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Richard G. Lugar

Richard G. Lugar

"Richard G. Lugar was the gentle giant of American diplomacy.

Equal parts ambition and decency, Dick Lugar was one of the most consequential senators to serve in the U.S. Congress.

Senator Lugar paved a post-Cold War path for U.S. foreign policy, away from nuclear confrontation and toward a safer and more just world. He believed the world was a better place when the United States led by example, based on pragmatism and principle.

The Senator is best known for his efforts to advance arms control and disarmament. The Cooperative Threat Reduction Program, developed with Democratic Senator Sam Nunn, brought the United States and Russia into partnership after decades of Cold War to dismantle thousands of nuclear weapons and missiles, and to prevent the spread of dangerous technology and weapons. It is an example of the power of working across political divisions to produce political change.

The Senator continued to believe in the critical importance of keeping channels open to Russia even, and especially when relations between Moscow and Washington are poor, a point he made last month in our auditorium.

Senator Lugar was a champion of human rights and democracy. During the Reagan years, he led successful efforts to override a presidential veto of legislation imposing economic sanctions on apartheid South Africa. He was a leader in supporting the third wave of democratic transitions in the Philippines, in Central and Eastern Europe, and elsewhere. He was an innovator in global education; programs he initiated continue to benefit HLS faculty and students.

The Senator’s policy ambition and ethos of treating all people with respect and dignity were critical to his legislative successes and ensured he had a seat at the policy table long after he left the Senate.

Last October, we named the school in his and Congressman Lee Hamilton’s honor. The Senator was a supporter of the school since before its founding. He taught, served on the Deans Advisory Council, and pitched prospective students at recruiting events. For the last four years, he co-convened our annual conference on America’s Role in the World®. Last month, he presided over the opening of an exhibit of his papers, which he donated to the university.

The decision to name the school honors the Senator’s contributions to our university, the state, and the world. His legacy will serve as an inspiration for generations of future students."

Ambassador Lee Feinstein
Founding Dean
IU Hamilton Lugar School of Global & International Studies

Media coverage

Remembering Richard Lugar (Foreign Affairs)
Richard Lugar was not afraid to lead (New York Times)
Remembering Richard Lugar (Axios)
What today’s hyperpartisans could learn from Richard Lugar’s life of service (Washington Post)
Bipartisan foreign policy died this week (Foreign Policy)
Richard Lugar did more to protect our country than most politicians – we need more like him (Fox News)
Thanks to Sen. Richard Lugar, the world is safer, freer, and more prosperous (The Hill)
How Uni-Gov turned Richard Lugar into Nixon’s favorite mayor (Indy Star)

Remembering Senator Richard G. Lugar

Indiana's Visionary Statesman

Senator Lugar's biography

Provided by The Lugar Center

The Lugar Center

The Lugar Center is a platform for an informed debate on global issues.

Lugar and Hamilton discuss America's Role in the World

Watch the final public discussion between these two foreign policy giants.

Statements & Memories

Senator Lugar was mayor of Indianapolis, Indiana from 1968 to 1975 and served in the US Senate from 1977 to 2013. He then led The Lugar Center and served as a Distinguished Scholar and namesake of the Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies at Indiana University. Hoosiers and national officials have shared and continue to share their condolences and thoughts on Lugar's legacy.

This section will be updated as statements and tributes come in.

Former Indiana Senator Richard Lugar was one of Indiana's and our nation's most illustrious and visionary statesmen, a dedicated public servant, and a true titan of U.S. politics..." (read the full statement)

The 1980s were a time of fundamental and far reaching changes in South Africa. The apartheid government was under pressure to reform and open the political system. The Reagan Administration had been following an ambiguous policy of constructive engagement and was opposed to imposing sanctions. Richard Lugar took a courageous stance in contradicting the position of his Republican President.

In 1985, Lugar, Senate Majority Leader Robert Dole (R-Kan.), Sen. Nancy Kassebaum, and Sen. Charles Mathias (R-Md.) introduced the Anti-Apartheid Act.

Concerning the bill, Lugar wrote that "The United States needed to provide direct, tangible assistance to the black majority in South Africa in its efforts to gain full political, economic and social rights in South Africa, and to provide that in the absence of progress in eliminating apartheid, it shall be the American policy to consider economic sanctions against the government."

