[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 99 (Tuesday, July 8, 2003)]
[House]
[Pages H6312-H6318]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
THE CONGRESSIONAL DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD
(Mr. HASTERT asked and was given permission to speak out of order, to
revise and extend his remarks and include therein extraneous material.)
Mr. HASTERT. Mr. Speaker, this morning the gentlewoman from
California (Ms. Pelosi), Democratic leader,
[[Page H6313]]
and I had the honor of bestowing on four of our former colleagues the
Congressional Distinguished Service Award. The four honorees were John
Rhodes of Arizona, Louis Stokes of Ohio, Don Edwards of California, and
Bob Michel of Illinois.
I first discussed creating the award last Congress with the gentleman
from Missouri (Mr. Gephardt), the then Democratic leader. We thought it
appropriate and fitting to have an award that is dedicated to former
Members of Congress whose service to the country exemplifies the best
traditions of the United States House of Representatives.
Today we honored four former colleagues, two Republicans, two
Democrats, who had widely different political views, but who shared a
love for their country and for this Congress. John Rhodes, Louis
Stokes, Bob Michel, and Don Edwards shared certain virtues even as they
pursued different political agendas. The words integrity, humility,
honesty, and steadfastness describe all four of these individuals. None
of them, none of the men that we honored today, pursued political
ambition at the expense of common decency. None sacrificed their souls
on the altar of political expediency. They inspired many with their
political insight and their remarkable ability to bridge differences
when seeking compromise.
All of them left their mark on this institution. Some were succeeded
by a former staff members who they mentored. All were giants in their
district who cultivated many to go into public service. All of them
left this institution a better place by their service, and for that we
give them our humble thanks.
It was an honor to award these individuals, to hear them speak from
their hearts today about what this House meant to each of them. It is a
very special place for them and their generation and for us today. I
wish them Godspeed.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to enter the entire proceedings
of this morning's proceedings into the Congressional Record.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Terry). Is there objection to the
request of the gentleman from Illinois?
There was no objection.
The material previously referred to is as follows:
Remarks From the Congressional Distinguished Service Award Ceremony,
July 8, 2003
HASTERT. Several years ago, in conferring with then-
Democrat Leader Dick Gephardt, we thought it was very fitting
and proper for us to recognize members of Congress of this
House of Representatives who've gone before us, who've laid
the cornerstones of the good things that we enjoy in this
Congress: the ability to communicate with one another, the
ability to move forward good legislation, people who have
shown the very best human attributes in this pursuit that we
carry forth day in and day out.
I just want to thank every one of you, for being here today
in Statuary Hall as we honor and recognize the first
recipients of the Congressional Distinguished Service Award.
In doing this, we said, ``Here are thousands of great
people, people that we deal with, people that we live with in
a sense day in and day out. But yet there are certain people
who add a very special meaning to serving in this Congress
and this House of the Representatives of the U.S. Congress.''
The Distinguished Service Medal Award is dedicated to
former members of Congress whose service to the country
exemplifies the very best traditions of the United States
House of Representatives.
We are honoring four men today, two Republicans and two
Democrats. The purpose of this was to start two years ago,
but because of illness and some extenuating circumstances
called 9/11 and others we have put both the Congresses
together today in this presentation.
The two Republicans and two Democrats who had widely
different political views but who shared a love for their
country and for this Congress, all four are members of the
greatest generation who--those Americans who lived through
the Great Depression, who fought in the Second World War, who
played a critical role in making America the brightest beacon
of freedom in the darkest days of the Cold War.
It is altogether appropriate that we honor these four men
with this new award.
Since my colleagues selected me as their Speaker, I've had
the distinct pleasure to participate in ceremonies
recognizing recipients of the Congressional Gold Medal, our
nation's highest civilian award given by the United States
Congress.
I have had the pleasure to participate in ceremonies
honoring Rosa Parks, the World War II Indian windtalkers,
Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II with the Congressional
Gold Medal. The gold medal awarded by the Congress is an
important way for our nation to pay tribute to leaders who
make this world a better place with their service.
The Distinguished Service Award pays tribute to those who
make this House a better place with their service.
John Rhodes, Lou Stokes, Bob Michel, Don Edwards--all of
these men shared certain virtues even as they pursued
different political agendas: integrity, humility, honesty,
steadfastness.
None of these men pursued political ambition at the expense
of common decency. None sacrificed their souls on the alter
of political expediency. They always respected each other's
differences and opinions. They inspired many with their
political insight and their remarkable ability to bridge
differences when seeking compromise.
They're all war heroes who served their country during
World War II, then continued to serve their country as
leaders in this United States Congress.
