Victor Ashe
Victor Ashe was the 25th United States Ambassador to Poland. He was elected mayor of Knoxville, TN in 1988 and served until 2003, making him the city’s longest serving mayor. He also served six years as a Tennessee state representative (1968 to 1974) and nine years as a state senator (1975 to 1984).
Ashe has been appointed by former U.S. Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama to federal positions.
Among his accomplishments, Ashe authored Tennessee’s Natural Areas Preservation Act and Tennessee's Presidential Primary Law. As Knoxville’s mayor he tripled the size of the city’s park system and added 40 miles of greenways.
Critical Thinking Questions:
- How did Victor Ashe become Ambassador to Poland? What specific duties as Ambassador does he describe as particularly significant?
- What is the March of the Living? Why does Mr. Ashe feel that this event is significant to remembering the Holocaust?
- What was the Louis? What does Mr. Ashe share about that story that surprises you? Why?
Writing Prompts:
- Develop a short essay in which you explain and evaluate Mr. Ashe’s quote, “There is no denial that is valid because it happened. And it happened among so called ‘civilized’ people.” What does he mean? Why is this message so significant?
- Develop a short essay in which you analyze Mr. Ashe’s quote, “I think we have to know about man’s inhumanity to man.” How does this statement reflect the history and legacies of the Holocaust? How can this message encourage you to become an upstander in your own community?