Hamilton County Republicans Hear From Vice President's Mother

Friday, May 26, 2017

photo by Sharon Blankenship

The Hamilton County Republican Party GOP 2017 Lincoln Day Dinner welcomed Vice President Mike Pence's mother, Nancy Pence Fritsch, as keynote speaker.

The witty 84-year-old opened by singing "Chattanooga Choo," paying homage to this year's event location, the Chattanooga Choo Choo's Imperial Ballroom. She regaled the audience of over 300 with personal antecdotes of her life as a wife, and mother, of the Vice President.

Unknown to attendees, Nancy Pence Fritsch had first traveled to Chattanooga on her way from Chicago to Florida for her honeymoon in 1956. She vividly remembered and shared her trip through the Tennessee mountains on two-lane roads, and how struck she and her husband, the vice president's future father, were by the beautiful bright lights of Chattanooga.

As a daughter of immigrants from Ireland, Nancy Pence Fritsch grew up in a extremely patriotic family. She shared her father's great love and pride in this country. And, when Mike Pence, the youngest of three, did not talk until age three, his Irish grandfather would teach him his first spoken words "You're welcome." Nancy smiled, "He never stopped talking." In elementary school, Michael became interested in public speaking, and won a speech contest in the sixth grade. Young Pence also showed an early interest in politics and history, and notes his favorite Presidents were Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan. His early understanding of politics resulted in his election as president of his high school senior class. Later, he would excel in college, complete law school, marry, work in radio, run and be elected U.S. Congressman, and governor of Indiana.

She also recalled Mike saying when he accepted the bid to run for vice president with candidate for President Trump, he shook his hand and exclaimed, "It's going to be great."

The speaker said she was proud to be at the inauguration for her son and President Trump. She was seated on the row in front of Hillary and President Bill Clinton, and turned and acknowledged Hillary with a smile. She said Hillary smiled back. She and husband, Basil, have not visited the White House since the inauguration, but, so far, the vice president reports he loves working with President Trump, she said. "He's a great guy, he really is," Ms. Fritsch said of the president. He is a businessman and I was married to a businessman, it was wonderful. We had a great life, and he worked hard as a salesman and dealt with customers. I admire President Trump so much."

Also speaking throughout the evening were Congressman Chuck Fleishmann, Tennessee GOP Chairman Scott Golden, HCGOP Chairman Joe DeGaetano, Event Chair and HCGOP Vice Chair, Marsha Yessick, and candidates for governor, Congresswoman Diane Black and Randy Boyd. Bill Lee provided a spokesperson.