Gary Sellers chatting with visitors at Cherries-on-Top islation in

Gary Sellers chatting with visitors at Cherries-on-Top

islation in which Sellers had been particularly interested during his employment by the Bureau of the Budget— the Coal Miner’s Health and Safety Act and the Occupational Safety and Health Act (“OSHA”), both of which Mr. Sellers, with a cadre of other “Nader’s Raiders,” largely drafted. These landmark Acts have had substantial impacts on employment safety in the United States. Mr. Sellers thereafter worked for several additional members of congress, including John Burton and Sala Burton, and for the very powerful Senate Appropriations Committee and its Chair, Senator John McClelland.

He retired from Congressional employment after more than 15 years and began his second career as a cherry orchardist, founding the 1000 cherry tree “Cherries-on-Top” orchard. Operating the orchard was his primary commercial activity during much of this time, but he was a nearly full-time volunteer for the National Office of the American Civil Liberties Union, working with Morton Halpem and his staff on legislative matters of concern to the ACLU, for which he received an award for his excellence. He also worked in the Legislative Office of the American Bar Association and as a volunteer for other liberal Washington based organizations.

In 2000, when Sellers feared that the independent candidacy of Ralph Nader could hurt the election prospects for A1 Gore, the Democratic nominee, he organized and spearheaded “Naders Raiders for Gore,” securing public support from a substantial plurality of the persons who had earlier served as Naders Raiders. Notwithstanding significant popular media coverage of the Naders Raiders for Gore I including appearances by Sellers on all three networks) and the group’s obvious impact, Nader’s strong showing in Florida, most observers agree, lost the state — and ultimately the election —for Gore.