Eulogy

By Susan McDougal

I deeply regret that the country never got to see the JIM MCDOUGAL whom I fell in love with 20 years ago--the Jim McDougal whose intellect and dry wit led to his friendships with Bill Clinton and Senator William Fulbright; who would rant against social and racial inequality; whose greatest heroes were F.D.R. and Churchill. He taught me everything about how to be giving because he was one of the most generous men I have ever met.

I was still in college when Jim asked me to marry him. It was on a snowy night in Washington. When I accepted, he immediately called Fulbright, who insisted on holding a party for us. I didn't know anyone, but I eventually realized they were all movers and shakers. Jim was quite romantic and quoted Edward VIII's abdication speech. He said that he, too, would give it all up for me.

It is truly sad that Jim's last image is that of a man destroyed by manic depression and bitter resentment. His last years were not happy because he battled an illness and a betrayal of his own conscience. I pray that he has now found peace. As Jim would always say, "No sad songs for me."

--By Susan McDougal, former wife of Jim McDougal, from the Metropolitan Detention Center, Los Angeles