Speaker: Norris legacy best honored by preserving Constitution
McCOOK, Neb. — The best way to pay tribute to George W. Norris is to follow his example, doing all we can as citizens to preserve the principles of the U.S. Constitution.
That was the message delivered this morning by Andy Long, the keynote speaker at the 2017 George W. Norris Prayer Breakfast at the McCook Christian Church.
“It is easy to get together once a year and honor George Norris and be proud he was from Nebraska. It is easy to drive down Norris Avenue and think they don’t make statesmen today like they once did,” Long exclaimed. “But in this country,” the McCook Community College leader declared, “we get the government and the representatives we deserve. If you want to pay tribute to Norris, it must be a daily tribute to our democracy.”
In order to do this, Long urged today’s citizens to do as Norris did, standing strongly in support of the principles set forth in the Constitution.
Long’s speech highlighted the prayer breakfast which also featured remarks by the mistress of ceremonies, Maggie Repass; songs by Ginger ten Bensel; and an invocation by Pastor Wayne Vogel of the McCook Church of Christ.
Special recognition was given to Harrison Ford, the Heritage Days Grand Marshal; Mary Lou Drake, the Heritage Days Honor Family recipient; and Kathlyn Hauxwell, the Heritage Days Queen.
Repass also paid tribute to the Norris Institute for its sponsorship of Norris activities and to Dawna Bates for her work on behalf of the Norris Home.
In his speech about Norris, Long said, “We learn about Norris’s integrity, unselfishness, courage and consistency from his failures.” He was speaking in particular about Norris’s unsuccessful support of the Armed Ship Bill in 2017 and the Republican Senator’s support of Democrat Al Smith against Republican Herbert Hoover in 1928. Those were not popular positions, Long said, but Norris “was a statesman and relied on character and the belief that government should make life better for the common man.”
Although Norris chose to take unpopular decisions, the state continued to re-elect him. “I believe that’s because the voters realized they had a man of integrity and even if they didn’t agree with him, they trusted his character,” Long said. “They didn’t send a politician to Washington, D.C. They sent a statesman.”