Viewpoint: Treen had character and was one, too

The many memorials praising late former Gov. Dave Treen for his honesty, integrity, kindness and humility were right on target, but there was another side to him, writes LaPolitics columnist John Maginnis. The first GOP governor since Reconstruction not only was the father of the modern Republican party, but he could be the life of the party too. That view does not square with his public image of, well, squareness and his lack of charisma before a crowd. But in small informal settings he was the most genuinely warm and friendly of the governors I have known. And funny too, though not with clever repartee. Like with everything else he did, when Treen was funny, he worked at it, complete with scripts and costumes. There was Treenack the Magnificent, a take-off on Johnny Carson’s Carnack, in which the governor, in robe and turban, would divine the questions to answers posed to him by his aide and sidekick Billy Nungesser Sr. I can’t remember the jokes, but the sight gag was enough. I still have the photograph of Treen in a Santa Claus outfit, with me sitting on his knee, at a Christmas party held in July for some reason. To read the full column, click here.