The deaths last week of Warren Rudman and John Crosier are reminders that lives of service to one's state and nation are part and parcel of what makes New Hampshire and America strong.

Rudman was the better known of the two. He was the feisty and formidable state attorney general, first under Walter Peterson and then under the equally feisty Meldrim Thomson.

In one of his early high-profile acts, AG Rudman advised that the Chicago Three (Abbie Hoffman, et. al.) be allowed, in defiance of a court order, to speak at a UNH anti-war assembly. Conservatives, including this newspaper, thought this was unwise capitulation to mob rule, but Rudman saw it as a needed compromise.

Rudman, who had won a Bronze Star in combat in Korea, went on to serve with distinction in the U.S. Senate. His work on the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings deficit reduction act remains a model for what government can, and must do, if we are to survive.

We had the honor of facilitating a discussion between Rudman and former U.S. Sen. Gary Hart, post-911, in New Hampshire. The two had spent much time and effort in preparing a pre-911 report warning of terrorist threats to America. Their warnings, alas, were paid little heed.

But Rudman's example of service should be heeded. We need more of that today.

Likewise, John Crosier served his state long and admirably. He built the Business and Industry Assocation (BIA) into a strong force for the private sector in New Hampshire, reminding governors and legislatures of the consequences, intended and unintended, when regulations lean against capitalism.

Crosier was also an ardent supporter of the University System of New Hampshire, serving as a trustee and defending it without question.

Both men gave much to New Hampshire. New Hampshire is the richer for their having been here.