Friendship is such an incredible, satisfying part of living fully.Today I received a pleasant surprise in my inbox. It’s a tribute from one civic giant to another and from one longtime friend to another.Verne Johnson is a founder of the Twin Cities-based Civic Caucus, which demonstrates new ways to stimulate and maintain involvement of people in public affairs. Their valuable work and archives of interviews with citizen and elected people in public affairs is highly accessible through the robust online community they’ve built. They have a treasure trove of information for people who enjoy working on solutions across partisan lines. Before his recent death, Chuck Clay had been Verne’s partner in a number of civic ventures and, more importantly, a best friend.Below is a tribute from Verne to his long-time friend and a poem that illustrates Chuck’s wide-ranging talents. It says a lot about living fully to the end of life, collaboration, love and friendship. Thank you Verne and thank you Chuck:THERE IS NOTHING LIKE LOSING ONE’S VERY BEST FRIENDCharles Clayas written by Verne Johnson on March 3rd 2009On Sunday, March 1st 2009, my best friend of over 60 years passed away at the age of 83. Chuck Clay and I first met as students in the University of Minnesota Law School in 1948 and our exceedingly close relationship has continued every single year since that date. We have worked together on almost every single public policy initiative I have worked on over this lengthy period of time. Many people considered us a team. His contributions to every single such success – and failure – over a lifetime have been invaluable and he has always been at my side at any time of need. Let me cite some of the initiatives we have worked on jointly:Our lifetime of continuous teamwork began when as law students we both became active in the Young Republican League. In 1949 Raeder Larson, Jim Olson, Chuck and I formed a small public policy discussion group called the caucus. Chuck continued as a core participant through the entire 60 years until the time of his passing. This caucus evolved in recent years into a tax exempt non profit organization called the Civic Caucus which is making a significant impact on public policy issues with a Minnesota emphasis. During my final year in law school Chuck became so concerned about my grades–because I was spending too much time on civic activities–that he actually tutored me.Of even greater significance in 1951 was the marriage of Chuck to Audrey Jorgenson, with whom he had been dating since his high school years. From that moment on everything that Chuck did and/or needed Audrey has always been there for him. Indeed, Chuck found the absolutely perfect wife, mother, grandmother and servant who was always there in any time of need, right up to the final moments of his life.In 1951 Chuck was part of our small group which wanted to draft General Eisenhower for president. We worked tirelessly – were thrown off the presidential primary ballot for technical reasons – organized a write in campaign for Eisenhower, carried the vote in the Twin Cities metropolitan area and the two of us went together to the 1952 National Republican convention in Chicago.Chuck began his legal career in the law department of the Soo Line Railroad, thus beginning his love of railroads and subsequently to his co-founding of a small regional railroad which primarily connected up with the Burlington Northern.We helped each other in political campaigns, Chuck and Audrey helping me on a successful race for the state legislature, and Carol and I helping Chuck on a successful bid for the Edina School Board. Both of us served lengthy years on the Deaconess Hospital board and subsequently the Fairview Board.Chuck faithfully kept me posted on local public affairs during a three year period of time when I was working out of town. Upon my return both of us worked together almost daily in the Citizens League, where Chuck served as chair of several key committees and as president.Later both of us kept busy with corporate jobs, but we continued as best friends and our families enjoyed a close social life together.We did so many wonderful things together. Numerous trips to Florida, cruises, playing golf and bridge and so much more. We gave the Clays support during their times of trial – they lost their first two children in infancy – and the loss of Audrey’s two parents. And they were always there for us in our time of need and particularly when our daughter, Diane, had to have surgery for cancer at the age of 14.A lasting memory of our years with Chuck and Audrey involved a unique talent of Chuck’s that few outside his family and closest friends knew about. He loved to compose poems, always centered about a significant event. Indeed, his daughter, Janis, put together a book of his poems and re-reading them at a time like this made me more fully appreciate this talent he had. Let me share with you just one poem, which he wrote to Audrey on her 65th birthday.The poem is titled WORDS FROM THE HEART:Words from the heart come slowly.Sometimes they don’t come at all.We were blessed in the spring and summerNow we enjoy the fall.I should have said this more oftenHow much your love means to me.But I thought the depth of my feelingWas obvious and easy to see.You have been loving and caringBringing light and joy to our life.Now it is my turn to say this,I love you, thank you for being my wife.The closeness between the two of us in recent years has been most clearly represented by our working relationship with the Civic Caucus. He continued interested and active until he could no longer function independently and even then I kept him posted on progress, invariably seeking his counsel on key issues and challenges. His role as a core participant in the Civic Caucus has been maintained over a period of 60 years and only was interrupted by his passing.The above illustrations of our wonderful working and family relationship should give you a picture of why Chuck is going to be so sorely missed. We have done almost everything as a team over these more than 60 years and his passing approaches the severity of the loss of a spouse or loved one. Words cannot express adequately what he has meant to my life nor can they convey fully my gratitude to him for always being there with me.For a brief moment we shall part but I just know that we will rejoin in Heaven and continue the work of the Civic Caucus together. Perfection is Heaven and that means, for me, a continuation of our wonderful relationship. So long, Chuck, for just awhile