The moment I met Congressman Tom Lantos I immediately adored him. It was my first day as an intern in his Washington DC office and the entire staff was whirling around the reception desk in an effort to get a bunch of letters signed, stamped and delivered in less than an hour. Everyone dropped what they were doing to pitch in, including the boss. My first impression was that this great man was a real team player who was willing to do whatever it took to get the task done, even if it meant kneeling on the floor with the lowly intern to lick envelopes and stamps.
Tom Lantos died Monday morning after a six week struggle with cancer, surrounded by his beautiful wife and family. If you were one of the lucky ones to receive his annual family letter and photo then you know how crowded that room was! He was a true family man. His wife, Annette, graciously took me under her wing while I was in Washington DC and kept me supplied with invitations to all kinds of banquets, receptions and events where I could eat for free and stretch my poor student budget while hob nobbing with the politically powerful.
While Tom was Jewish, Annette had been baptized by none other than Elder Jeffrey Holland! Elder Holland was the president of BYU at the time and since I was an intern from BYU she thought I was the greatest thing since sliced Hungarian bread. Elder Holland had done the missionary work, but I got to bask in the benefits of it. Tom’s right hand man in charge of his Washington DC office was LDS and I felt an instant sense of home there with them.
Annette loved telling the story of the Swedish diplomat, Raoul Wallenberg, who literally saved Tom Lantos’ life. Tom was only sixteen years old when the Nazis occupied his homeland of Hungary and sent him to a labor camp. He escaped twice and eventually made it to Wallenburg’s safe house. Tom was the only survivor of the Holocaust to become a United States Congressman.
Upon retiring from Congress earlier this year, Mr. Lantos said “It is only in the United States that a penniless survivor of the Holocaust and a fighter in the anti-Nazi underground could have received an education, raised a family, and had the privilege of serving the last three decades of his life as a Member of Congress. I will never be able to express fully my profoundly felt gratitude to this great country.” I think he showed that gratitude every day of his life by the way he chose to live it.
Among many accomplishments, Tom Lantos championed the cause for civil liberties and human rights all over the world. While he worked to make the world a better place he seemed to start with one person at a time. He made everyone feel important. On my last day in his office I had arranged to bring all of my BYU intern buddies with me so that he could speak to us and provide a question and answer session. Once we were settled in our seats I was told that an important vote was requiring his attention and that he wouldn’t be able to keep his appointment with us after all. I knew he would never want to disappoint us or BYU, and sure enough, after waiting a few moments he emerged into the room with that charming smile on his face. Annette said that he really admired the church and its members. His visit with us that day was brief, but I’ll never forget his kindness to a young intern and how he showed me that he was a man of his word and that people mattered.
I was the only Republican on Tom Lantos’ staff. Either he never knew or else it simply didn’t matter. He was a gentleman and a statesman who knew how to reach across the aisle and make a difference. I may not have agreed with all of his politics, but I think everyone can agree that he was a great man who made a wonderful contribution to the world. Here’s to you, Mr. Lantos. My non-alcoholic wine glass is raised to you to thank you for all that you did for me and many others. Oh forget the wine glass…I’d rather give you a big hug! Would that all of our politicians could reach across the aisle for a little hug every now and then. From the looks of Congress today, you can tell some of them really need it!
If you would like to visit the Guest Book for Tom Lantos and leave a memorial note for his family go to:
http://www.legacy.com/Link.asp?I=GB000103197514