Lugar had held hearings in the Foreign Relations Committee and concluded that, "apartheid is abhorrent to everything that we believe in, and want to promote in the world… we need to be actively engaged in South Africa, and not walk away from it. This bill is a step toward ending apartheid and beginning the process of erasing its effects."

Lugar knew that this first bill would not succeed because there were not enough votes in the Senate to override Reagan’s veto. A year later, in 1986, he introduced new measures that South Africa would have to agree to if sanctions were ever lifted against their country. This included the release of Nelson Mandela. The bill passed both houses of Congress, and Reagan did indeed veto the bill. Lugar led the fight for an override, and the bill was passed in October 1986.

In 1991, Mandela wrote to Lugar: "Your valiant fight against apartheid has won you a place of honor in the hearts of millions of our people, and we wish that you continue until apartheid is completely dismantled."

I was honored in February 2013 when Richard Lugar delivered the Patrick O’Meara lecture "On American Foreign Policy: Challenges and Opportunities." Over the past few years, he has been my neighbor in the Global and International Studies Building, which is home to the Hamilton Lugar School. His graciousness and acute observations were always an inspiration.

The world weeps alongside Indiana after just learning we lost one of our best, ever.

As an always faithful servant to the highest ideals in every walk of his incredible life, Richard Lugar ran the family farm, charted a new innovative course for Indiana’s capital city, and devoted a record six terms as a U.S. Senator to making the world a more prosperous and peaceful place. He was an officer and gentleman, father and faith leader, a Mayor and Senator, a diplomat and legendary role model to millions.

Janet and I are keeping Mrs. Lugar and their wonderful family in our prayers and ask all those touched by his service to join us.

As a boss, a mentor, and a person, Richard Lugar was the gold standard. At a time when nuclear proliferation was civilization’s greatest threat, Senator Lugar helped save the world.

He leaves a legacy as an exemplar of wisdom, civility, and bipartisanship. Always staying true to his temperament, he was a quiet, dignified statesman. He thought before he spoke. He emphasized substance over personality. In short, he set the bar for public leaders — and for leaders more generally.

I'm not sure we will ever see another Richard Lugar, but I pray that we do. May God watch over him and his family.

Both my father and I had the privilege of serving with Dick Lugar. He was a statesman who always put progress ahead of partisanship and inflexible ideology. He was also our friend.

Hoosiers are saddened today to learn of the passing of one of our greatest statesmen, Senator Richard Lugar. Senator Lugar’s contributions to the life of our nation are countless. Richard Lugar was a leader not only in the Senate but also on the world stage, where he worked tirelessly to bring pressure to end apartheid in South Africa and enforce treaties that destroyed Soviet weapons of mass destruction.

As the longest serving member of Congress from Indiana, and a Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, he leaves behind a legacy of public service that will inspire Hoosiers for generations. Senator Lugar was also a friend and mentor throughout our public career and we will miss his kindness, example and wisdom. Indiana and America will never forget the leadership and service of Senator Richard Lugar. Karen and I offer our deepest sympathies to his wife Char, the entire Lugar family and all who cherish the memory of this good man and truly remarkable public servant.

For thirty-six years, Richard Lugar proved that pragmatism and decency work – not only in Washington but all over the world.

I first worked with Dick when I was a freshman Senator, in an effort to expand his landmark 1991 nuclear nonproliferation framework. We held different political beliefs, but traveling overseas together, he took me under his wing as we toured munitions storage facilities and talked over meals of borscht. Dick always stuck to the facts. He understood the intricacies of America’s power and the way words uttered in Washington echo around the globe. But perhaps most importantly, he exhibited the truth that common courtesy speak across cultures. In Dick, I saw someone who wasn’t a Republican or Democrat first, but a problem-solver – an example of the impact a public servant can make by eschewing partisan divisiveness to instead focus on common ground.

Today, thousands of warheads, bombers, and submarines no longer threaten us because of Dick’s work. America is safer because of Dick; the world is, too. His passing is a reminder of the constant and pressing need to expand international nonproliferation agreements. And it’s a call to remember what a public servant can be.

Michelle and I send our warmest sympathies to his wife Charlene, all his children and grandchildren, the students who study at a center bearing his name, and all those who had the privilege of knowing this American statesman.

