It is difficult to believe that Dec. 17, 2022, will mark the 10th anniversary of U.S. Sen. Dan Inouye’s passing. I often reflect on his long, steady service to the people of Hawaii, his many leadership lessons, the landmark facilities and infrastructure which bear his name, and the many programs he started that continue to thrive today.

Much has happened over this past decade. We watched our nation increasingly divided in Washington, D.C., tragically culminating in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack of the U.S. Capitol, a failed attempt to interfere and prevent the certification of the electoral votes from the 2020 presidential election. The violence and mayhem that day would have broken his heart.

I recall senator frequently talking about the very foundation of our democracy, as set forth in the Constitution, which calls for the orderly and peaceful transition of power from one political party to another, from one president to another. He would often cite the elegance and dignity of President George H.W. Bush departing the U.S. Capitol in the presidential helicopter ahead of the swearing in of President Bill Clinton, who had denied him a second term in 1992. That is the difference between a dictatorship and democracy, he would say. And then with a chuckle, he’d add, “George and I were veterans first, politicians second.”

The Greatest Generation should be our leadership lesson on bipartisanship. Sens. Inouye and Ted Stevens of Alaska worked very well together, focusing on issues they agreed upon — defense, oceans, Native Hawaiians and Alaska natives, rather than dwelling on where they disagreed. “We voted together maybe 15% of the time, and we made the most of it. On the rest, we learned to disagree, without being disagreeable,” he’d say.

With the razor-thin majorities in both the U.S. Senate and U.S. House, pulling to the center, reaching across the aisle, is not nostalgia of the past, but practical politics of the present, so productive work can get done, and which puts the many urgent needs of the American people first. It is also about projecting steady leadership to the world, and also to our adversaries. America plays a leadership role on the world stage in both national and economic security which should be reflected at home as well.

The Daniel K. Inouye Institute is working with the secretary of the Senate on a painting of Dan Inouye as a former president pro tempore that will hang in the Capitol as a part of the Senate Leadership series, an honor limited to majority and minority leaders, and the president pro tem (third in succession to the presidency). The artist is Kirk Kurokawa of Maui, and it will be the first portrait of a leader of color in this Senate series to hang in our nation’s Capitol. We are hopeful for a May 2023 unveiling.

During his nearly 50 years of service, there were more than 600 staff members, including 300 interns, who served in D.C. and Hawaii, and became part of the extended DKI ohana. Mayors, legislators, judges, federal and state government officials, business and nonprofit leaders, and a heck of a lot of lawyers. Sen. Inouye encouraged us to serve and to lead — reminding us always that public service was a most noble profession. He infused a healthy dose of self-confidence in all of us — as Hawaii “kids” on Capitol Hill that we were good enough, smart and tough enough to go up against anyone, be successful advocates and deliver for Hawaii.

We are each so grateful for an amazing lesson on leadership, which we have all carried forward in our respective journeys. The foundation was laid.

Hawaii is in good hands with our congressional delegation. Building upon earlier investments made, they are committed. Hard work, relationships across the aisle. Seniority matters for the 50th state.

Jennifer Sabas is former chief of staff to the late U.S. Sen. Dan Inouye and director of the Daniel K. Inouye Institute Foundation.