John, Louis, Bob and Don will always be remembered not just
as the first recipients of this award, but also as great
leaders who truly made a difference in the lives of so many
Americans.
You're all very deserving of such recognition.
Congratulations again for being the first recipients of the
Congressional Distinguished Service Award.
And now it's my privilege to introduce the Democratic
leader, Nancy Pelosi. (Applause)
PELOSI. Good morning.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for those very, very inspiring
words about the people whom we are gathered here today to
honor.
Thank you also, Mr. Speaker, for having the idea, along
with Congressman Richard Gephardt--then-Leader Richard
Gephardt, to recognize the distinguished service of our
former colleagues.
Those of us who served with them are blessed to be able to
call them colleague.
As you know, it's a privilege to be here in this role to
honor the first-ever recipients of the Congressional
Distinguished Service Award and their families. It's an honor
for all of us to be part of this historic ceremony.
I'm so pleased that we've been joined by some of the pages,
because they, of course, were not here when these
distinguished gentlemen served. But what they should know is
that all four of them had public service as a high calling,
all four of them were an inspiration to other generations to
serve to be attracted to public service. And that's one of
the reasons we're honoring them today.
Again, I want to commend the speaker and Dick Gephardt for
their foresight in establishing this award.
Today's ceremony offers the opportunity both to honor these
individuals and to remind ourselves how outstanding the
character of a few fine people through sheer measure of their
decency can elevate the institution for everyone.
These former members were on different sides of the aisle,
but they took a shared oath and recognized a greater
obligation to serve the country together, both to find common
ground where they could and to stand their ground where they
could not. No one has come closer to the ideal, the perfect
member of Congress, perfect public servant, than John Rhodes,
Lou Stokes, Don Edwards and Bob Michel.
Though John Rhodes cannot be with us today, we are honored
that his award will be received in the most appropriate way.
John Rhodes earned the love and the respect of his colleagues
and constituents for his service to his district, to his
beloved house and to the country. We remember his calming
strength and the dignity he displayed during the last days of
the Nixon Administration, when his leadership was so
important to the country.
I hope that you will convey, in addition to the award, all
of the good wishes of all gathered here today to your
distinguished father.
Lou Stokes and I served together for many years, both on
the Appropriations Committee and the Ethics Committee. A man
of humble beginnings and high principle through his integrity
and his commitment to the less advantaged was unsurpassed. He
came from a strong public tradition of public service, as did
Mr. Rhodes--continuing that. His colleagues were blessed to
see Lou's character in acton every day. But, the whole
country caught a glimpse and were affected by what made his
so special, and his moving personal statement during the
Iran-Contra hearings.
He comes, again, from a distinguished family. His mother
has a federal building named for her, and rightly so, because
she produced two great public servants. And I have a personal
connection because my brother served as mayor of Baltimore
when Lou's brother was mayor of Cleveland, and went on, of
course, to represent our country with great distinction as an
ambassador.
And part of that family tradition is, obviously, the
service of Lou Stokes in the Congress of the United States.
On the Intelligence Committee, where he was chair, he
introduced diversity into the mix: integrity, diversity,
mission success.
On the Ethics Committee, it was always the highest possible
standard. And on his work on the Appropriations Committee, he
did a great deal to put forth the values of our country into
our spending priorities, and he has been recognized for that
at the National Institutes of Health, among other
distinctions.
[[Page H6314]]
I had the privilege of naming this--Lou was name by Dick
Gephardt when he was leader, and as the speaker said, the
service of this presentation was deferred.
I, in my capacity as Democratic leader, had the privilege
of naming Don Edwards, a great patriot in the finest sense of
the word, absolutely committed to his country, to our country
into making it better. Don spent his entire adult life
defending the Constitution and protecting our civil
liberties. Successfully demonstrating that neither our
security nor our liberties need to be sacrificed. In order to
have both, we need leadership; Don Edwards provided that.
Don is the only member who upon his retirement received
both the American Civil Liberties Union Award and had a
dinner honoring him hosted by the FBI
And while in Congress, he was a mentor, a gentleman, a
floor leader of the ERA. Well, you're going to hear so much
more about all of these from our distinguished presenters,
but suffice it to say, as a Californian, I am particularly
proud of Don Edwards.
Bob Michel--anyone who served with Bob Michel knew that it
was a special privilege to do so. He always had a basic
respect for his political friends and political foes alike.
He never questioned the motives of his colleagues.
A great Republican leader, Bob's strong working
relationships and personal friendships with the Democratic
speakers of the House, Tip O'Neill and Tom Foley, were on
full display when then-Speaker Foley invited Bob to take the
chair on the last day of the lame duck session in 1994. That
spoke volumes as to the respect with which Bob Michel was
held as a member of Congress as a Republican leader, and is
held as a statesman for our country.
