Timothy Goeglein

Dear Phyllis –

I wanted to let you know how deeply grateful I am not only for our friendship of 20 years but also for providing the pathway of my own entrée into the public square.

When I was a boy, a woman in our hometown, Jean Becker, now deceased but a very good friend of yours in life, was the leading Eagle Forum representative in Northern Indiana. Through a common friend, she helped shape and mold my pro-life, pro-family, and pro America views. She did so with alacrity and goodwill, and I am forever indebted for her selfless investment in me.

But all that she did was rooted in Eagle Forum, and when, many years later, Jean provided a connection and pathway for me to come to Washington as an intern in the United States Senate, I could not have known how deeply that Eagle Forum connection would have impacted and shaped the entire contours of my life.

I have now lived and worked in Washington 26 years: In the Senate, in the House, in the White House, and now at Focus on the Family, which I adore. None of this, Phyllis, would have been possible without the mission, vision, and way-forward that your leadership and vocation provided.

From the bottom of my heart, sincerest thanks and praise for a life well-lived and for your devotion and passion for the first principles that make life worth living.

All blessings, in friendship,

by Timothy S. Goeglein, Vice President, External Relations, Focus on the Family