Editorial: Giffords aide left his mark in Green Valley
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By Dan Shearer Green Valley News
Like so many across the country, we sat in our newsroom Saturday stunned at the day’s events. But it hit us a bit differently because several of the victims were people we deal with regularly. Many of you in Green Valley know them well, too.
Ron Barber, who will survive a gunshot wound, is a strong political mind whose knowledge, connections and experience make him invaluable to the congresswoman. He’s her point man in Southern Arizona and the kind of guy you want on your side.
I crossed paths with Pam Simon at a Dec. 7 Pearl Harbor ceremony in Green Valley. She, too, was shot Saturday and will survive. Simon, who often represented Rep. Gabrielle Giffords at events, is as kind as they come. We exchanged greetings and I was reminded that Giffords has chosen people much like herself to go out in the community. Simon was sincere and warm in her address to the vets, and you could tell she genuinely enjoyed being there.
Then there was Gabe Zimmerman. He, like Pam Simon, was the stand-in for Giffords at local events. You knew that if you talked to Gabe, Rep. Giffords would hear what you had to say. He’d make sure of it.
Gabe was 30 and died in Saturday’s shooting.
I ran into Gabe at many events and he was always quick with a handshake and a smile, even when he was telling you something you didn’t want to hear. He was a trained social worker, and was steeped in diplomacy and kindness.
He was also a mentor.
Alex Villec, 19, a former intern to Giffords in Washington and Tucson now at Georgetown University, was helping out at the event Saturday.
“Gabe was a role model,” he said. “I’m shaken to my core to see him go. Every day I tried to emulate him. He set standards high, understands the intimate link between people and their government. Each day I grow a little more from the things he taught me.”
On Saturday, one of our reporters reminded me of a funny story involving Gabe. He was attending a Green Valley celebration honoring centenarians in 2009, when a 99-year-old woman asked him to pose with her for a photo.
He gladly said yes, and gave her a big smile. Her response after the photo was taken: “I got lucky today!”
Gabe loved it, and everybody laughed. He was a hit everywhere he went.
CJ Karamargin, who is on Giffords’ staff and knew Gabe well, told me, “He did the job he did for one reason — to help people.”
Gabe Zimmerman will be missed, and we will be poorer for his absence.
Source: http://www.gvnews.com/news/local/article_a6d36114-1bb3-11e0-9aec-001cc4c002e0.html