It was October 9, 2002, and members of NDAA’s Executive Committee were meeting with their Canadian counterparts in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Jack Bailey, Connecticut’s chief state’s attorney, was our treasurer. The illness that was to take his life 11 months later was already beginning to take its toll on his voice, but he was determined to travel to Halifax and fulfill the responsibilities of his office by delivering his final treasurer’s report. No doubt this was also his way of saying goodbye to his NDAA colleagues and the association he had served so faithfully.

Sensing that speaking for 10 or 15 minutes would be a painful ordeal for Jack, I delivered the treasurer’s report and I thought to myself: What words are there to describe this colleague and friend of many years? Courage? Devotion? Grace under pressure? Dedication? All of them, of course.

And what words are adequate to describe Roger Queen, whose poignant story appears on page 44 of this issue? Even after becoming a quadriplegic as the result of a freak accident at the courthouse, Queen continued to be involved with his office, reviewing cases with the DA pro tem and members of his staff, and offering his advice.

There are no words to adequately describe such courage and dedication. But that’s the way prosecutors are. These, of course, are dramatic examples, tinged with tragedy. There are also many examples of quiet dedication by prosecutor members of this association, who are contributing precious time and effort to the benefit of their profession in a variety of NDAA assignments.

Officers, committee chairs and other NDAA members have testified before committees of Congress on legislation of vital concern to prosecutors across the nation. In a three-week span NDAA President Bob McCulloch testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on gang violence and witness intimidation; NDAA Vice President Jim Fox testified on international extradition before the Criminal Justice, Drug Policy and Human Resources Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee; and NDAA Vice President Chris Chiles testified on elder abuse, neglect and financial exploitation before the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Crime, Corrections and Victims’ Rights. These are just a few of the NDAA officers and other members who have taken the time to come to Washington, DC, to represent this association and their fellow prosecutors.

NDAA members are also:

• Representing prosecutors’ interests by serving as NDAA liaisons to other organizations such as the American Bar Association (ABA), National Association of Prosecutor Coordinators (NAPC), American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors and the International Association of Prosecutors (IAP).
  
  
• Serving on the faculty as guest speakers at the National Advocacy Center, as well as at training sessions and other programs presented by the American Prosecutors Research Institute (APRI) and the National College of District Attorneys (NCDA).
  
  
• Working with the NDAA policy attorney on shaping association policy positions for consideration by the Board of Directors.
  
  
• Representing NDAA at meetings of state prosecutor associations, explaining NDAA policy positions.
  
  
• Exchanging information with other prosecutors and providing information in response to their inquiries on issues related to cases.
  
  
• Performing public service functions, such as speaking on NDAA issues before various groups and appearing as guests on NDAA’s radio program, trying to help the public better understand the people’s attorneys and appreciate their difficult tasks and dedication.

At the risk of redundancy, I want to re-emphasize that all of these activities involve the expenditure of considerable time and effort, including travel, by busy prosecutors.

That’s dedication.

NDAA would not be the influential association that it is without them. They deserve our thanks.