Ten years ago today, I received a surprise call from Mandeville, Louisiana, from the state’s former governor, Dave Treen. Two days later, on Oct. 29, 2009, Treen was dead. At the risk of too personal and digressive a column, please allow me to explain why I miss Gov. Treen and why it’s relevant today.

Treen, 81, died of a severe lung infection which, at the time he called me, was masking itself as the pain of a wrenched back combined with some mild chest congestion. His voice was raspy; his lady friend (he was a widower) did most of the talking, mainly to say the governor liked some of my recent columns for the Washington Times. I don’t think either of them had any idea he would need to be hospitalized later that day and die so soon after.