Kokomo Tribune (TNS)
Richard Lugar is remembered not just in his home state of Indiana but across the world for many accomplishments throughout his vast political career. He is remembered not primarily as a politician — but as a statesman and as a responsible citizen of the world.
A biological research facility in Tbilisi, Georgia, is named after Lugar, paying homage to role in reducing nuclear, chemical and biological weapons around the world.
In the early 1990s, along with Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Sam Nunn, Lugar worked to eliminate weapons of mass destruction in the former Soviet Union.
When former President Barack Obama bestowed the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Lugar, he was recognized as “an internationally respected statesman.”
Lugar was a recipient of the Golden Laurel Branch, the highest honor given by the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for his contributions to the country’s accession to NATO. He was knighted by the Order of the British Empire for helping reduce weapons of mass destruction and supporting NATO. Lugar also received honors from Ukraine, Pakistan and Poland.
Closer to home, he served two terms as Indianapolis mayor from 1968 to 1976, then as U.S. senator from 1977 to 2013.
A quick look at the programs he focused on throughout his career, as well as the committees on which he served, shows a man who clearly chose what was best for his state and the public over his party and himself.
For all of these reasons, Lugar, who died in 2019, was honored Sept. 3 with a monument in Indianapolis. To celebrate, politicians from both sides of the aisle attended the ceremony in Bicentennial Plaza outside of Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The statue will eventually be moved to its permanent spot at Lugar Plaza on the south side of the City-County Building.
Among those attending were former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, former Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett and former Indiana Gov. and Vice President Mike Pence. The comments and remarks about Lugar reflect why he was so beloved by Democrats and Republicans alike.
Rice, keynote speaker at the Sept. 3 event, called Lugar a “humble son of Indiana.”
“He was trusted,” she told the crowd. “He was trustworthy and he was trusted.”
One member of the executive planning committee for the monument, Charlie Richardson, explained in an Indiana Capital Chronicle story why it was important to honor Lugar.
“We all wanted to not only remember him, but make sure that people 50 years from now remember the example of Dick Lugar,” he said.
Jonathan Hess, who designed the statue, told the Capital Chronicle he wanted to depict Lugar in his favorite place — the family’s 604-acre soybean, corn and tree farm in Indiana.
“I think his grounding as an individual and as a person — as a statesman — all sort of brought him back home to Indiana,” Hess said. “It was really his favorite place.”
Richardson looked back at Lugar’s ability to elevate others, something today’s politicians should emulate.
“He was both able and eager to help others like me grow and succeed. He was never threatened by other people’s success; he really believed in lifting everybody up,” Richardson said.
