Local Opinion: Mo Udall's career still has meaning to Southwest

As a young doctoral student at the University of Arizona, I did not experience first-hand the career of Rep. Morris K. Udall. But as a historian who is learning to be mindful of the past, I feel that a brief reflection on that career could provide some useful guidance for the future.

Morris King “Mo” Udall was born in St. Johns, Arizona, on June 15, 1922, to a family actively engaged in politics and public service. His mother, Louise “Lee” Udall, was a political volunteer, and his father, Levi Stewart Udall, was an Arizona Supreme Court justice. Udall lost an eye in an accident as a child, and this helped him develop a unique style of self-deprecating humor. U.S. Sen. Alan K. Simpson, once remarked that the once-hopeful presidential candidate “could tell you to go to hell in a way that would make you look forward to the trip.”

Mo Udall was a local attorney and a law professor at the University of Arizona. At his death in 1998, Richard Pearson of the Washington Post, wrote: “Under his leadership, millions of acres of federal lands were designated as wilderness, a ban was placed on development on millions of acres in Alaska and landmark legislation addressed problems in strip mining and nuclear waste management.”

Udall’s efforts were hard-won and impacted the nation, but it’s important for Arizonans to remember the type of friend he was.

Udall left public service in 1991, but before he did, he lamented the reductive politics that accompanied the arrival of neoliberalism. In the 30 years during which he served, Udall employed his mastery of the political landscape to pass legislation. He was a gifted politician, in part because he took the time to consider the needs of his constituents over those of his benefactors.

Udall was a staunch advocate of environmental causes, and in his time in Congress, he made many friends along the way. Udall had a penchant for self-effacing humor that served him well as a legislator, but he was equally known for his leadership skills and his structured work ethic.

Udall also occasionally made enemies of those who opposed his progressive legislation. As part of a trend in progressive environmental legislation that followed the National Environmental Policy Act of 1970, Udall sponsored the Surface Mining Remediation and Control Act of 1977, and the year prior, he passed amendments to the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 that led to increased environmental controls and allowed states to have a say in the matter of nuclear waste (H.R. 15791). An advocate for openness and accountability, Udall disclosed his personal finances before the 1978 requirement.

Mo Udall’s legacy puts into focus for us an image of what it looks like to be a friend to the environment and the community. As we take note of the man whose commitments still positively impact our lives today, I hope that we can remember the great listener who took action.

For those who will serve their communities in the years ahead as Mo Udall did, it’s worth noting how Udall used humor to “pave the way to compromise” and to set positive standards for our body politic. It was because he served the Southwest and the nation so ably that he remains relevant to the health of the community today. In view of the contours of the road ahead, the ideals and practice of governance and civic service that characterize Mo Udall’s career are wonderful guideposts.

To honor Mo Udall’s legacy, the University of Arizona’s Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy, along with the Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation, will be hosting a pair of events. The first event will be held in Tucson on April 28, at the Environment & Natural Resources (ENR2) building on the UA campus. The second event will be at UA’s Washington, D.C., Center for Outreach and Collaboration.

The April program features a roster of distinguished speakers and panelists, along with Udall family members. Registration for the event is required, and more information can be found at www.udallcenter.arizona.edu/morris-k-udall-centennial-celebration.