Good afternoon District 27. Today I want to highlight and give tribute to one of my senior volunteers and campaign supporters. Her name is Martha Riggs.
I have known Martha and her late husband Ronald for almost 20 years. I got to know Martha when we sang together in the Martin Community Chorus (aka the Meadowlarks). Martha sang alto and I sang tenor. Together we performed at the Martin Centennial during the summer of 2011. We also performed at various Christmas concerts together at the Martin Theater. One year, Martha and I served as judges at the Martin Grade School spelling bee competition giving students an up or down arrow if the students spelled the word correctly. I laughed when she got befuddled and gave a student the wrong arrow.
A while back, Martha also took me as her wingman and asked me if I would be willing to be a substitute card player when the ladies in the neighborhood needed an extra bridge player. Martha, along with Phyllis Shepardson and Joyce Risse, were kind and patient enough to teach me how to play bridge, until one afternoon, the fire sirens went off and we were told to get home because of a tornado watch – unbeknownst to any of us as we were busy playing cards.
When I first moved to Martin, I met her husband Ronald while working for the Indian Health Service. Ronald was frustrated with a lack of response by the State and/or the Tribe when there was open dumping occurring in a ravine that was adjacent to their property located west of Martin. As an engineering consultant with the U.S. Public Health Service, I was tasked to go out and document what was happening. Ronald showed me the affected area and I took the necessary photos to get it in the hands of the powers at be. The photos and documentation that I provided via the Indian Health Service Solid Waste Coordinator would eventually get the state Department of Natural Resources and the EPA involved in cleaning up the open dump. Hence, Martha and her late husband Ronald know that as a former public servant, I am a person who gets the job done.
When I see Martha now, she is usually on “Granny Patrol” throughout the streets of Martin. She delights in getting out of the house and likes to see what is going on in town while performing her neighborhood watch duties. Over the years, I have come to appreciate her driving through my neighborhood asking me, “You behave yourself?” and to see if anything fishy might be going on. She has been “deputized” by the former Bennett County Sheriff Paul Williams and was given an official Granny Patrol badge to keep in her vehicle while performing her duties. Check out the posted photo. She showed me her badge one day when I was walking and asked me if I wanted a ride back home from the post office. I obliged and took her up on her offer since it was a cold wintery day. She has offered me numerous rides since she knows how much I enjoy walking.
As a supporter of my campaign, Martha has been tasked with keeping an eye on my yard signs since this falls under the list of “Other Duties as Assigned” when she is on Granny Patrol. Yesterday, I saw her driving and she stopped by my home. I asked, “How are my yard signs? She exclaimed, “I see them all over!” I said, “Great….at least the wind hasn’t blown them away!” When I ask her how she is doing? She has a witty side to her and usually responds, “If I was any better, you couldn’t stand me!” I can’t help but laugh every time I hear her respond, “Finer than frog hair.”
Martha is steadily slowing down with her age. She has severe arthritis in her hands and can no longer go on her afternoon date with Charles. I asked her one day, “Who is Charles?” She replied, “Charles Wysocki is the maker of my 1000-piece puzzle collections.” Apparently, Martha has almost all of his puzzles that he has made based on the Americana theme. Martha also collects an annual Christmas ornament and has a large collection of angels in her home.
Martha continues to play bridge with her circle of friends but now uses a card holder to assist her in displaying her cards since she is unable to hold them in her hands due to her severe arthritis. I can only imagine how painful it must be for her, but she continues to persevere through the pain.
Finally, Martha takes great pride in being a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). She can trace her ancestry back to the Revolutionary War period and is an avid member by attending DAR conventions, which leads me to the final point of my story about my friend Martha. Martha embodies what it means to be a true American patriot. She has a fighting spirit and a stamina that inspires me to continue to persevere, even when times are difficult throughout the campaign. Much like how she fights through the pain of her arthritis, I too will need to have the stamina and fighting spirit to ignore the nay-sayers and to overcome the personal attacks against my character and integrity if I am elected to be your state senator. I currently am receiving attacks from my opponent’s surrogates, and they refuse to give up. Inspired by Martha’s fighting spirit to continue moving forward, I won’t give up fighting for you if elected your state senator. You can count on that. Just ask Martha. God bless.
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