Debbe Leftwich: following in his footsteps: when her husband Keith died of cancer, Debbe Leftwich's family, friends and neighbors urged her to continue his legacy of public service.

• Author: Bennett, Malia K.
• Position: One Of Our Own

September 2004 marked two important milestones for Senator Debbe Leftwich. It was the one year anniversary of her husband's death and of her decision to carry on for him in the Oklahoma Senate. That journey actually began years earlier.

It was Dec. 9, 1980. A recently divorced mother, Debbe protested when a friend said he'd like to introduce her to Keith Leftwich. She was unprepared for his directness.

"The first thing he asked me was, what was my political affiliation and did I like basketball. I thought, 'Wow, I'd heard of a lot of lines, but talk about cutting to the chase!'"

Her answer: "I said Democrat, and 'I played varsity in high school and college. Is that good enough?'"

Keith immediately asked her out to dinner. They were married the following October.

The two had a great deal in common. They'd both been involved in student government and had served as pages for the Oklahoma Legislature. Each had also worked on various local and statewide political campaigns while still in high school.

Before they met, Keith had made an unsuccessful run for the House of Representatives. When the seat (in south Oklahoma City) came open a year after they'd married, Debbe was happy to roll up her sleeves and help with the campaign.

"I went door to door with my 4-year-old son Kevin. He'd hand the folks a brochure and say, 'Please vote for my new daddy.'" Keith won the election.

Debbe's interest in politics didn't end with that campaign. She got involved with various organizations within her party and served in several leadership positions over the next several years, as well as managing statehouse races.

Debbe had also given birth to another son, Kurt, in 1984. In the next few years, she added Little League coaching, Sunday school teaching and PTA mom to her many activities. Keith continued to rise in the ranks of the Legislature, eventually winning a seat in the Senate and passing landmark legislation on a wide range of issues.

"Keith was always very in tune with the issues and needs of our district and the people who lived there. But he also had the ability to see the big picture and how those issues would play out on a state level. That's why he was a true visionary when it came to writing important legislation," she says.

It was certainly the case when Senator Keith Leftwich wrote and passed Oklahoma's first bill dealing with gang violence.

"In the early 1990s, many members of the Legislature thought this wasn't necessary. They told Keith that...