Dick Lugar was a man of great decency who was widely respected for his willingness to reach across the aisle in the name of good policy. I always liked working with him because he was on the level. His service made America safer and stronger.

Dick Lugar was an exceptional public servant who will be remembered for his leadership, his integrity, and his critical work to strengthen U.S. and global security. He raised the level of discourse on foreign affairs in the U.S. Senate over several decades.

He was one of two senators responsible for the groundbreaking, visionary legislation that resulted in securing and dismantling thousands of weapons of mass destruction left vulnerable after the break-up of the Soviet Union. Sam Nunn, NTI’s co-founder and co-chair, was Dick’s partner—and Sam and I were honored to have Dick as an invaluable member of our Board of Directors and as a friend.

His work to advance bipartisanship—from his own service and example and also through the Lugar Center’s Bipartisan Index—remains critically important, especially today. I was honored to be with Dick last month at Indiana University’s Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies and to once again benefit from his concise insights on national security issues.

On behalf of the NTI Board and staff, we offer our sincere condolences to Char Lugar and the entire Lugar family."

Dick Lugar embodied an era and a Senate we would all do well to emulate and restore. His life was from tip to tail spent in public service, from the Navy to the Chairmanship of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He gave more than half a century to his country and his state and through it all he never changed, even as his Senate and his Party became sadly unrecognizable to the humble, steady conservatism and leadership that made Dick Lugar a synonym for bipartisan impact.

There’s a reason Dick was the only senator Indiana ever elected to a fourth, fifth, and sixth term. He followed the facts and found a way to work not just on his side, but side by side with people who cared about results, not headlines. He was decent, serious, and fair-minded.

On so many issues in foreign policy, Dick was the senate’s steady umpire: he called balls and strikes as he saw them. I was a freshman senator when Dick helped put America’s foreign policy on the right side of history in the Philippines. We were together for the elections in Manila watching an unbelievable flood of people in the streets decked out in their canary-yellow shirts and carrying banners of pro-democracy protest. Dick knew what America could mean to those protesters, and he knew we had to stand by the democratic values we so proudly export to the world, even if it meant turning on a Cold War ally who was using fraud to stay in power. That effort prevailed, as did the mission to claw all the way to ratification of the New START Treaty. Dick helped send a signal to the world that when it comes to arms control, the senate could still be the senate.

LaGuardia famously said: “There’s no Republican or Democratic way to clean the streets.” For Dick Lugar, there was no Democratic or Republican way to do foreign policy. Any of us should be lucky to have such an epitaph. No one earned it more than Dick Lugar.

Our family sends all our love to the Lugar family and to those who cherish his legacy which lives on at the Hamilton Lugar School animated by his spirit. We will all be better off if just one of those students picks up Dick’s standard and restores common sense and uncommon decency to public life in America.

Senator Richard Lugar was a true statesman whose decency and commitment to public service represented the very best of our state of Indiana and the nation. As both mayor and senator, he demonstrated a unique ability to bring people together and forge coalitions to accomplish big things, particularly in foreign policy. I was honored to serve with Senator Lugar and to call him a friend. Marsha and I extend our deepest condolences to the entire Lugar family.

Very sad to hear about the passing of Senator Richard Lugar of Indiana. He was a foreign policy giant, kind, thoughtful, and one of the most dedicated public servants I’ve ever known.

I was inspired to run for office by leaders like Richard Lugar whose work on nuclear nonproliferation made the world a safer place. It was an honor to work with him for years, on press freedom and other issues. One of the last true statesmen, his decency will be sorely missed.

When the Cold War ended, the threat from nuclear weapons did not. All Americans owe a debt of gratitude to Dick Lugar for the vision and leadership with Sam Nunn to deactivate or destroy thousands of nuclear warheads and missiles across the former Soviet republics. This was a heroic effort – the Marshall Plan of its time. By doing the impossible, Dick and Sam prevented the unthinkable. Working with Dick and Sam on this program was a great privilege, as was running the program in the Pentagon. Their partnership proves that bipartisan collaboration isn’t weakness; it’s the very strength that allows us to build a better, safer world. Dick will rightly be remembered as one of America’s very greatest public servants. I will also remember him as a great mentor and friend. His lifetime of leadership should inspire all of us to re-center our lives on a purpose larger than ourselves. Years after the success of the Nunn-Lugar program, I named the Secretary of Defense’s Conference Room the Nunn-Lugar Conference Room in permanent recognition of a bipartisan American success.

