We have spent much of the past week pondering American greatness, and the state of American politics.
We struggle to live up to the words of Sen. John McCain.
We regret the current state of politics. The meanness. The pettiness. The craven way we go about some of our most important civic dialogues.
We mourn the loss of statesmanship, mentors, role models.
We wonder what happened to our political discourse to make it so ugly.
Maybe that's why so many people packed the Springfield Country Club Wednesday night.
They were there to say a fond farewell to a giant in Delaware County politics, longtime county Republican Party Chairman Tom Judge Sr.
More than 350 people packed the room. They heard from state and national figures saluting this icon as he officially retired from his position at the Delaware County Courthouse.
Judge Sr. was appointed as Reorder of Deeds in 1992. Of course, he also was the head of the Delco GOP from 1975 until 2009.
I can tell you that of the many times I have been in the same room as Tom Judge Sr. he invariably sought me out, extended his hand and offered a warm greeting. He was always genuinely concerned about me and the newspaper.
I guess you could say Tom Judges Sr. was "old school."
He was also something else.
Every person I've ever talked to about Tom Judge Sr. always mentions the same word.
Gentleman.
Yes, it applied to the man who ruled the Delco GOP for many of its glory years.
I might alter it just a tad.
Gentle. Man.
Tom Judge Sr. struck me as a kind, caring, gentle man.
In sum, a gentleman.
We could desperately use more like him today.
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