When the children of the late Vermont Gov. Tom Salmon thought about scheduling a remembrance for their father after the 92-year-old died in January, all knew why they had to wait until August.
Salmon was a Rockingham lawyer in the summer of 1972 when, seeing Democrats without a gubernatorial candidate, he announced a last-minute, long-shot bid on the afternoon of the Aug. 2 filing deadline.
“I run at a time when the public’s confidence in its governmental leaders, at many levels, is at an all-time low, when there is a deep feeling among all segments of the people that things aren’t working,” Salmon said in a speech quoted by state newspapers just starting to print stories about the Watergate scandal. “I run to give our people a choice between the policies of the past and the promise of the future.”
Three months later, Salmon miraculously beat favored Republican businessman Luther “Fred” Hackett in what the Burlington Free Press, then the state’s largest newspaper, deemed “the biggest political upset in Vermont history.”
“We celebrate not a victory of party but a victory for the indomitable and independent people of the state of Vermont,” Salmon told reporters on that Nov. 7, 1972, election night. “Democracy is alive and well.”
A half-century later, family and friends gathered Saturday to remember that past “promise of the future” amid a nationally turbulent present.
“It’s a bit of a rough patch right now — the issues have become more complex and more partisan,” said state Treasurer Mike Pieciak, a 42-year-old who first met Salmon shortly after serving as a student legislative page. “It has become meaner and focused on how are you going to beat the other side.”
The event was one of two recent memorials that featured a Who’s Who of colleagues of the late governor and his two Democratic successors, Madeleine Kunin and Howard Dean.
Salmon’s funeral at Bellows Falls’ St. Charles Parish and follow-up reception at the local country club drew people of all ages and political stripes. They included current Republican Gov. Phil Scott, who ordered the lowering of flags over the weekend in honor of his predecessor, who served from 1973 to 1977.
“Governor Salmon led Vermont through some of our nation’s most difficult times, doing his best to stabilize our economy and strengthen trust of government,” Scott said in a statement. “His efforts on behalf of Vermont are worthy of our gratitude, remembrance and respect.”
In July, dozens more gathered at the Upper Valley’s Hanover Inn to honor the late Kathy Hoyt, an 83-year-old Norwich resident who died in March after a Vermont political career that spanned three gubernatorial administrations.
“She believed in government,” Hoyt’s son Michael said in a speech. “She believed in a society that helps people and works for them, that allows them to achieve their potential.”
Attendees noted a slew of recent headlines about federal cuts to everything from Vermont food assistance to flood mitigation. In contrast, they recalled when state news once centered on Salmon’s work to protect the environment (such as his land gains tax to control subdivisions), Kunin’s efforts to boost education (ensuring all students access to kindergarten) and Dean’s push to expand health care (starting with the Dr. Dynasaur program for children).
Hoyt worked as planning director for the Vermont Agency of Human Services under Salmon, then served as Kunin’s chief of staff after the state’s first, and so far only, female governor won election in 1984.
“It was an exciting time,” Kunin said in a speech. “Women were coming into their own. We were on sort of an adventure, not knowing exactly where it would lead.”
Kunin stepped down in January 1991, only for her successor, Republican Richard Snelling, to die of cardiac arrest that August. Dean, then lieutenant governor, was no sooner sworn in as Snelling’s replacement when he asked Hoyt to serve as his chief of staff and, later, the first female secretary of administration until his departure in 2002.
“The thing that amazed me about Kathy was her integrity and her willingness to always try to do the right thing,” Dean said in a speech, “including a few times when she had to convince me to do the right thing when I was not inclined to do so.”
Attendees at both memorials said such motivation was often lacking today.
“I think in a lot of ways it has changed for the worse,” said Pieciak, noting he was talking more about the national scene. “It’s much more about personal ego, wealth, success, attention, and not about the people. I wonder if I was 10 years younger, would I ever have gotten into politics? Does the politics that I became interested in still exist?”
Pieciak added of speculation about a future run for governor: “It’s too early to talk.”
Kunin voiced similar concerns about the changing tenor.
“In those days, public administration and public action were applauded and revered,” she said. “We live in a time now where the best and the brightest might not serve because you’re demonized if you take that step.”
Attendees at both memorials questioned the best way to respond. Michael Hoyt shared what he thought his mother would say: “She’d tell you, ‘Don’t despair, don’t give up.’ She’d say, ‘It’s always darkest before the dawn.’”
Kunin, set to celebrate her 92nd birthday in September, offered her own answer when asked, “How are you?”
“I’m here,” she said. “You have to hang in there.”