Yesterday, we said good-bye to an incredible statesman and friend, former Senator Richard Lugar. His dedication to bipartisanship came from a spirit of civility and decency. His commitment to preventing the spread of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons created an extraordinary legacy that has made each of us safer and more secure. His service on the Board of Directors of the Nuclear Threat Initiative gave us the benefit of his quiet leadership since our founding. Our deepest condolences go to his family.

Our nation has lost an extraordinary statesman who made the world a safer and better place. I have lost a wonderful friend and trusted partner. Dick Lugar treated every person with dignity and respect. This generation and future generations can learn much from his example in the political world and in life.

In so many ways my friend Dick was the consummate U.S. Senator. He combined the principled commitments of a patriot with the political instincts of a savvy legislator. He was a wise counselor and leading voice within the Republican conference and an inexhaustible bipartisan collaborator who earned the admiration of everyone across the political spectrum. And even as he built mastery over key national and international issues, he was Indiana’s devoted son the whole way — which is why Hoosiers made him their longest-serving Senator in history.

Dick Lugar was among the most decent men I have ever known. Kind, loyal, dedicated beyond measure to the service of the American people. Dick Lugar was my dear friend.

Spent a wonderful evening with great Sen. Richard Lugar this month at ⁦his beloved ⁦Denison University⁩. Grateful to be able to honor this incomparable statesman, friend and colleague over many years. America & the world are so much better for his leadership.

“The U.S. Department of State and all those touched by the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) program mourn the passing of the great Senator Richard Lugar. Thousands of young people around the world have experienced life in America thanks to the commitment and wisdom of Senator Lugar, who along with the late Senator Ted Kennedy started the program more than 16 years ago. Created in response to the terrorist attacks of 9/11, the YES program has brought more than 12,000 foreign high school students from countries with significant Muslim populations to the United States to attend American schools and live with American families.

YES Abroad has also sponsored more than 500 American high school students to live and study abroad. As Senator Lugar said in 2012, “Former Senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts and I felt it was very important, in the aftermath of the 9/11 tragedy in the United States, to get to know students in Muslim countries and for them to know us, so we worked with the State Department and others to institute this program. High school students are quick learners, they are well able to adapt to new conditions, and they are our future leaders. We are most hopeful that this experience will be a part of this leadership background.” Senator Lugar was not only the co-sponsor of the legislation that created the YES program, he took an active role meeting groups of YES students every year when they visited Washington DC.

His legacy in international diplomacy will live on in the thousands of YES alumni and future YES participants who return home – equipped with new networks and a global perspective – inspired to make a positive difference in the world.”

James F. Collins
Senior Fellow, Russia and Eurasia Program
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
The passing of Dick Lugar brings a life of service and meaning for good to a close. It was a great honor to know and work with Dick over almost two decades and to enjoy his company in EE any number of ways from visits to missile silos to chats in his Senate office and our breakfasts during the meetings of the Hamilton Lugar School advisory board. I shall miss his counsel and his wit along with his dedication to what is best in our system and in his state.

Marie Harf
Political Analyst
Member, Dean's Advisory Council, IU Hamilton Lugar School
Senator Lugar, the Indiana farmer turned global diplomat, was what we all aspire to be—someone who never forgot his roots but knew he had to go out and work to make the world a better place. He was a kind and decent man, and he made all of us better for having known him. It has been the honor of my lifetime to showcase Senator Lugar’s wisdom for a new generation of students through our public discussions. The calls we would have before these sessions were a special treat for me—trying to settle on topics among all the big issues in the world today felt something like being in a Foreign Relations Committee hearing, or a negotiating session on an arms control treaty. I will miss these conversations, and him, very much.

Richard Woosnam
Member, Dean's Advisory Council, IU Hamilton Lugar School
As someone who has watched at a distance, and with occasional participation, the realization of a global studies school at IU, I can’t imagine a more fitting honor to bestow on Senator Lugar than naming it for him and Congressman Hamilton. I have always admired his quiet strength and dignity and hope that he is not one of the last of a disappearing breed, but rather a role model and mentor whose legacy will be an inspiration to the young men and women who recognize his compassionate brand of leadership and will strive to adopt it in their own careers.

