by Kevin Curry

This story is one of my favorites we’ve heard during our interviews for the Hatfield Project. It illustrates Mark Hatfield as the professor, the lifelong teacher who was always looking for opportunities to teach.

Chris Maier, former Hatfield staffer and currently on staff with Sen. Ron Wyden, shared this story when we interviewed her. Chris was an intern with Sen. Hatfield in Washington DC and then served on his staff.

Sen. Hatfield was well known for his Lincoln memorabilia collection. He kept it on display in a conference room in his office in Washington DC.  Senators, Congressman and other dignitaries would visit Sen. Hatfield just to see the collection.

One day during her internship, Chris and her fellow interns were instructed to meet Sen. Hatfield in the conference room. They all assembled, not knowing why they were being asked to meet. After a few moments, in walks Sen. Hatfield and Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.

Sen. Hatfield told the interns that Justice O’Connor was there to see the Lincoln collection and he thought they might like to see it as well. He then proceeded to give the group a tour of the collection.

Who did Sen. Hatfield call when Justice O’Connor was going to be visiting? Not his Chief of Staff or other key staffers.

He called the interns.

by Rick Dancer

I find myself in plenty of political conversations since running for statewide office in 2008. I didn’t win the office of Secretary of State, but won the ability to speak on issues like never before. In my current conversations, I find a growing frustration over  partisanship. People are looking for leaders who will vote based on issues not based on the party line.

Jack Ohman Cartoon, The Oregonian, 1995

In many of those conversations the name Senator Mark Hatfield surfaces as one of the last politicians who really voted what he thought was best, not what the party told him to vote.

Don’t get me wrong; Senator Hatfield was a loyal Republican, but that loyalty never caused him to sway from what he thought to be best for everyone.

I wonder what he thinks of the current political situation in this country. I wonder what he would say to all of us as a measure of encouragement and correction. I wonder if someone with Hatfield’s guts and grit could survive in politics in this day an age.

I tend to be a bit of an idealist and I must say, “Yes, Hatfield could do it again.” I hear so many people, on both sides of the fence, using Hatfield’s name to describe a truly good political force and a man who got things done.

Anytime I post a blog about Hatfield, someone comes on to comment about the time they met him, the time he spoke at their neighborhood center or church or the handshake he gave that is never forgotten.

I think we’re all looking for another Senator Mark Hatfield or at least someone with the guts to lead Oregon.

Sunday would have been President Reagan’s 100th birthday. Born on February 6, 1911 in Tampico, Illinois, Ronald Reagan came from humble beginnings and would rise to serve as the 40th President of the United States (1981-1989).  Similarly, Senator Hatfield was raised in a small city, Dallas, Oregon, by working class parents.  These two men, born more than a decade apart in very different areas of the country would come to know each other and serve together.  Mark O. Hatfield as the United States Senator from Oregon and Ronald Reagan as President.

Sen. Hatfield chaired the inauguration of President Ronald Reagan.

As this documentary will show, Senator Hatfield was a man of steadfast principal and that adherence to his convictions would often place him in direct opposition to a number of presidents, including Reagan.  Where Senator Hatfield differed from many men in his position was that he was able to differentiate national policy from the individual person.  Senator Hatfield’s first official duty for the newly elected President was to serve as the Chair of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies.

During President Reagan’s first term, we’ve learned that Senator Hatfield and his wife Antoinette hosted a dinner at their house for President and Nancy Reagan.  We understand that the Hatfield’s were concerned that President Reagan had not yet chosen an official biographer.  As a bibliophile and student of presidential history, Senator Hatfield understood the historical importance of a biographer and the need for the writer to have access to the president from as early in the first term as possible.  So, the Hatfield’s invited, among others, Edmund Morris to attend the dinner.  Apparently, Mr. Morris and President Reagan connected.  Mr. Morris went on to write the somewhat controversial biography, “Dutch: A Memoir of Ronald Reagan”.  This dinner illustrates yet another moment when Senator Hatfield played a quiet but important role in shaping history.

We’ve completed over three dozen interviews so far for the Hatfield Project and anticipate just a few more here in Oregon. One of the biggest challenges with a documentary like this is that there are so many people you can interview, but time simply doesn’t allow for everyone to be interviewed.

We’ve heard some amazing stories, and more than once we’ve been moved by the words others have spoken about Sen. Hatfield. I was reviewing our Twitter feed today and came across a series of tweets from our trip to Washington DC. Included in them was a series of snippets from the interviews, little phrases that caught our attention and we sent out via Twitter. I’ve reposted those below for you. Reading these makes us excited about going back through the transcripts for the other interviews and seeing, once again, what people said about Sen. Hatfield.

- Hatfield “relished the lessons, teaching at every opportunity.” Sean O’Hollaren who called Hatfield “Professor”.

- “He loved being a teacher, always.” Marty Gold on Sen. Hatfield.

- “He was a teacher. Someone I looked up to.” Retired Sen. John Warner (R-VA) on Sen. Hatfield.

- “Because he loved his enemies, he had no enemies.” Martin Gold on Sen. Mark Hatfield.

- “A person whose voice mattered.” Jeff Boothe on the “only Senator I would’ve worked for.”

- “His mission was to serve.” Gary Barbour on his boss, Sen. Hatfield.

- “He may have been the perfect gentleman.” Sen. Thad Cochran, Senate Appropriations ranking R, on Sen. Hatfield.

- “He was able to say ‘No’ to you & you left happy.” Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-HI), Appropriations chair, on Sen. Hatfield.

- “Sen. Hatfield taught us the difference between being important & having an important job.” Mark Van de Water.

- “Be faithful to your God & family & you’ll never be false to your country.” Sen. Mark Hatfield’s advice to Sen. Gordon Smith.

- “An open mind & listening ear.” Jenna Dorn, Hatfield staffer, on Sen. Mark Hatfield.

We already know the challenge that lies ahead in figuring out what makes the final cut for the film and what doesn’t. The Hatfield Project board of directors has been talking about how we can make even more of the interviews available to the public, to researchers and others interested in learning more about Sen. Hatfield. Stay tuned, we have some good ideas for what we are calling Hatfield Project 2.0.

First, though, we need to finish this film. Right now, we have an immediate need for funds to pay for transcribing the hours of interviews we’ve collected. Can you help? If so, click the DONATE link above. Every bit helps! If you can give a larger amount, $1,000 or more, please contact us via the CONTACT link above to make arrangements.