WILMINGTON, Del. – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) issued the following statement on the passing of former Congressman and Governor Mike Castle:
“When I was a student in high school, a teacher once asked me if I had any interest in politics. She introduced me to the man whose election campaign would be the first for which I would ever volunteer. That man was Mike Castle. Getting to know Mike then, he was kind, genuine, civically minded, responsible – an old-fashioned Republican.
“Over the arc of the more than 40 years that I knew him – I met him when I was 16 – he repeatedly provided his knowledge and expertise to help me along my own way. When he was a congressman and I was county executive, we worked together often, including some important investments into the C&D Canal greenway. When we eventually ran against each other, I did my absolute best to run a respectful, positive, policy-based campaign. As we campaigned against each other, I only liked him more. There was an editorial written about how civilized we were. I am prouder of that column than almost anything.
“I was able to enjoy visiting with him and getting advice from him several times in my first few years in the Senate. Actually continuing the work he’d started on idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis – a disease that claimed the lives of Mike’s brother and sister – was another goal I’ll cherish from my time in public office. He was an incredible man, and Annie and I are praying for Jane and for the many Delawareans touched by his life and friendship.”