Robert N. Johnson
ACommon1 Connectivity LLC
True Example of American Exceptionalism. Serving at the critical apex of Our America’s Destiny, Senator Dick Lugar deeds conveyed integrity, innovative thought, consistency of rule of law, ethics, and respect for ALL Americans. Lugar chose to do what was RIGHT at the RIGHT Time when others might remain seated. Being a talented consensus builder, they came around to what was RIGHT for ALL humanity too.

Paul Helmke
Former Mayor of Fort Wayne, IN
Richard Lugar has been a role model and inspiration to me for over 50 years. I was one of two college students to be on a panel on leadership in Fort Wayne in 1968 with Mayor Lugar as the Keynote speaker. The other student was my successor as mayor of Fort Wayne, so it can be argued that Lugar's example helped inspire 20 years of mayoral leadership in my home city. I still wonder where my career would have gone if I had accepted the internship Lugar offered me in the summer of 1969 in his mayor's office. I stayed in Bloomington to deal with my responsibilities as Student Body President. Mitch Daniels, on the other hand, accepted his internship offer that same year. My father ran for U.S. Congress in 1974 when Lugar ran for U.S. Senate—they both lost, but those races helped solidify a strong friendship between my family and the Senator. My brother became his press secretary and went in and out of different roles in the Lugar orbit for decades. I enjoyed standing in for the Senator when he was unable to debate his Democratic opponent in Fort Wayne during the 1982 race. I worked closely with the Senator and his staff during my 12 years as mayor of Fort Wayne and I appreciated all his help during my run for the U.S.Senate against Evan Bayh in 1998. The Senator was always willing to give advice during my 5 years as head of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence and to meet at least once a year with my students in IU's Civic Leaders Center since we started that program in 2013. He was a great mayor, Senator, leader, and friend. I will miss him deeply.

Loren A. Snyder
President, Bloomington Rotary Club
During the summer of 2006, I was blessed to serve as one of Senator Lugar’s intern in Washington DC. Although brief, that summer has been one of the most memorable and impactful on my life. I will be forever thankful for the opportunity and do my best to serve in every aspect of my life by the example he left on me. I have a quote on my computer at work from the Senator, “Growing up in Indiana, one learns early on that talent and accomplishments count—but honesty and integrity count more.” His life may have ended but his impact on me, the State of Indiana, and the United States of America will live on. Thank you Senator Richard Lugar….thank you.

The Honorable Todd M. Harper
Board Member, National Credit Union Administration
Senator Lugar’s common-sense values and selfless public service left an indelible mark on our nation’s foreign policy, especially by making our world safer from the threats posed by nuclear weapons. What’s more, he demonstrated the way legislating should be done with his capacity to articulate a vision, courage to reach across the aisle to find consensus, and ability to achieve results that improved the daily lives of all. Our world is a better place because of him.

Charles M. Chamness
President & CEO, National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies
The story goes that the Lugar staff sent into the Senator a list of well-qualified interns for approval for the summer of 1985 and I was not on the list. But when the list came out, Sen. Lugar had written in my name at the bottom. It changed my life. Without that experience, I wouldn’t have come back to work in D.C. in ‘86, met my wife Briget in ‘87, and spent the formative first ten years of my career and started our family there. From living with the Lugar’s for six weeks of that first summer and working in the office by day, I saw the model of a brilliant, hardworking, thoughtful gentleman in Senator Lugar, the ultimate public servant. He brought hundreds of pages of material home to read (usually in something like a cloth bag) and worked until bedtime, which was not late. Years later when I was hung-up in White House personnel vying for a job in the first Bush Administration, he again went to bat for me. In his tribute, Mitch Daniels said of the Senator: "And so many of us, while falling far short of the standards he set, are vastly better people because of him." Mitch certainly speaks for me. My heartfelt condolences to the Lugar family.

Susan M. Elliott
Former U.S. Ambassador to Tajikistan
President and CEO National Committee on American Foreign Policy
The Board of Trustees and members of the National Committee on American Foreign Policy send their heartfelt condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Senator Richard G. Lugar. Senator Lugar devoted his life to public service. In addition to faithfully serving the people of Indiana, he worked tirelessly to make the world a safe and secure place. I saw first hand what he and Senator Nunn accomplished on arms control when I served in Russia as a U.S. diplomat. As an alumnus of Indiana University, I have no doubt his legacy will continue with the students and faculty of the Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies.

