'It's been a good trip', last words of acclaimed professor and father to US presidential hopeful

Acclaimed professor Joseph Buttigieg, and father of US presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg, has passed away. South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg announced his father's passing away through a Facebook post on Sunday afternoon. He was 71. “We are in mourning today. With his family at his side, Dad passed away peacefully earlier this afternoon. We miss him already but his love of life, and his moral passion, will stay with us forever. As a friend, colleague, thinker, and educator, he touched countless lives, and we hope to find a way to honor his impact later on in the spring." "The last thing he said to us was, 'it’s been a good trip.' So it has. We love you, Dad," wrote Mayor Buttigieg. Read: Mayor of Maltese descent enters 2020 US Presidential race Education Minister Evarist Bartolo described Prof. Buttigieg as a mentor who drove a group of university students 47 years ago. "He was an intellectual and a moral giant imbued with such a sense of humour. He really was a beacon of hope for all of us those days in the early 1970s," Mr Bartolo told Times of Malta.  "He believed in the values of social justice and democracy and he campaigned against the 'money can buy you anything' belief.