93.9 The Eagle – The News and Talk of Columbia, MO
It’s been more than 23 years since then-Missouri Governor Mel Carnahan (D), his son Randy and chief of staff Chris Sifford were killed in a plane crash near eastern Missouri’s Goldman.
Mr. Sifford was an award-winning reporter at Springfield’s KTTS radio before he became Governor Carnahan’s spokesman and later chief of staff. Chris was from southeast Missouri’s Puxico. State Sen. Greg Razer (D-Kansas City), who grew up in southeast Missouri’s Cooter, is sponsoring bipartisan legislation that would designate August 6 of each year as Chris Sifford Day in Missouri. That’s his birthday.
“My chief of staff is actually his first cousin and so he came up with the idea, and I said I’d be honored to do it. And of course Chris tragically passed away with the governor and his son, Governor Carnahan, back in 2000. And it’s just a way to keep his memory alive,” Senator Razer says.
Senator Razer’s chief of staff is Poplar Bluff native Tyler Travers. The bipartisan bill has been approved by the Senate Progress and Development Committee and now heads to the Senate floor. Then-Governor Roger Wilson (D) spoke at Mr. Sifford’s funeral services, which were held at the Puxico high school gymnasium. Senator Razer tells 939 the Eagle that the one-page Senate Bill 964 is a way to keep Chris’ memory alive.
“I’ve not heard a single bad word about him in this building (Missouri Capitol) from either side of the aisle. I didn’t have the honor of knowing him myself, but I’m very honored to get to do this for him,” says Razer.
Senate Bill 964 reads as follows: “August sixth of each year is hereby designated as “Chris Sifford Day” in Missouri. In the year 2000, an airplane carrying Chris Sifford along with Governor Mel Carnahan and Roger “Randy” Carnahan tragically went down and took with it the lives of three great Missourians. Chris is remembered to have been a loving and devoted public servant who was a friend to call. Missourians are encouraged to reflect on the lives and legacies of these three men and to recognize the appreciate the hardworking public servants of this state.”
“It just creates Chris Sifford day in the state of Missouri, just a day to remember him. I like to think of it as day to remember all the staffers in the building (Missouri Capitol). They work very, very hard. They get none of the credit, they deserve 99 percent of the credit,” Senator Razer says.