It is a joy always to see him as a source of great
intellectual power, political strength and dignity in his
service to the Congress.
I am honored to be part of any program that Bob Michel is
being recognized.
As individuals, our honorees today are some of the finest
people ever to pass through these halls. Together, they are a
welcome reminder of what our country and our Congress can be
at its best. These first recipients of the Congressional
Distinguished Service Award call all of us to a higher
standard.
Again, thank you, Speaker Hastert, for your vision and
leadership in establishing this award with Leader Gephardt.
Congratulations to all of our honorees, and thank each and
every one of you for being with us this morning.
Thank you, (Applause)
HASTERT. Thank you, Leader Pelosi.
Now I'd like to introduce the chairman of the Defense
Appropriations Committee, a 25-year veteran of the House, a
distinguished gentleman from California, the distinguished
Congressman Jerry Lewis. (Applause)
LEWIS. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, Leader Pelosi,
Reverend Dan and friends (inaudible).
Ladies and gentlemen, it's my distinct privilege and honor
to say a few words about John J. Rhodes and remind all of us
a bit of his service.
I first met the then-Republican leader in 1969--'79--'89--
1979 as I came to the Congress a part of a band of wild men
who arrived on the scene recognizing that the House had been
dominated by one party too long and by golly it was our
responsibility to do something about it.
The wild men led by Newt Gingrich and the likes of then-
Congressman-elect Dick Cheney were counseled early on by Bob
Livingston, who had arrived about six months before us, and
he had special tools in mind to help us carry forward our
quest.
At that point in time, we were fortunate enough to have a
Republican leader who recognized that there was much to be
done, including changing the House, but who also recognized
that there were ways to accomplish things. And his advice and
counsel, over that period and over the years, has been very,
very important to me personally and to all of us.
John J. Rhodes, a man of the House, served in the House as
the first Republican elected from Arizona. For 30 years, a
member of the House of Representatives. John J. Rhodes, first
and foremost a Republican but beyond that a public servant
committed to representing his people and his state well and
committed to bringing about change in our national
government.
Over the years, John served on several committees in the
House: the Education and Labor Committee, the Interior
Committee, the Appropriations Committee, in which he served
on my Subcommittee on National Security, and on the Rules
Committee. During all of that service, he made many a
contribution to the work of the House in terms of impacting
public policy.
During those early years, he had a direct involvement in
developing Republican policy or perhaps an alternative to the
then leadership direction that might be a bit more
conservative. He was chairman of the Republican Policy
Committee, and he did a fantastic job helping the
leadership to hold our band together to impact the
direction of our government.
In 1973, his life changed rapidly for the then-Republican
leader, Gerald Ford, was tapped to become our vice president.
And by acclamation, John Rhodes was selected to be our
leader. His advice and counsel, his stability, his solid
commitment to the House made all the difference for the
minority of those days.
He was a gentleman who everyone recognized as a person who
cared about the House, the institution and public policy
first. He reached out to the leadership on the other side of
the aisle, seeking compromise, where possible, to impact the
best possible of directions.
John J. Rhodes developed an interest in water because of
its importance to Arizona. And while serving on the Interior
Committee, he literally developed more base knowledge
regarding the challenges in this difficult arena than anybody
in the entire body.
John J. Rhodes, a public policy specialist, who early on
expressed concern about the direction of our country in terms
of national security. It was his voice that was heard time
and again talking about the challenge and the problem of
decreasing defense budgets. It was his voice that suggested
we should have an intertwining between foreign policy and
national defense that projected itself not for five years but
for 10, 20, perhaps 50 years, to make certain that America
played that leadership role that was necessary to make
certain that we were the force for peace and freedom in the
world, a voice that's heard today in many a circle, the first
echoed in these halls by our leaders, John Rhodes.
A fabulous Arizonan who would be with us today if it were
not for the fact that he is fighting another battle, the
battle of cancer that we all know about affecting our
country.
John J. Rhodes, a man to be remembered, a man of the House
who indeed served out his destiny, making a difference in
strengthening the House and laying the foundation for the
future of this great institution. (Applause)
HASTERT. At this time, I'd like to call up Jay Rhodes.
Jay. (Applause)
On behalf of the Congress of the United States.
JAY RHODES, son of John Rhodes. Thank you, Speaker, and
thank all of you for being here today. It's a great privilege
and it's such a great honor for me to be here. I wish I
weren't. There are so many of you in the audience that I
recognize, members of my dad's staff, members who served with
him, members who served with both of us.
