State Governmental Affairs

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Chris Johnson, Vice-President of State Governmental Affairs, is available to discuss your legislative or regulatory questions any day, at any time at these numbers:

A REAL SIR GALAHAD . . . AND OUR COMMITMENT TO YOU

By Chris Johnson

Several years ago my family and I took a vacation to Spain. One sleepy Sunday morning we were in a city and were ready—or so we thought—to drive on to the next stop on our itinerary. But there was a problem: Our rental car would not start. The battery was dead.

Chris Johnson in Spain.

We telephoned Dolores Car Rental, and its representative promised to send a service vehicle to us. My son-in-law and I waited by the vehicle. After an hour, no one had arrived to assist us.

A man who was working on his house, which was near our car, approached us and introduced himself. His name was Jose Luis Rodriguez. He inquired about our situation. After we explained it to him, he wished us well and went back to his work.

After we had waited for about three hours, it was becoming apparent that Dolores Car Rental would not be coming to our assistance. We were about to resign ourselves to a delay in our trip when Jose Luis Rodriguez reappeared. He walked right up to my son-in-law and me, shook his head sadly, and then said: "My friends, the car rental agency is not going to be here today." Then, in a voice filled with resolution, he pronounced, "If anyone is going to help you, it is going to be me." (His declaration does not translate exactly from Spanish to English, but this is quite close.) And so he did. He proceeded to drive my son-in-law around the city in his car for the next hour or so, stopping to see relatives and friends, until he found a set of jumper cables to use to restart our car. He refused to accept anything for his assistance other than our professions of gratitude. After bidding him farewell, we drove away and continued our trip.

I will never forget Jose Luis Rodriguez. After meeting him, I vowed to do my best at all times to emulate his example of service.

Myself and the other members of the State Governmental Affairs staff—Lynn Coard, Director of State Advocacy, and Nancy deGrandi, Manager of State Research—are acutely aware of the challenges that you face in your work as advocates for America's credit unions. We pledge to assist you at all times, in all ways that we can, in accomplishing your objectives. Please contact us whenever we might be of service. We promise to be with you on your journey, just as Jose Luis Rodriguez was for me and my family.

Copyright © 2009 - Credit Union National Association, Inc.