Johnson '91 reflects on 'outsized' impact Don Sundquist '57 had on his life

Editor's note: Don Sundquist, Class of 1957, died Aug. 27 at the age of 87. Mark Johnson, Class of 1991, reflects on the impact the former congressman and Tennessee governor had on his life.

Augustana has given me two of the most important things in my life — my marriage to Lisa Koenig (Class of 1990) whom I met and fell in love with on campus and my dream career in Washington, D.C.

Growing up, my family watched the evening news together almost every night. Many of the news stories we saw revolved around Washington, D.C., and I dreamed that someday I’d move to Washington and start a career in politics.

As a kid from a small town in Central Illinois, that dream seemed impossible to attain but Rep. Don Sundquist (R-TN), Class of 1957, told the college that he’d like to have someone from Augustana work as an intern in his Washington office.

Knowing of my love of politics, Professor Harold Bell encouraged me to apply, and in April, I was thrilled when I got a call from the congressman’s staff inviting me to work for him over the summer. 

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I walked into Don’s office to start my internship. He was the first congressman I’d ever met, and I assumed that he’d be way too busy working on important national issues to have any time to interact with a college kid.

On day one, I could feel the energy in the office the minute I walked in the door. The phones were ringing, constituents were coming in and out for meetings, and the staff rushed around with folders filled with reports and briefing documents. The door that led to the congressman’s inner office was closed but would occasionally open so that the staff could bring in the next group of people there to meet with him.

After my office orientation, I was quickly put to work answering phones, opening mail and greeting guests. Around noon, the inner office door opened and out walked Congressman Don Sundquist. He conferred with a few of his staff on the rest of his schedule for the week, and then he looked at me and said, “Hi Mark, I’m Don. How are things at Augustana these days?” I was amazed. Not only did such an important man say hi to me but he even knew my name.

During my summer in Washington, I spent a lot of quality time with the congressman who insisted on my calling him Don. He had a great sense of humor. Frequently, he’d come back from voting on the house floor, sit in one of the chairs in the back office and regale all of us with the latest jokes he’d heard in the cloakroom. He loved to makes us laugh and had an infectious smile.

One night when we were all working late, he came into the back office and said “Who’s hungry...I’m buying cheeseburgers,” and we immediately followed him out the door and down the street to a local dive bar for burgers and beers.

My favorite memory from that summer is the night I was working late, and Don asked me if I’d seen the monuments at night. I shook my head, and he said let's go for a drive and I’ll give you a tour. He even grabbed some spare rolls of film from the office supply cabinet just to be sure that I had enough film for all the pictures I was going to take.

In Illinois, barbecue meant throwing a hamburger or hotdog on a grill. Don taught me that barbecue in Tennessee was akin to a religion. I had my first pulled pork sandwich covered in tangy sauce at his birthday party at a local restaurant.

Only later did I learn that Don loved Tennessee barbecue so much that he and some of his staff had pulled enough money together to open that local restaurant, which eventually became a national chain called Red, Hot and Blue. My family still enjoys meeting there for dry rub ribs and smoky pulled pork. 

Eventually, I went from intern to full-time staff in his office, which to this day is still one of the best jobs I’ve had in my career. When Don won the Tennessee governor’s race in 1994, he made it clear that I was welcome to join his new administration, but he thought that the better option for my future was to stay in Washington and work for the man who would take his seat in Congress.

I took his advice and while I wonder what it would have been like to work for him as governor, looking back I know he was right that my future was in Washington.

As governor, Don frequently came back to D.C. for official business, but he never came to town without stopping by our new office to say hello and share some more jokes. After he retired from politics, he would frequently call to see how I was doing and tell me about the happenings on Augie’s campus as he was serving on the Board of Trustees.

Knowing that I’d taken a new job working in the government affairs office for Toyota, he’d always brag about how much he loved his Toyota Avalon — best car he’d ever owned he’d tell me.

I don’t know if there are many people who can point to the single individual who had such an outsized impact on their lives. I owe my career, my success and my love of pulled pork to the gentleman from Tennessee.

Don, I will miss you always.

Mark