In 1993 my dad, Tom Bevill, U.S. Representative from Alabama for 30 years, was working late one night in his office while the House was still in session. It was standard practice that someone on his staff would stay late as well to handle phone calls or any business that needed immediate attention as the hours pushed on.

On this night, Jim Hughey, a junior staffer, was given this duty. He was at his desk when three calls came in. One from Mrs. Brown who was from the district and was a frequent caller to the office as her family circumstances required a lot of assistance. She was not wealthy or a strong community leader. But she was well-known in the office. The second call was from a Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. Since Dad was a Chairman on the House Appropriations Committee, this would be considered a “high level” conversation — when a chairman from one chamber is speaking with a chairman of the other chamber. Immediately a third call came in from the Secretary of Defense – Cabinet level.

Hughey went into Dad’s office with the note of three calls. He ordered them in the way you would expect — in order of political prowess, saying, “this one was the Secretary of Defense…” Hughey, upon sharing this story with me, noted that it was just the two of them in the office. Dad could have said anything. This, in Hughey’s opinion, was a situation where true colors show. Having listed the three calls, Hughey asked, “Would you like to call the Secretary of Defense or the Chairman of the Committee first?” Dad said, “Well, Jim, actually, I want you to get Mrs. Brown on the line. We work for Mrs. Brown.”

There was a time when elected officials understood who they served. It wasn’t their political party; it wasn’t the occupant of the White House. It was their constituents – those who hired them.

As we engage in debate about our government and what it should and shouldn’t do, we cannot forget that our government is us. “We the People…”

Our country’s founding fathers designed a democracy that has been the envy of the world for almost 250 years. And this privilege, this freedom, requires that each of us take responsibility for maintaining our democracy. We the people maintain control of our government.

Dad gave many graduation speeches during and after his 30 years in Congress, and he always emphasized to the young people in high schools through law schools, to take seriously their role as a citizen. “Our country is the greatest on earth. Our democracy has lasted longer than any other form of government in the world. There is a good reason for that. We have more freedoms than any people anywhere. One of the most important freedoms we have is the right to vote and to select those who represent us in government.” 1

As his high school graduation speech in May 1995 continued, “We cannot afford to take our democracy for granted. We must work to keep it strong. That means we must guard against our enemies, both foreign and domestic. With the bombing of the Oklahoma Federal Building, it suddenly dawned on us that there are enemies of our democracy living among us.” “We don’t overthrow the government because it has made mistakes. Government is, after all, composed of people and people sometimes make mistakes. When mistakes are made, it is our job as citizens to steer our government back on course in a thoughtful law-abiding manner.”1

Dad’s generation was genuine in their defense of democracy, of America’s soul. They committed more than words. They put their lives into it. Many losing their lives. Thankfully, most from that generation are not here to see our democracy in such peril. Our elected officials may need to be reminded that they have a responsibility to hold each other accountable to the U.S. Constitution. They took an oath, before God, that they would do so.

Dad’s father, Herman Bevill, ran a country store in Townley, Alabama. He was well-respected in the community — he wasn’t wealthy, but he had “a good name.” Dad grew up in a time when a man’s name was everything. A man’s name was not built with letters, but with solid core values and honesty. He was someone who could be trusted. To be caught in a lie would tarnish a man’s name severely, taking a long time, if ever, to regain his footing and respect. Herman Bevill gave Tom Bevill a good name, and Tom Bevill maintained it.

A country is the same – a good name does not mean letters on a map. It means earning the respect of others around the world. America has always been the leader of the free world, a partner with other democracies to ensure a stable and peaceful world that could hold back the threats of Russian aggression or Communism. A country who could be trusted. We cannot be the leader of a world we have withdrawn from to embrace dictatorships. When our country was attacked 9/11/01, our allies stood shoulder to shoulder with us against a common enemy. This alignment with our allies has been our strength. We must maintain it. We as a country cannot stand alone.

We’ve had strong leaders in FDR and Ronald Reagan who were willing to stand up to “the bad actors” – who took the moral stand on behalf of American values, who recognized the threat of the brutal dictators to the peace and strength of America. It is up to us, all of us, each of us, to do the same.

Dad served with seven presidents — WITH seven presidents, not FOR seven presidents. He understood that Congress was a co-equal branch of government. He understood that he was representing his constituents in Alabama. He listened to them. As someone who accompanied him on “quick runs” to the store, I can tell you…he listened to EVERYBODY who stopped him. He pulled his little notebook out of his shirt pocket and with his pen, wrote down their name, what their concern was, and stayed in touch with them. And, most importantly, we — as a people — expected that. Anything less would be unacceptable. He understood that our government, as defined in the Constitution, was designed to keep the people in charge – never about political parties and certainly never about one man. That would not be a democracy.

Our representatives work for us. They need to hear from us. They should not be allowed to hide in silence as you make phone calls, attempt to set up meetings, write letters. As with any employee, we cannot blindly accept their claims of accomplishment without checking into it. We cannot accept being lied to, over and over again. We see with our own eyes that January 6 was not a “Day of Love.” We see with our own eyes that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was a brutal act and we know that Ukraine did not ask for this. We know the law, and we know when it is broken, and it should matter to us. We know right from wrong. And wrong is not acceptable.

As we celebrated President’s Day this month, much was written about the history of this day. We were reminded that this was not intended to be a day of retail sales, but a day to celebrate the birthday of our first President – a man who led the revolutionary army to victory; a man who rejected the opportunity to assume personal power over a young fledgling nation, who understood the greater good and the strength of a government “of the people, by the people and for the people.” This is a day to reflect on who we are as a country. A day to remember the country each of our family’s past generations fought and died for, and the country we will pass on to the next generations.

We have dropped the baton. And we need to pick it up. Quickly.

Before we lose everything.

“I hope you will always remember how important it is to support our democracy.

I wish you all the best in your future endeavors. I hope you will leave here tonight with fresh energy and a bright outlook. America needs you and we are all very proud of you.

Thank you and Congratulations.

(Excerpts from Tom Bevill’s commencement speech, Asheville High School graduation, May 1995.)

Patty Bevill Warren, youngest of Congressman Tom Bevill and Lou Bevill’s three children, moved with the family from Jasper, AL to the Washington, D.C. area in January 1967 as he was sworn into the 90th Congress. A retired engineer, she currently resides in Birmingham.