December 9 Tributes to Tom Mooney in Cincinnati

From Dennis Leone, December 9, 2006
To all: Memorial Hall in Cincinnati was packed today in memory of Tom Mooney. It was not a service, it was a Tribute. People were standing around the back and on stairs between the aisles. Before the Tribute began, a slide show of Tom Mooney's professional career ran continuously for an hour with 1960's music as a backdrop. There were 11 speakers on the program, including Tom's brother Don Mooney, State Senator C.J. Prentiss, former Governor John Gilligan, National AFT President Ed McElroy, and Governor-elect Ted Strickland. Several state senators and state representatives also were in the audience. I did see STRS Board members Jeff Chapman and Tai Hayden, plus Rhonda Johnson, John Grossman, and Dennis Reardon. Many other dignitaries were present. Television stations and cameras were kept out. I sat with Damon Asbury and Sandy Knoesel. It was a very, very nice Tribute. Speeches centered around Tom's beliefs in social justice and professional/political activism. In this vein, OFT has set up a scholarship fund in Tom's memory. Contributions can be made to the Tom Mooney Memorial Scholarship Fund, c/o Ohio Federation of Teachers, 1251 E. Broad Street, Columbus, Ohio 43205.

Dennis Leone