Dr. Marion Thorpe Issues Statement on Jack Kemp

Miami Beach, FL, May 05, 2009 --(PR.com)-- Former Vice-Presidential candidate, Congressman, and pro-football quarterback Jack Kemp passed away on May 2, 2009. He was diagnosed with cancer in January of this year. Dr. Marion Thorpe, US Senate candidate in Florida, has released the following statement:

"I am truly saddened that America has lost Congressman Kemp. He was a natural-born leader, a consensus builder, a ‘do-gooder,’ and a man of strong faith. Regardless of the ‘playing field,’ whether it be the rough and tumble AFL gridiron or the hallowed halls of Congress or the Cabinetry of the U.S. Presidency, Mr. Kemp was a positive force in every sense and a gentleman’s gentleman at all times," states Dr. Thorpe

Dr. Thorpe also points out the fact that Mr. Kemp and his former teammate with the 1961 San Diego Chargers, Ernie Barnes, passed away just days apart. Barnes is best remembered as the official artist of the 1984 summer Olympics in Los Angeles. According to Thorpe, "The two men became friends at a time when America was openly wrestling with such issues as Jim Crow, integration of our education system, and the civil rights movement,"

Of the enduring friendship between Kemp and Barnes, Thorpe further states, "To the core, these gentlemen had a natural ease with one another that made it blatantly clear that their friendship transcended all color and cultural barriers. At a time when all too many people were clamoring to prevent integration of our society, Kemp and Barnes were light years ahead of the Nation." In Jack Kemp’s own words included in the foreword of Ernie Barnes' book entitled, "From Pads to Palette,"Ernie is a living manifestation of the American Dream. On a personal level, I am so pleased that Ernie's sketchbooks dating back thirty years have been unearthed. They are a blueprint of how perseverance, moral stamina, tenacity and courage can transform a hard-working, fiercely-competitive, mud-stained, old left guard [professional football] into an accomplished, successful and revered artist. It happens. It happened to my teammate Ernie Barnes."

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