Michael Tarcissius Leibig,

I met Mike 16 years ago when I and a handful of Arlington police officers began local 48 at the old IUPA headquarters on Duke St. My first impression of Mike was that I had met a man who really understood the many problems that faced Cops and had a plan to help them.

Over the next 13 years, Mike and I crisscrossed Virginia spreading the word that cops didn’t have to give up their rights and live on low pay just because they worked in a right to work state.

Mike was a man who was small in stature but big in heart. He spent countless hours working on briefs and appeals that most of us will never hear about. His biggest thrill was when a cop who had lost his or her job and was written off by their fellow officers won his job back through the grievance process and Mike’s skill. I was always amazed by Mike's mental capabilities. Mike was like a chess master who was always 6 moves ahead of his opponent.

On most of our trips visiting Virginia's police locals and representing their members, we quite often talked about the really great leadership that found its way into VCOPS and IUPA. It was because of Mike's talent and reputation that these people stepped forward to become leaders in what is often the thankless job of union leadership.

Each of us in this room carries his or her own special memories of Mike. You should hold these memories in a special place because we were all blessed with the opportunity to share some time on this earth with Michael Tarcissius Leibig.