State Senate, Friends and Family Celebrate Life of Senator Robert M. Kerr

Current and former members of the Oklahoma State Senate gathered along with friends and family members of the late Sen. Robert M. Kerr for a “Celebration of Life” ceremony held in the Senate Chamber on Monday.

When roll call was taken, Sen. Kerr’s grandchildren answered for him. The children were seated at his desk, which was adorned with 20 white roses, one for each of the years he was a member of the State Senate.

Former Senator Dick Wilkerson recalled his friend, Bob Kerr, as a gentle man who always thought the best of everyone.

“About a hundred years ago a visitor to America made the observation that America was great because America was good. And America would remain great as long as America remained good. That was Bob Kerr to me,” Wilkerson said.

Senate President Pro Tempore Mike Morgan told the Chamber that the Senate would continue to be inspired by Bob Kerr, whom Morgan described as always thinking of others, even in his final days.

“We will continue to be inspired by Bob’s legacy. Every day, when we come to this floor and we see this empty desk, we will be inspired by what this man did, the way he came to work and did this job even when he was very, very ill. That inspiration will get us through until May, and as we begin the people’s work today we’re going to think about Bob and we’re going to think about Bob every day after that,” Morgan said.

Senate Republican Floor Leader Glenn Coffee recalled Kerr as a very brave and courageous man who continued to work diligently even while battling cancer.

“Senator Kerr was a model public servant, someone who each and every Senator looked up to as a man of honesty and integrity. He was the consummate definition of bipartisan. He always put the good of his state first, even if it put him at odds with others,” Coffee said.

Senator Cal Hobson, Master of Ceremonies for the event, reminded fellow members of the work they had begun to create a world-class cancer treatment center in Oklahoma, and urged them to continue that work in memory of the three members who lost their lives in a brief period of time to cancer, including Senators Larry Dickerson, Keith Leftwich and Kerr.

“We have the chance, in the memory and honor of the three gentlemen I’ve just mentioned, but probably even more importantly, the thousands of citizens we represent who cry out for us to give them a world-class health care system in this state so that their tragedy is not amplified by a lonely trip to the airport or a long drive in the car. We can do that together as a legislative family. And then on that last Friday in May…we can look at each other with pride and say we did the right thing in the memory of our fallen colleagues as well as the people that we represent,” Hobson said.

The ceremony also included slide presentations featuring images from Sen. Kerr’s service in the Senate as well as a presentation featuring photographs from his private life.

Senate Majority Floor Leader Ted Fisher explained that at the end of each session one member is given the honor of making the motion “sine die” and that Senator Kerr had been given that honor at the conclusion of the 2005 session. As a tribute to Kerr, Fisher concluded the ceremony with a sine die motion.

Family members, including Senator Kerr’s wife Robbie, their children and grandchildren, were escorted out of the Chamber as Representative Purcy Walker led everyone in attendance in singing “Oklahoma.”