Olene S. Walker Tributes

In a recent news interview, Olene Smith Walker, Utah’s 15th governor was asked how she wanted to be remembered. She responded: I want to be remembered as kind and caring and intelligent. That I was willing to listen. And that I was not only willing to talk, but I was willing to do. That I worked my best to improve conditions for everyone in the state.

It’s my privilege to tell you that she WILL be remembered exactly as she wished and why.

I’ve known Governor Walker for the last 23 years. She appointed me as her deputy chief of staff. Previously, we worked together when she was lieutenant governor and I was the director of the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget.

Like many of you, I’ve seen her qualities firsthand:

Never-ending determination Keen instinct Sharp intellect Joyful living Gratitude for friendships Unwavering ethics Hard work –She attained her PhD from the University of Utah and her master’s from Stanford Multi-tasking –She could put on pantyhose while driving her little red Miata sports car! She was on the side of right. Taking the principled action, not the political action was natural for her. Her quality of steely-eyed charm – Everyone who comes to meet with the governor wants something. Right??? But she called it like was and would tell someone straight-up if their request was lacking. When visitors exited her office, you never knew if they got what they wanted or not, because either way, they were smiling. She made them feel heard, even when she said “no.”

 

We know the outcome.

She served out the term as vigorously as ever, showing that every day in an elected official’s seat should be used to do good.

One example: she spoke encouraging words at an event for teens in the state's foster care system. She had special concern for these vulnerable youth. After her remarks, two girls followed us out to thank her. This was not uncommon. The security detail had to build extra time into her schedule because we were often delayed before heading to the next appointment. She talked to everyone - with genuine interest and without a script.

Olene left the governor’s office at age 75, but she continued to serve beyond Utah’s borders by accepting an appointment to the National Park Service Board and serving on a corporate bank board.

She founded the Walker Institute of Politics and Public Service at Weber State University, demonstrating her commitment to education, public policy and civility. She wanted to inspire young people and the larger community to be problem solvers, givers and doers.

Olene Smith Walker made history by becoming Utah’s first female lieutenant governor and first female governor. Her legacy includes countless Utahns she inspired to public service; curious young readers who spend 20 minutes a day with a good book; individuals inspired by her words and actions; those who benefited from her legislative achievements; participants in her Walker Institute of Politics and Public Service; and courageous candidates who throw their hats in the ring.

She was kind, caring and highly intelligent. She listened. She spoke up. She DID.

Olene has inspired generations of Utahns because she lived up to her own aspirations - - and more.

Thank you Myron; Olene and Myron's children; and your entire family for unselfishly sharing Olene with us.

She brought these core qualities and values to all that she did.

When Olene was elected to the Utah House of Representatives in 1981, she asked then-Speaker of the House Norm Bangerter for advice on becoming an effective legislator. He told her to learn the budget. She did. And, she saw the wisdom of sponsoring the state’s rainy day fund legislation. The Fund has been key in maintaining the state’s AAA bond ratings, and was instrumental in providing a budgetary cushion for the state’s lean years. Her action has protected the state’s fiscal health.

When Governor Leavitt left Utah to serve in Washington, D.C., Olene was wellprepared to govern Utah.

She immediately set priorities. Fourteen projects made up the Walker Work Plan. The initial one was ensuring that state and local law enforcement, firefighters and medical responders could communicate by radio through a single network. Utah’s coordinated wireless system was first in the nation. Lives have been saved.

But, the most memorable Walker Work Plan achievement was bringing awareness to the importance of reading with a child. It was brilliant on her part to simplify the message to the doable – that reading with a child for just 20 minutes a day was something easy to grasp and do, and, those 20 minutes would become a treasured time of bonding.

In her inaugural address, she said that education was in her DNA. Her father was the Ogden school district superintendent. Her mother was an educator who taught for 21 years.

That DNA combined with a dose of her determination, led her to threaten a veto of the entire state budget. The Legislature was funding other programs over the more critical kindergarten-through-third-grade reading program. She educated all of us that from birth to third grade a child learns to read. Beyond third grade, they read to learn.

She educated the Legislature that she was serious. The reading program got funded! And is still in place today.

Governor Walker tackled reform of Utah’s tax code. Who would willingly do this???

Olene put her full energy into serving as governor and honestly approached the position as a temporary one to complete Governor Leavitt’s term. But after the end of the 2004 legislative session, she changed her mind. This was bold because the field was crowded. She had friends and colleagues who were running. With the Republican State Convention just six weeks away, she was behind in fund raising and in establishing a campaign infrastructure. But, in a demonstration of her commitment to public service, she wanted to keep serving the people of Utah. She wanted to show young women in particular, that they could achieve their dreams of serving in high political office.

 

Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to Governor Olene Walker, a woman beloved in my home state of Utah and regarded across the nation as a model of civility and selfless service. Governor Walker passed away last Saturday from causes incident to age. In her 85 years of life, she led with compassion and humility, earning the respect and admiration of everyone she served.

Governor Walker’s life was one of humble service, and her modest background made her rise in politics all the more impressive. Raised in rural Utah, she developed her trademark work ethic on the family farm and spent much of her childhood milking cows, hauling hay, and harvesting sugar beets. Both as a young woman working in her family’s fields and as a governor serving the people of Utah, no task was ever below Olene—she was always willing to do whatever was necessary to get the job done and to help those in need.

