To the Editor:

There can be no doubt: The single most memorable element of the 12 years I lived in Newtown was my friendship with Julia Wasserman. Elaborate sentiments of appreciation will now pour forth, and Julia has earned every one of them. But they amount to no more than faint praise because Julia was so much more.

On the personal level she was my friend and neighbor, but our relationship walked a delicate line. For 12 of her years in the state legislature, I was a news reporter covering the Capitol. I had to treat Rep. Wasserman not as my friend, but as an official news source. Julia never allowed that somewhat strained formality to invade our “civilian” relationship, as we continued to enjoy each other’s fascination with antiques and love of animals.

In the very best of ways, Julia was two-faced. There was the strong, stern professional face that she brought to serious issues, sometimes intimidating those who didn’t know better. Then there was her big, inviting smile that not only stretched across her face, but ran down deep inside. Her smile was her mirror. We had not seen much of each other in the decade since I left Newtown, but what I remember best about Julia was that ready smile at the simplest provocation.

As an 18-year member of the State House of Representatives, Julia was one of that rare breed who was not a politician; she was a public servant. If politics was the price of service, she was willing to pay it, but always with a well-concealed distaste for the process. Julia suffered many frustrations, but I suspect her only real enemy was idleness. She was always busy with a bewildering array of causes and responsibilities. And that may have been her ultimate undoing. When I read about her three-week recovery after the heart attack, I thought that what killed her was three weeks with nothing to do. I hope she got a couple of chances to use that smile in those final weeks.

Jim Murphy

79 Tar Heel Lane, Mars Hill NC             August 19, 2015