John Olver was a complicated guy. Like a rare gem, he had many sparkling facets. Providing a full portrait of John with any degree of brevity is impossible. He was sui generis, one of a kind.

Much has been written since his passing about his legislative and other accomplishments. But three of his qualities may help those who didn’t get to know John understand why he meant so much to so many.

John’s impact was magnified by his extraordinary intellect but even more so by his creativity, and many may have been surprised by the breadth of his innovative thinking. John had the rational, logical training of a chemist, which he was, but his thinking was in no way rigid.

He had an astonishing facility with quantitative information. His ability to do complex calculations in his head was stunning. Numbers jumped off the page and spoke to him in a way that was rare. Some who are gifted with strong quantitative skills are also intensely linear and follow from a to b to c without skipping a step. But John had an ability to see around corners and make logical leaps that enabled him to see opportunities where others saw only obstacles.

Back in the early 1980s, John and his wife, Rose, were returning from a Caribbean vacation and while on the plane he sketched out what became the Northern Tier project, bringing together the cities and towns along the Route 2 corridor in a way that would enhance the economic well-being of those communities individually by organizing them to work regionally.

John’s creativity could put him at odds with the status quo, but the potent combination of his acute intelligence and adroit political skill enabled him to forge consensus. As a result, there are events and businesses that are thriving today that were originally sparked by John’s fertile imagination.

John’s drive to serve was rooted in his innate decency, and his humanity was not just for public show. John’s compassion was consistent. As his chief of staff, I would routinely discuss staff compensation with him. These were of course private conversations. John was a zealous advocate for pay equity, making sure that equal work was rewarded with equal pay. For him this was a matter of fundamental fairness. He was laser-focused on ensuring that the compensation structure on his staff rewarded women in a way that was commensurate with what men in similar roles were earning many years before this became a common concern.

There is a tendency among some elected officials to treat staff dismissively with only passing interest in their well-being. In his own professorial way, John cared deeply about the people around him. His passion for pay equity was not something he did for media attention or to garner political points in a campaign. It was simply John living his values.

Finally, John was relentless. Things did not always go his way and despite being undefeated in all his campaigns from 1968 to 2010, the wind was often blowing in his face and not at his back. But he was tireless and advanced his progressive principles through the Reagan revolution, the Gingrich revolution, an often heartless anti-tax climate in Massachusetts, and many other challenges to his vision.

In his own career, he occasionally felt as if he had reached a dead end. The light in which elected officials must stand is often harsh and John did not fit the conventional mold of those running for office, and thus he was often dismissed or underestimated. But John, the rock climber, kept climbing. He kept moving towards his objective despite the obstacles and the setbacks.

Because of that unyielding commitment, his impact will endure.

As we reflect on John’s life and work, let us strive to emulate his tenacity. He knew that change comes slowly and comes only by exerting maximum effort over the long haul. He would want us to demonstrate that same determination as we work to build a better world. In Hebrew we say zikhrono livrakha, meaning may his memory be a blessing. It is up to us to honor John’s memory by striving to match his unwavering spirit.

Jonathan Klein served as John Olver's chief of staff in the Massachusetts Senate from 1985 to 1987 and again in that capacity as his first chief of staff in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1991 to 1995. He lives in California. ]]>