Charles T. Richardson
Retired Partner, Faegre Baker Daniels LLP
Richard Green Lugar has been my mentor, my example, and my friend for over a half-century since February 26, 1967, when he spoke at my IU fraternity initiation. His 36-year Senate career and his 8-year leadership of Indianapolis as Mayor are the most momentous of any public servant in Indiana’s history—of any state’s history really. Our university, our city, our state, our country, and our world have lost a statesman and a patriot without peer. We all will miss his brilliance, his integrity and, perhaps underlying everything, his character. He made all of us better people, as so he did our country.

Scott Shackelford Chair
IU Bloomington Cybersecurity Program Director, Ostrom Workshop Program on Cybersecurity and Internet Governance
Having grown up in Indiana, I was of course aware of Sen. Lugar’s many accomplishments. In fact, he was an inspiration to me to pursue graduate study in the UK. But I only got to know him personally during a series of conferences we hosted at the IU Advancement Center in Washington, DC, which is adjacent to the Lugar Center. In discussing how to make democracy harder to hack, I was struck not only by his powerful intellect and unparalleled set of relevant experiences, by also by how humble, genuine, and engaged he was, even in the minutia. He embodied Hoosier values.

Hilary Kahn
Assistant Dean for International Education and Global Initiatives, IU Hamilton Lugar School
One of the great honors I have had as a senior leader in HLS is to work alongside and learn from Senator Lugar, who was indeed a gentle giant.

Nick Cullather
Executive Associate Dean, IU Hamilton Lugar School
In Fall 2013 Senator Lugar co-taught an International Studies course, I499 Seminar on Conflict Resolution, with Congressman Hamilton. It had 21 students. Senator Lugar took the time to get to know each student, asking which towns they were from and what they were studying. He commented generously on their reports, taking examples from his lifetime of experience to illustrate his points, and the students responded by giving their best in class. He was known in Washington for being a “professorial” politician, but he was also a professor who knew the ways of politics.

W. Craig Spence, MD
I was in medical school when Mayor Lugar appointed me to a Youth Advisory Council for the City of Indianapolis. I had no idea I would actually meet Mr. Lugar and get to know him. Even at that stage, he was a transformational leader and had an extraordinary personality that was infectious. He certainly was influential in my career and political leanings.

Thomas R. Pickering
Vice Chairman, Hills & Co
Former Under Secretary of State and Ambassador to Russia, India, the UN, Israel, El Salvador, Nigeria, and Jordan
I have known Senator Lugar and worked with him for many years during my service in the Department of State and as Ambassador to a number of countries, including Russia and India as well as the United Nations.

He was above all devoted to the national interest of the United States and was particularly effective in his long cooperation with Senator Sam Nunn of Georgia in dealing with the problems of nuclear weapons and particularly between the United States and the Soviet Union and later Russia through the legislation and program that bears jointly their names. During his many years of active service in the United States Senate, he was a model of attention to national issues, bipartisan cooperation and a wide interest in the foreign policy and security of the United States.

It was always an honor and pleasure to have him visit my embassies and to see him in action on the Hill and afterward in his years following – not so much of retirement as continued active involvement in the future of our country,

I send my sincere condolences to all of his family and friends at your great institution and beyond. He was truly one of a kind and will be sorely missed by us all.

Gary N. Schahet
Schahet Hotels, LLC
A mentor to everyone who was fortunate to have met him. He treated everyone with respect. One of the brightest leaders of his time. Senator Lugar knew what it meant to work together for common goals. He left a lasting legacy.