As a state legislator, a lieutenant governor, and a governor, Olene was steadfast in her commitment to help society’s most vulnerable, especially small children. Her work in the area of healthcare reform precipitated the establishment of our state’s Children Health Insurance Program, which helps provide medical insurance for Utah’s underprivileged youth. After becoming Utah’s first female governor, she continued her advocacy for children by championing education reform.

Governor Walker’s Read With a Child Early Literacy Initiative was essential to her reform efforts. This program sought to improve childhood literacy by encouraging parents to read with their kids for at least 20 minutes every day. The initiative’s focus on the family speaks to a simple truth: meaningful societal change doesn’t begin in the bustling chambers of Congress but in the quiet solitude of the home, through the daily interactions between parent and child. As a former homemaker and as a mother of seven, Olene understood that healthy homes lead to a healthy society. This belief influenced many of her pro-family policies as governor.

Perhaps more than anyone I know, Governor Walker exemplified the teaching that the greatest among us is the servant of all. She often eschewed the trappings of public office and even refused to use a driver. After leaving the governorship, Olene volunteered to serve as the Primary President for her local church congregation. This humble position was a significant departure from her role as Utah’s chief executive. Instead of negotiating with legislators and managing state agencies, Olene led dozens of little children in song and prayer, teaching them about the words of Christ and his early apostles. Anyone preoccupied with prestige or positions of power would surely consider this new responsibility a demotion. But Olene wasn’t one of those people. She never concerned herself with titles, standing, or prominence; she cared only about serving others in whatever capacity she could.

And she served until the very end. Even after retiring from office, Olene remained in the public sphere and continued to advocate for education reform. She was also active in ecclesiastical service and would eventually serve a two-year mission in New York City for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She was equally engaged in academia and was instrumental in establishing the Olene S. Walker Institute of Politics and Public Service at Weber State University. In addition to hosting public forums, the Institute helps students find jobs and internships in government and encourages women to become involved in politics.

Through her trailblazing example, Governor Walker leaves a legacy of leadership that is sure to inspire generations of young Americans. With her passing, we have lost not only an exemplary stateswoman but also a loving mother and a friend. I am deeply grateful for my association with Olene Walker. I consider myself lucky to have known Olene and even luckier to have served alongside her. Elaine and I send our deepest condolences to the Walker family. May God comfort them, and may He comfort all of us as we mourn the loss of an exceptional woman.

Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to Governor Olene Walker, Utah’s 15th Governor, who passed away on Saturday November 28, 2015 at the age of 85. She was the first woman to serve as Utah’s Governor, worked as Lieutenant Governor for over 11 years and was a member of the Utah legislature for eight years. Olene Walker will be remembered and revered by Utahns - not because of the many “firsts” she pioneered in politics - but for her commitment to leave a legacy of public, and more importantly, private service based on principles that truly last. Olene Walker’s life and career were centered in the principles of life-long learning, selfless service and making a difference through civil discourse and meaningful dialogue.

Governor Walker believed that the best way to open a mind was to open a book. Immediately upon becoming governor she launched her “Read with a Child” program – focused on getting adults to read with a child for 20 minutes every day. She knew that 20 minutes of daily reading would not only transform children across the state by getting them to read at or above grade-level, but would transport them to magical places, big ideas and brighter futures. Because she became governor at the age of 73, and as a grandmother, I think she also recognized that 20 minutes of reading with a child would inspire the adults in the State of Utah as well. Governor Walker was never far from a book, or a group of children to read to, often choosing her personal favorite from Dr. Seuss, “Oh the Places You’ll Go.” Governor Walker went many places in her public service but sent thousands and thousands of Utah children on adventures never to be forgotten in the wonderful world of good books. She was living proof that books expand the mind and that a mind expanded, especially the mind of a child, could never return to its original state. I was inspired when reading her obituary that the last line, in typical Olene Walker style, stated, “In lieu of flowers, please read with a child.” Her commitment to the principle of life-long learning is a legacy in and of itself.

Governor Walker also understood that it didn’t really matter where she served, but how she served. Whether working along side her husband in the family snack business, in the legislature or Governor’s office, Olene Walker knew that her time on this earth would never be measured by the titles she held but by the impact and influence she had on others. She understood and lived the adage, “We are to live our lives not by days, but by deeds, not by seasons, but by service.” After leaving the Governor’s mansion she participated in literacy forums, served an LDS mission with husband in New York and at an age when most people slow down, Olene Walker took on a new and many would say, “daunting,” challenge of leading dozens of 3-11 year-old children for two hours every Sunday in her LDS congregation. Governor Walker served with confidence, charisma and a charm that was elevating and enlightening. National political players, rural farmers, business executives and children were inspired by her energetic approach and responded to her invitation to engage because they sensed that what they were about to experience was not about Governor Walker – it was about them. In an age of ego maniacs and narcissists Olene Walker’s example of selfless service in high office is a model for all to follow.

Governor Walker also understood the principle that mean-spirited arguments produce little while meaningful dialogue creates much. She was known for her disarming style and her ability to pull people into a conversation. She believed and lived by a motto my offices is committed to – that the solution to any, and every problem, begins when someone says, “Let’s talk about it.” Olene Walker challenged political candidates, elected officials of both parties and young people in particular to transcend the talk-radio style bombast and personal attacks in favor of civil, serious and substantive discussions. The Olene S. Walker Institute of Politics and Public Service, at her beloved Weber State University, is a testament to her commitment to make a difference through more meaningful and deeper dialogue.