I was saddened to discover yesterday that Jill Frierson died while we were on the mainland earlier this month. I learned of her passing when I saw a notice on the Republican Party web site yesterday and then looked up the Star-Bulletin’s obit by Richard Borreca.

We crossed paths with Jill many times, although she was a strong GOP backer and we are not. We overlapped as undergraduates at Whitman College back in the 1960s, and carried that shared Whitty background through the years. Later, when I became executive director of the local Common Cause group in 1983, I quickly found Jill to be a font of information and sharp perspective on the legislative process and political issues. She was among the moderate Republicans who joined with Democrats in the non-partisan Common Cause organization, and I could always turn to her for advice and insights.

I’ve called her for time to time when I needed advice from the other side of the political aisle. She was always open and willing to share.

That’s the way I’ll remember her.