By Steve Byas

One of the reasons that I have been to about 30 Republican State Conventions is getting to see many good friends. One of the best of these friends I will not see at this year's convention is Bill Stemmons, who went on to be with his Lord and Savior just before this past Christmas.

Bill was a few years older, but we were close enough in age to share many cultural memories. We shared conservative political values, but most important we shared a common faith in Jesus Christ.

From his death bed, Bill gave instructions for his Memorial service, directing the hymns to be played, individuals such as Rep. Paul Wesselhoft to officiate, and the like. When I visited him at Veterans' Hospital in Oklahoma City (Bill served during the Vietnam War era) he spoke of his concern that Christians were not preaching enough on the blood of Christ.

Many attendees at state conventions, county conventions, and district conventions might recall seeing Bill seated next to the various individuals who were chairing these conventions, discreetly giving them parliamentary advice. A walking encyclopedia of parliamentary procedure, Bill was a past president of the Oklahoma Association of Parliamentarians. He had also served as a church pastor, and a substitute schoolteacher.

A longtime volunteer in the Republican Party, Bill Stemmons worked for various Republican candidates, including State Auditor Tom Daxon, when Daxon made his bid for governor in 1982. At that time, I was the media coordinator for another Republican candidate for governor, and spoke at an event in Jefferson County before the primary. An ardent advocate for Daxon, Bill was nevertheless most cordial to me.

In 2007, Bill traveled to Iowa at his own expense to campaign for long-shot presidential candidate, Governor Mike Huckabee of Arkansas. I recall once expressing to Bill when he called me from Iowa that Huckabee was not quite conservative enough for me. That did not stop Bill from arguing for his candidate, but in the friendly manner he had always done.

When Governor Huckabee heard of Bill's passing, the former governor posted kind words about his loyal volunteer on Huckabee's website.

"I just learned today that Bill Stemmons, one of our most loyal, faithful, and dedicated volunteers died after a battle with cancer. I'm heartbroken at the news. Bill was the epitome of a volunteer. Had we tried to pay him for what he did, we would have gone into debt the size of the federal government," Huckabee wrote. "Bill asked for nothing, but he gave all. Janet and I will forever appreciate him and my memories of him always smiling and wearing a campaign T-shirt over whatever else he wore that day will stay with me always. We've lost a true friend. Thank you, Bill Stemmons -- I know where you are. I'm sure you already heard this from the Master, but I want to say it too: "Well done, good and faithful servant."

We agreed on almost all political and theological issues, including the issue of using the caucus system to choose our delegates to the national convention, instead of the primary method which has, since Reagan, given us less conservative candidates. In our Winter 2009 issue, Bill Stemmons wrote a column for us, entitled Empower the Delegates!

In the column, Bill Stemmons said that, "Longtime party activists and volunteers remember how the system of selection by district and state conventions stimulated party participation. The Republican State Convention used to fill the Civic Center Music Hall in downtown Oklahoma City. Now we do well to fill a large motel assembly room."

Stemmons argued that the primary system "essentially gives the process over to money and the media." He further argued that the primary system is "fundamentally unfair because it does not operate on the principle of majority rule. Delegates are bound on the basis of plurality rule, where the most votes govern, even if far from a majority."

He noted that in other elections we have runoffs, to assure that the winner is truly the majority choice, but added that a runoff in a presidential primary "would be extremely impractical."

Bill wrote that the "conservatives may have a clear majority of votes," but they may be divided among several candidates, while moderates, despite having fewer votes, are usually divided among fewer candidates. "Hardly a fair and representative system!," Bill added.

"The convention system begins in the neighborhood, in the precinct, which should function as the heart and soul of the Republican Party."

He concluded his article for the Oklahoma Constitution with words from another Republican volunteer who has passed away, the late Harold Hite: "It is a system where caring counts more," Hite said of the caucus-convention system.

Bill Stemmons passed away on Wednesday, December 15, 2010, at the age of 63. He was born in Tulsa on January 20, 1947 to W. F. and Ethel Frazee Stemmons. He was a veteran of the U.S. Air Force. His survivors included one sister, and two brothers. He also left behind a multitude of friends, of which I am proud to be one.