As you all know, service in this House is a great honor and
it's a great privilege. One of my honors and privileges was
to serve with both Speaker Hastert and Leader Pelosi. And I
thank you both very, very much for the kind words that you've
mentioned here this morning.
And, Congressman Stokes, Congressman Edwards, Congressman
Michel, it's an honor to share this podium with you.
We are here to award four longtime members of the House,
members who lent a significant part of their lives and of
their dedication to service to the House of Representatives,
and that's quite appropriate.
But in many ways these four members are simply reflections
of the House, because the House, while it's made up of a
group of fiercely independent individuals, when it is the
House, when it's the House acting on the country's business,
it's a grouping of Americans, a grouping of Americans who
have ideals and thoughts and aspirations and hopes and goals
which basically can be boiled down to a peaceful, free,
harmonious United States.
And those are the goals of every member of this body,
regardless of the time that they served and regardless of the
party that they served.
And so you award four very deserving former members of the
House, but at the same time you're honoring yourselves and
you're honoring the institution, and rightfully so.
And were my dad able to be here today--and let me hasten to
say to you that he is not currently at death's door, he just
simply would be physically unable to make the trip--but were
he here he would tell you that service in this body is an
honor that has been conferred upon and enjoyed by very few in
the history of this country, and it's an honor that cannot be
replicated and it's an honor that can sometimes barely be
described.
But he would tell you that service here made him when he
left a better person than he was when he arrived, and I think
that each and every one of us who's had the honor to serve
here would concur in that. I think that being here makes you
a better person. Having the opportunity to be of some
measured service to your country has to make you a better
person.
If I could use two words to describe my dad, they would be
service and they would be loyalty. Service is self-described
in terms of the amount of time that he spent, both in the
military and then here in this body, and what he has done
since he's left the body.
Loyalty, of course, to his family, tremendous loyalty to
his family. Tremendous loyalty to his wife, to my mother. But
loyalty to this institution, because he felt and feels very
strongly that this is democracy's cradle, this is where the
work of keeping people free and hopeful starts and sometimes
is concluded, hopefully always positively.
And were he here he would tell you that he appreciates this
from the bottom of his heart, as do I for him. Thank you all
very much. (Applause)
HASTERT. Thank you, Jay.
When Louis Stokes decided to retire after 30 years of
service in the House many in Ohio thought it would be
impossible to fill his shoes. But when a certain prosecutor
by the
[[Page H6315]]
name of Stephanie Tubbs Jones decided to run for his seat,
the people chose her as their candidate to do that job.
Please welcome Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones.
(Applause)
U.S. REPRESENTATIVE STEPHANIE TUBBS JONES (D-OH). To
Speaker Hastert, Leader Pelosi, Reverend Coughlin, my
colleagues, current, my former colleagues who I have not had
a chance to meet, imagine this: In 1968, I was completing my
freshman year in college at Case Western Reserve and I had
the opportunity to work in the campaign for the first African
American to be elected to the U.S. Congress from the State of
Ohio. Imagine this: He didn't know who I was. (Laughter)
Imagine this: Some 30 years later, I would be running to
hold that very same seat in the U.S. Congress, and today, 35
years later, I have the opportunity to participate in the
presentation of this Distinguished Service Award to the
Honorable Congressman Louis Stokes, to celebrate and
recognize his outstanding service and achievement.
Let me fill in the blanks. Prior to serving in Congress,
Congressman Stokes practiced law for 14 years and was one of
the founders of the firm Stokes, Character (ph), Terry (ph),
Perry (ph), Whitehead (ph), Young (ph) and Davidson (ph) law
firm. His brother Carl (ph), the first African American mayor
of a major American city, was also a partner. Congressman
Stokes argued three cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, one
of the most famous the stop-and-frisk landmark case of Terry
(ph) v. Ohio. On November 6, he ran and was elected to
Congress, serving 15 consecutive terms. When he left the
Congress he was 11th overall ranking in the House.
But during his tenure he served as chair on several
important committees, including, most notably, the House
Select Committee on Assassinations, the Ethics Committee, the
House Intelligence Committee and the Appropriations
Subcommittee on Veterans Affairs, HUD and Independent
Agencies.
He was the dean of the Ohio delegation and was one of the
founding members of the infamous Congressional Black Caucus.
It is through his work and leadership that he became the
chair of the Congressional Black Caucus health brain trust,
and his name is marked across the country for his service in
this area. He has worked in health care in so many different
areas that he is recognized for the Alliance for Minority
Participation program that was created under his leadership
and funded by this Congress, and more than 20 programs across
this country are participating in this wonderful program.
