Letter: Mike was model of compassion on soup line

Monday, March 15, 2004 | 8:52 a.m.

I was so moved to see the pages and pages of tributes in the newspaper in response to former Nevada Gov. Mike O'Callaghan's death. Consistently the remembrances resonated deeply with our experience of Mike as a man of courage, integrity and commitment. He was our protector and guardian as much as he was the protector and guardian of the poor. He is proof that when politicians have the courage to speak for the marginalized and voiceless, their message will penetrate, transform and live on in the social consciousness of the community.

Mike volunteered with us on the soup line. He took pride in making and serving the "best coffee in town" for the poorest of the poor. He often brought family and colleagues down to share in the personal experience of serving the homeless. I often wondered how a man of such world prominence could make the time for our simple soup line, but I have come to believe that for Mike the soup line was one of many ways he found to express the deepest promptings of his compassionate soul.

JULIA OCCHIOGROSSO

Editor's note: Julia Occhiogrosso, in 1986, founded the Las Vegas Catholic Worker, an organization of lay Catholics involved in social issues. Among other activities, it runs a soup line and hospitality home for homeless people.