servant, one who puts his or her efforts toward the betterment of the state rather than his or her self. In my eyes, Greg is the embodiment of a Political Hero and his dedication to Virginia has instilled in me a desire to become a devoted and active citizen. A five hundred-word essay is simply not enough to capture all of his achievements as well as the impact he has made on those around him.
One year ago it never would have occurred to me to embark upon any political endeavors. My feelings changed after I read Greg Werkheiser’s biography, which inspired me to take part in a two-week program called the Virginia Citizenship Institute (VCI), a program Greg founded to increase civic participation. It is because of Greg and this incredible program that I now take an active role in Virginia’s government.
VCI was stimulating. The program gave me the opportunity to meet prestigious politicians from Virginia and encouraged me to embed myself in state politics. Greg in particular truly gave me the passion to explore the field of public service.
Greg grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania. He was accepted to the College of William and Mary, but due to high out-of-state costs, his family was unable to fund his college education. Greg’s grandmother expressed to a friend how saddening it was for someone with so much potential to be limited by the high cost of college. Greg was able to go to William and Mary because this friend made the decision to provide tuition if Greg promised to accomplish three goals: to exceed in college; to make a long-lasting impression on William and Mary; and to give another disadvantaged person this same opportunity. At age 30, Greg feels he has accomplished two of the three goals; he achieved high grades, was class president, and now resides as a Board Member of the college.
Since graduating law school, Greg has had many accomplishments. He has written speeches for many state officials, and even former President Clinton and wife Hillary. His VCI program has been recognized by the Carnegie Foundation as “one of the strongest civic training programs for youth in the nation” and recently merged with the esteemed Sorenson Institute. He has participated in ten political campaigns; he is a Chairman for the Virginia Governor’s Commission on National and Community Services; and he has motivated me to strive to follow a similar path.
His selflessness and desire to improve the state of Virginia as well as its young people confirms that he is looking out for the future of Virginia.
As far as I am concerned, Greg Werkheiser has surpassed the three goals that his benefactor had set for him. Greg has made a lasting impact on William and Mary, on the state of Virginia, and on young people in the community, giving them the opportunity to truly exceed with the passion and dedication he has instilled in them.

he great orator Cicero once asked his fellow Romans, “What greater and better gift can we offer the republic than to teach and to instruct our young?” At the time, Rome was the most powerful nation in the world, but its citizens still understood the important role of the teacher in society. Centuries later, President John F. Kennedy told his fellow Americans, “Our progress as a nation can be no swifter than our progress in education.” Like Cicero, Kennedy understood the importance of education, believing that with education, his great country could prosper. Before they became successful orators and politicians, both Cicero and John Kennedy were students, and their lives were shaped by those men and women who taught them. It is the great teachers who inspire the great politicians, and it is for this reason, that I feel it necessary to recognize a teacher as my political hero.
I met Ms. Robin McAlexander my junior year in high school. I knew the first day that she was unlike any teacher I had ever had. She was excited about teaching. She respected us and wanted us to love American history and government as much as she did. I did, but it wasn’t something I always shared. Not everyone understood my love for politics. Many people look down on politicians, stereotyping them all as corrupt liars. Few people understood why a teenage girl would want to enter that world, so it was a dream I kept mostly to myself. Ms. Mac changed that. Her enthusiasm was contagious. I became eager to start sharing my opinions and eventually my dreams. Ms. Mac recognized my passion and drive and encouraged me to pursue my dream of a career in government or politics. Being able to share my goals and aspirations with someone made all the difference in the world.
Ms. Mac has been my teacher for two years now, first in American History and then in U.S. government. She is a constant inspiration. Whenever I am feeling disillusioned, her enthusiasm and encouragement reenergize me. I have spent many afternoons in her classroom, discussing the latest presidential debate or bill that is about to pass in the house. She has always been there to discuss politics when other people didn’t seem to care. Ms. Mac never questioned my aspirations. From day one she believed I could change the world if I worked hard enough and understood my desire to do so through the American government system. I know that when I am working in Washington, D.C., trying in my own idealistic way to make the world a better place, I will owe much of my success to Ms. Mac. Every time I imagine myself working in Washington, D.C., tears come to my eyes. Any teacher who can inspire a student to want something that badly is truly remarkable. For the enthusiasm she showed, the knowledge she shared, the encouragement she provided, and most of all, for never letting me lose sight of my dreams, Ms. Robin McAlexander is my political hero.

This article originally appeared in the Spring 2004 issue of Virginia Capitol Connections Quarterly Magazine published by David Bailey Associates for Virginians for Integrity in Government.