Jody Powell

Jody Powell, President Jimmy Carter's press secretary and my boss when I was at the Powell Tate public affairs firm, died today at age 65.

I am so saddened by Jody's death. There are so many great memories I have of this man who was much more than a boss. He was a great mentor who took me, like so many of my colleagues, under his wing and taught us that work wasn't everything, but that when we worked we had fun doing it.

Jody has a recent connection to the City of Fairfax that many people may remember. It's one of my greatest memories of him.

Back in the fall of 2004 I was chairman of the City's Democratic committee. Our vice chairman, Ari Tuckman, came up with a great idea: let's have a "Change for Good" party and fundraiser. We needed a guest speaker and Jody was our guy.

Appearing in the basement of what's now Auld Shebeen, Jody delivered a passionate speech and got the packed crowd fired up and motivated. He was just awesome up there on stage. More importantly, he stayed around for a long time and talked to folks, had a couple of beers and just enjoyed life. And that sums up Jody - he enjoyed life.

When I ran for council, his wife, Nan, and he donated to my campaign. We exchanged emails and a couple of calls after I won. To have his support meant so much to me.

Now he is gone - and I know he's in heaven. God is in store for a real treat as Jody Powell will keep him in stitches with his good humor and be honored by his humility.