WASHINGTON, Sept. 22, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On the eve of a contentious election, President Obama and leaders of both parties today praised the legacy of former Senator George V. Voinovich as a practical problem-solver.

"Senator Voinovich was a patriot who dedicated his life to serving others," President Obama said in a message to a Voinovich tribute event. "In his 46 years in public service, he worked tirelessly on behalf of the people of Ohio, reaching across the aisle to stand up for what he believed in."

Voinovich, a former senator, governor and mayor of Cleveland, died on June 12 at age 79.

In Washington on Thursday at the National Press Club, Ohio University President Roderick McDavis presented the Voinovich family with the Outstanding Federal Government Alumni Award in recognition of the senator's public service.  Ohio University is home of the George V. Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service in Athens, Ohio.

US Senator Tom Carper, D-DE, and Congressman Steve Chabot, R-Ohio, spoke at the event memorializing the legacy of Voinovich. Both Ohio senators sent video tributes.

"George's legacy lives on, in the hills of Southeast Ohio.  The Voinovich School embodies the best in George Voinovich's spirit of collaboration," Senator Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, said.

Senator Rob Portman, R-Ohio, noted that Voinovich was elected student body president at Ohio University.  He called Voinovich "a public servant without equal in Ohio, and above all, just an amazing man and a mentor of mine."

In the nation's capital on Thursday, digital signs in bus shelters across the city displayed Voinovich's picture with the caption "Senator, Governor, Mayor."

Sherrod Brown Video
https://youtu.be/U_RFBm3vlBo

Rob Portman Video
https://youtu.be/w0PFzIDgmn0

2015 Voinovich School alumnus Caleb Hawkins' tribute
http://www.cleveland.com/opinion/index.ssf/2016/09/remembering_george_voinovich_o.html

About the Voinovich School
The Ohio University Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs is a catalyst for regional, state and national collective impact in entrepreneurship, energy and the environment, and public and social innovation. Students engage in a combination of hands-on opportunities and networking to bring their ideas to life. For additional information, visit www.ohio.edu/voinovichschool

Media Contact:
Laura Alloway, Director of Marketing and Communications
740.597.2579 / 614.571.0385
allowayl@ohio.edu

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160922/410951

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SOURCE Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs