Once In A Lifetime - A Tribute to Senator Bill Frist

Once in a lifetime a person may be fortunate enough to find a cause worth fighting for. Once in a lifetime a person may find a venue for fighting for that cause. Once in a lifetime a person may find someone to lead that fight. As we look back on our time at Volpac, we all realize that we were fortunate to find all three in one place.

We all knew that Republican principles were worth fighting for. We had a President who we believed in and a Party that defined us. We had causes that united us, such as helping to elect solid Republican Senators, passing meaningful legislation, fighting for transparency in government and for the confirmation of strong Conservative judges like John Roberts and Sam Alito.

As we look back on our days (and nights) at Volpac, who among us will forget the good times (and the bad, although they seemed to be far fewer than the good). We worked hard and laughed a lot and late at night chatted on the hot board with each other, and sometimes bickered and argued. Even now, thinking back to those days brings a smile to all of our faces.

We all remember fighting for our good Republican Senators, making telephone calls to find out who placed a hold on the transparency bill, gathering lists of County Chairs for all of us to use, urging voters to reject Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, urging that Democrats stop filibustering the President's judicial nominees. We fought hard for what we believed in, but we fought fair, battling with dignity and respect for each other and for those that disagreed with us.

We were all drawn to Volpac because of the vision of one man. Senator Bill Frist, the Majority Leader of the United States Senate. A man of uncommon vision and dedication. As we go on, all of us can look back with pride to his accomplishments, from funding for HIV Aids in Africa, which has saved the lives of millions of people, to affordable prescription drug coverage for seniors, to bankruptcy reform, to the Patriot Act, to the appointment of conservative judges and to so much more.

Once in a lifetime a person is blessed to find a public figure that they believe in, someone who can lead them. We at Volpac were so fortunate to find Volpac, but more importantly to find that Leader in Senator Bill Frist. How in awe of him most of us were (and still are). A Doctor, not just any doctor, but a heart and lung transplant surgeon; a Senator, but not just any Senator, the Majority Leader of the United States Senate.

What a leader we all found. An honest, ethical, highly principled man, one who would never ask us to do something that he was not willing to do. He taught us all to behave with dignity and respect for each other. And we did accomplish that most of the time. He taught us all to listen to each other, but most of all he taught us about the important issues of our time.

His passion and commitment to the causes and issues he believes in will remain a part of us all the days of our lives. When things went good, he taught us not to gloat, but to reach out to those that didn't see things the way we did. When things went bad, he taught us to hold our heads high, and stay above the fray. Sometimes that was easier for us to do when it was one of us being attacked than when it was (as it usually was) him being attacked. We defended him. We fought for and with him.

Through it all we maintained such tremendous respect and admiration for this man, this uncommon politician, this doctor with a heart to serve. Wherever we go in life, whatever we do, we will never forget the lessons he taught us. Most of all, we will never forget Senator Frist. He set a standard for us all.