Jeff Richardson
Retired, Vice President, AbbVie Foundation
Senator Lugar was a Beta Theta Pi fraternity brother of mine--he from Dennison and me from IU. We shared the stage in 1971 in Indianapolis at Beta event when I was President of the house and Student Body Vice President and he was our guest speaker. My hair was very long and my politics was significantly different from Mayor Lugar’s - yet he spent a good amount of time praising student activism and using myself and other young students as examples of why it is important to be engaged in our great democracy. I was so impressed as a 19-year-old student hearing this from a conservative Mayor supporting many young peoples' efforts to change the world even when they clearly did not his world view. It was truly a teachable moment for me and others in the room. We were in the presence of a caring and compassionate leader. I was fortunate to have many more occasions to hear Sen Lugar speak over the years and learn from him including the many forums he held with Congressman Lee Hamilton. He and his staff were always helpful during the four years I ran two agencies for then Governor Evan Bayh. In the 2000’s I was especially grateful for his work in the creation of an ongoing support for PEPFAR, President’s George W. Bush’s initiative to fights HIV/AIDS in resource-poor settings worldwide (and related programs) - an area where I spent a good part of my professional life. His efforts - and other Senators - resulted in hundreds of thousands of lives being saved and lives being well-lived to this very day. I always admired the way in which he conducted himself in the Senate - a true bipartisan, thoughtful, analytical, grounded and brilliant statesman to the very end of his tenure. Finally, when he could have easily retired and stepped away from his life’s work, he chose to create the Lugar Center - a real gift to those advancing critical international policy analysis and problem-solving in the world today. Thank you, Senator Lugar and your dedicated staff.

Emily Stern
Director of Administration, IU Hamilton Lugar School
I never saw Senator Lugar without a smile on his face; his patience for and pleasure in talking with whoever stopped to shake his hand was amazing. Working with him at the Hamilton Lugar School was a privilege and he will be sorely missed.

Gary Kovener
I first met Sen. Lugar during the IU visit of Secretary John Kerry. I asked Sen. Lugar about his activities at IU and expected him to make some sort of bland comment. But no, he described his 2-hour seminar with the students discussing the Middle East and foreign policy. Sen. Lugar obviously relished his role as a teacher. His subsequent engagement with the America's Role in the World colloquia certainly confirmed that. Sen. Lugar's passing leaves a challenge to all of us to fill that void.

David Woll
It was my good fortune to have completed many years ago my master's thesis about Unigov. Dick was so generous to lend considerable time and the efforts of his entire administration to assure the completion of the first case study of government consolidation. My contact with him went on for many years and like so many I was fortunate he touched my life.

John Myrland
I first met Senator Lugar when he was running for the Senate in 1974. Through the last 45 years, our paths have crossed many times, and I have been honored to be included in many events at which he spoke or led a discussion. He was always gracious and kind and, to my amazement, always remembered my name and even our first meeting so many years ago! He was the epitome of the "servant leader," and I am proud to call him a mentor and a friend. I will miss his presence and his many kindnesses. Senator..."Well done, good and faithful servant."

Harold Smith
Senator Lugar graduated from Shortridge High School in Indianapolis, IN. He was 10 years my senior. I had the great honor of meeting and speaking with him several times. Whenever I mentioned to him that I too graduated from Shortridge, his eyes would light up and a smile appeared showing pleasant recognition and fond memories. His younger sister was a senior when I was a freshman. Senator Lugar was an inspiration to all who witnessed his amazing intelligence, accurate political insights, vast accomplishments, and genuine kindness. He was the right man at the right time as Mayor of Indianapolis and set the strong and correct foundation for the development of our city and beyond that we have today. Thank you, Senator Lugar!!

Madan Puri
IU College of Arts and Sciences Distinguished Research Scholar and Professor Emeritus of Mathematics
The light is gone.

Tom McComb
I first met Dick Lugar at a mutual friend's house in Indianapolis. I had just completed my first term as a state legislator from Ft. Wayne and Mr. Lugar had just been nominated as the Republican candidate for mayor of Indianapolis. Our paths crossed many times over the ensuing years and as a member of the Indiana State Senate, I wholeheartedly supported his plan of Unigov for Indianapolis/Marion County. Although not the hearty-well met type of fellow, Dick, nonetheless, was kind, considerate of others and their opinions and thoughtful. A statesman of the highest order, Senator Lugar has sorely been missed in a divided Senate. Condolences to Char and their sons.

Richard Worman
Marna Jo Worman invited SENATOR RICHARD LUGER to Leo United Methodist Church Leo IN to Speak as Lay Person for Sunday Service early '70s. What a GREAT experience for small-time Leo IN and North East Allen County. IN. Representative Marna Jo Worman later worked with Senator Luger on Legislation.

