In my 15 years as The Bee's political writer, I had several opportunities to cover Jack Kemp, the former football star and Republican vice presidential nominee in 1996. I always enjoyed those occasions because Kemp would banter with the political press, and respected the job we were doing, even if he didn't like a particular story.
Kemp died Saturday of cancer at age 73.
One memory that stands out is a Fresno visit in which Kemp and former Education Secretary William J. Bennett were campaigning for George Radanovich in 1994 when the Mariposa Republican was challenging incumbent Rep. Richard Lehman. The two GOP stars helped Radanovich raise $60,000 at a reception and dinner at the Fresno home of Richard and Karen Spencer. Radanovich won the election two months later.
I looked back in The Bee archives to refresh my memory about my coverage of Kemp over the years. There was an item about Sen. Ken Maddy being an early supporter of Kemp running for president. Kemp ran for the GOP nomination in 1988 and took the VP slot on the Bob Dole ticket in 1996.
There was also a story I wrote when I covered a 1988 Republican presidential debate in Dallas. Kemp and George H.W. Bush bitterly clashed in that encounter just before the Texas primary election.
I remember that debate because it was at Southern Methodist University, and former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach was in the audience, Kemp pointed out that he also was once a professional quarterback, and he and Staubach knew how to lead.
Kemp, who was trailing badly in the polls, used humor to make his points during the Dallas debate. Noting that GOP candidates Dole and Pat Robertson had boycotted the debate, Kemp said, "I'm glad to see that this race has come down to a two-man race."
The SMU crowd cheered the remark.
"Kemp would banter with the political press, and respected the job we were doing, even if he didn't like a particular story."
How sad the need has arisen to point that out. Among the intelligentsia of Mr. Jack Kemp's generation, to respect the authorship of others was taken for granted. If it was good writing we did not have to like it to respect it. Of course the like and dislike for various individuals durin a day's work did not always come that easily. It seems that it was easy for Jack Kemp. What a shame that I missed knowing him.