wilder4

L. DOUGLAS WILDER: SHAPING HISTORY IN VIRGINIA Continued

;mor. He has pledged the same in his gubernatorial race.While working his way Through Virginia in early August. 1

met Wilder a( the Courthouse in my hometown of AmeliaCounty. Virginia—population 8.500, and that's rural Virginia.It';, an hour's drive from the Capitol. The Lt. Governor wasshaking supporters' hands by 8:15 and visiting local business es-tablishments.

'The travel." he says, "enables me to see ho* the money is

Having covered a3.700-miltcampaign trailduring his bid forI . t . Governor.W ilder has pledgedthe same in hisgubernatorial race."The travel enablesme to see h im the

spent and to betterunderstand the realneeds ir

ralitic says.

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You want a good starting salary andbenefits package with a scholarshipprogram to help you further youreducation.

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localities." He adds that hilocal governments irying i

1 understand the real need; in tinis sensitive to the problems faced b)

> find local funds to meet slate man

In terms of economic development. Wilder would focus orthe growth of business and development of the state's infrastruc-ture. "Smallbusinessmadeourcountry... Whilelplantotraveabroad to get more business to come here, I do not want to ne-gleet those businesses needing expansion." Wilder adds that hitrecommendation for the use of the state's lottery funds would inelude an "investment in rural Virginia."

As a youngster. Wilder remembers watching over his sister';crib and occasionally throwing little things in it. Raised irChurchill, a working class Black community, and not the mostdesired neighborhood in the East End of Richmond. Wilder did nogrow up with a silver spoon in his mouth. He attended RichmuiKPublic Schools and Virginia Union University while waiting ta-bles at the John Marshal! Hotel and doing other odd jobs to defray the cost of school. His father was an insurance agent for theSoulhem Aid Insurance Company. His mother; a housewife.

The youngest of eight children. Wilder was bom January 171931. At 58, he is a bachelor and has three children from his firsmarriage: Lynn, an artist living in Northern Virginia; LawrenceJr., a lawyer practicing in the Wilder firm in Richmond: ancLoren, a recent M.B.A. graduate working for the U.S. PostaService in Washington, D.C.

''My children are a great source of comfort and support," say;Wilder. The single politician added that he does not rule oumarriage. He's not looking, but knows that it requires a greaideal. "It would have to be a special woman."

In these final days of the campaign, he's up by 6:00 a.m. ancon the campaign trail, or in the Lt. Governor's office doin^paperwork, attending meetings and related activities. His da>rarely ends before midnight. "I don't eat as I should but I do toto cat the right things," Wilder says. And when the hectic pacegets the best of him, the private man n

i house or out in his gardenling of a leaf."

Wilder is a talker. "No 01mouth," he says.

Among his many professither of the Arr

here he c. , - :hc ta l

n shut n

affiliations. Wilder is a mem-tion; Virginia State Bar; Ok

Dominion Bar Association; American Trial Lawyers Associa-tion; permanent member of the Judicial Conference of theFourth Circuit (federal); National Association of Criminal De-fense Lawyers; Life Member of the National Bar Association.

His involvement in key civic and service organizations in-clude the Richmond Metro Chamber of Commerce; JunioiAchievement; United Givers Fund; Metropolitan Legal Aid:Council on Criminal Justice; NAACP; Richmond UrbanLeague; Virginia Union University Board of Trustees; and Na-tional Association of Guardsmen. He is also Vice-Chairman oiJobs for Virginia Graduates; Omega Psi Phi life member; and33° Mason, Shriner, and Sigma Pi Phi Boule member.

Aside from the race for the Governor's mansion, and his hec-tic schedule, Wilder would love to go to a football game. He andhis press secretary' joked about working it into his schedule, butthe constituents miiilil I h i n k he «;!•• t un ing off .

Wilder is a committed politician with direction. He is poisedand diplomatic. He has a clear vision for Virginia's future and itsrole in shaping the New South, This caretaker of the people, andchampion of causes is already scripted in history. Wait untilNo< nher

about... time/October. 1