Sue Wagner - Excerpts 9, 10 & 11 Transcript
(Reno, Nevada; August 15, 2001)

VC: Would you be able to pick out maybe one or two things that you could definitively somewhat say, "That's Jean Ford's legacy"?

SW: Yes. (SWagner9) I think that Jean Ford's legacy, certainly she could look back today and smile with satisfaction on the fact that the Legislature as an institution has been reformed, whether they liked it or not, and that many of Jean's ideas now are more than acceptable, are - is - it is the way they operate down there (SWagner9) and there's some...

VC: What are a couple of those?

SW: Basically, having a regulated session - that was done because of the constitutional amendment - only of 120 days which, in my mind, was not a good thing. I did not vote for it, because you only meet every other year and you have to do it in 120 days, my gosh, you know, billions of dollars business, doesn't make sense, and it's in the Constitution, which is even worse because it's very difficult to undo it, but the fact that you did have a series of dates where things had to move, it did make it a little more equal because the Chairman and the bills - you had to account for some of these bills at some point, that - that - if a - if a day like 30 days out, you had to have had a hearing on the bill and then you had to have disposed of it in one way or the other and then another day, ten days later, it goes to the floor, et cetera, et cetera, that was something she was interested in. There are some good things and bad things in that system but if it - ultimately it will work quite well, I think. A hundred and twenty days is the problem because I don't think it - they have to hurry things along so much that the public is the loser, and I think the bureaucrats are the winners, because they ultimately will manage more things that way, but I think the fact that, you know, lobbyists have to register, it's a big thing, books are published with all their names, who they represent, that is something that Jean was involved in from the get-go. (SWagner10) I think the Women's History Project is something that would never have been started - I mean, maybe somebody would've done it, but it would've been far later and not as far along now. The fact that Jean recognized that women are hardly mentioned at all in history, and how are young girls and young boys going to grow up to recognize that there is equality between the sexes and women have done major things, not only in our state but in the nation as well.(SWagner10) Look around at women prime ministers in foreign countries and we can't even hardly get a woman on a presidential ticket, except for Geraldine Ferraro, that was it - I mean, certainly she didn't lose the election for Walter Mondale, I would hope that people wouldn't say that anymore - and I think that is just a terrific legacy for Jean, and I think the other one would be (SWagner11) many of the environmental issues, that she really did bring a great deal of attention to the environment and the fact that you've only got one of them and you must be - manage it very, very carefully and with great love and care, and I think Jean was that way. I remember Jean said one of her best - best times - and she loved northern Nevada, very honestly, that's why she moved back up here, and - was when she could just go out on a hike and look at all the wildflowers, and she knew them all and could name them, and that was just a nice day for her, maybe even alone, you know, just kind of enjoying what was around her, and I think I'll always remember her that way.(SWagner11)