David Barker
Senator Lugar was probably the smartest and most honest man I ever met, outside of my dearly departed dad. I remember him fondly from my days in the Young Republicans in Evansville, Indiana in the early ’70s, when he lost his first run at Birch Bayh. He won the next senatorial election in Indiana, and the rest is history. I especially remember his keynote address at my initiation into Beta Theta Pi at Indiana University, which he was a member of and a graduate of, on 2-29-76. Godspeed Dick; you were a great man and a fantastic role model. David Barker, BA ‘79

Anonymous
I have a vivid memory of Sen. Lugar with a child-like smile on his face sitting right next to Congressman Lee Hamilton in the HLS auditorium just this past March at an annual conference on America's Role in the World. Their presence was simply beautiful and empowering: Sen. Lugar looked so happy and jolly. Their discussion session was my favorite one by far. I felt so privileged and lucky to be there to listen, watch, and learn from their impeccable experiences and wisdom. I was so sure that I will be seeing him with Congressmen Hamilton again next year's HLS conference. So I was so shocked and saddened to learn of his passing this morning. It's a huge loss for HLS, students, Bloomington, and Indiana. I will miss him so much especially in this uneasy time.

Kyle Valencia
It saddens me to hear that Senator Lugar has passed, but he has left a wonderful legacy. My family and I will be praying for his family. He has made a true difference in my life and the lives of the other Richard G. Lugar Scholars. His legacy will never be forgotten.

Carolyn Lantz
Prior to coming to work at Indiana University, I managed youth programs at the U.S. State Department and was there when the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study Program was established in the aftermath of 9/11. We all admired Senator Lugar for his commitment to efforts that made a real difference in people's lives. His contributions to improving the United States' relations with other countries will have a lasting effect.

Roger Schmelzer
President & CEO, National Conference of Insurance Guaranty Funds
Dick Lugar was the first political figure I ever heard my parents discuss when I was 10 years old and he was elected mayor of Indianapolis. Because he was young (just 35) he immediately became my public service role model. I later went on to represent him as a campus coordinator in 1976 and worked for him in is Washington D.C. office. The Senator's accomplishments are legion and well-documented, impressive and I will not dwell on them here. What I want o say that this great American patriot was as natural and normal as an Indiana sunrise. The same fellow you saw on Meet the Press is the same decent gentleman you could see anywhere. Senator Lugar was truly always "Dick," a good man with unfailing Midwestern values. Regardless of the setting, he left everything better than when he found it. Often it is disappointing to meet your heroes, but in the case of Senator Lugar, it only made you more confident, and enthusiastic about the future. We were lucky to have him and can carry his legacy forward.

Anonymous
I never had the chance to meet Senator Lugar except for a brief moment in passing during a trip to D.C. this past March. As soon as he walked into the room, you could feel a different kind of energy present among not only us students but in general, too. I thought "how could someone just be able to walk into a room with 30 exhausted college kids and instantly fill us with energy?" If he could do that to us, I can only imagine the effect he had on those who had the honor of working beside him every day. I know he will be missed both in Washington D.C. and here at Indiana University.

Abbey Krulik
As a junior in high school, I had the honor of attending the Lugar Symposium for Tomorrow's Leaders. At this conference, Senator Lugar discussed his extensive foreign policy experience and consequently inspired a room full of eager young adults to dream big. Because of Senator Lugar’s encouraging remarks, I was inspired to pursue a career in foreign policy. Today, I am a proud student of the Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies where I have the privilege of studying under the oversight of amazing professionals like Senator Lugar. If it were not for Senator Lugar's willingness to engage with young adults, I wouldn't be where I am today. I will forever be thankful for Senator Lugar and the enthusiasm that he displayed when engaging with tomorrow's leaders.

Anonymous
I owe my status as an international studies student to Senator Lugar without question. My junior year of high school, I was chosen to attend his Symposium for Tomorrow's Leaders where I learned for the first time about issues such as terrorism and the clash between sects of Islam, as well as refugees in America today. I was fascinated by these topics and seriously found something I could see myself studying for the rest of my life. Without that experience, I would definitely not be a student at Hamilton Lugar. Senator Lugar will be greatly missed and I hope his legacy continues to inspire students to pursue issues in the international studies field.

Hamilton Lugar School
of Global and International Studies

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