His work in the area of health care has also been
recognized by the National Institute of Health, the Louis
Stokes Libraries, the Case Western Reserve University Louis
Stokes Health Center, the Department of Veterans Affairs
Louis Stokes VA Hospital campus, Howard University Louis
Stokes Health Science Libraries.
I'm smiling, Congressman Clay, because Congressman Clay
said if another building in Cleveland is named after Louis
Stokes they might as well call it Stokes, Ohio. (Laughter)
He has received more than 26 honorary degrees from colleges
and universities across this country. The Congressional Black
Caucus, in association with the Heinken Company (ph), created
the Louis Stokes Congressional Fellows Programs.
Now, why do you think that a man like this would be
recognized in so many instances? It is because of his
leadership. It is because of his willingness to stand up and
talk about issues that are important for all Americans.
In Cleveland, the Cleveland Public Library has a Lou Stokes
wing. The public transit station is named after him. A street
is named after him and his brother. A day care facility. A
post office after his wonderful mother, Louise (ph) Stokes.
Yet with all of this recognition, he takes time to talk to
children at schools, to teach at Case Western Reserve, to
serve as an adviser to the National Committee on Minority
Health.
And you would think after retiring, at least in my
conversations with Jay, that he would get a fishing pole and
find a cool stream. Not my congressman. He, in fact, says,
``How would you characterize successful aging?'' These are
not my words, these are his. ``I'm not sure I know precisely
what the term successful aging means. If by successful aging
you mean continuing to be active and involved and productive,
notwithstanding that I am older than 65, then that might be a
good definition of successful aging. I've worked since I was
12 years old. I have never been without a job. I love work.
I``--I need my glasses--'' (inaudible) when I am productive
and I am involved in being active. I perhaps overdo it in
that one should have hobbies. Perhaps, people say to me all
the time. `What are your hobbies?' I don't know. I don't have
any hobbies. My hobby is work. I just love work. If anything
has enabled me to fill a category of successful aging, it is
that I have spent my lifetime working.''
And quote he says--well, the question is, ``With your
public service career behind you, to what are you looking
forward to now?''
``The challenge of engaging a third career at the age of 74
is very exciting. To think that now I come back to the city
to practice law is thrilling. I practiced law for 14 years as
a criminal defense lawyer before I went to Congress. I spent
30 years in Congress. Now to come out and have a worldwide
law firm, Squire (ph), Sanders (ph) & Dempsey (ph), accept me
as senior counsel in the firm is very flattering. Most law
firms kick you out at 65. The fact that they have a lot of
seniors and juniors in respect to one of the myths that after
65 you don't have much utility to a law firm, for them to
reach out and take a man who is 74 years old and say, `Oh, he
does have value,' should cause some of the law firms to
rethink that myth.''
It goes on, but I won't spend time reading it.
I have been personally blessed to have the ear, the heart
and the support of the Honorable Congressman Louis Stokes. On
each occasion that I've asked for help he was there for me,
and occasionally when I didn't ask he was there. (Laughter)
People often ask, ``Is it hard coming behind an icon like
Congressman Louis Stokes?'' I answer, ``Of course it is. But
I'm not trying to fill his shores, I'm standing on his
shoulders.''
He's blazed the trail for me, cleared the bushes, and it's
my obligation to keep moving forward. God has truly blessed
me. I viewed Congressman Stokes from afar and I watched him
on that TV doing that cross-examination or standing up on
issues or bringing people in Cleveland out to vote or turning
out people in support of issues important to our community. I
sat at his feet, and now I can sit at his table.
What a great country we live in and what a wonderful and
mighty God we serve that I've had the opportunity to go from
afar and to come this close to my icon, the Honorable
Congressman Louis Stokes. (Applause)
HASTERT. Would Louis Stokes please come forward?
Louis, on behalf of the United States House of
Representatives.
FORMER U.S. REPRESENTATIVE LOUIS STOKES (D-OH): Thank you,
Mr. Speaker.
And thank you, Stephanie.
To our leader, Nancy Pelosi. Distinguished members of the
dais. Ladies and gentlemen.
I want to thank Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones for
being my presenter on this occasion and for her very warm and
kind remarks.
The choice of who in the current Congress would present me
was not an easy one because I still have many friends here.
But I chose Stephanie because she is not only my friend, she
is the embodiment of all that I hold dear about this
institution. She is now the current and the future for the
people who gave me the honor of representing them in the
United States Congress.
The torch I placed in her hands is burning brightly, and I
anticipate her exceeding any accomplishments that I may have
had in this house. She is now the pride and the joy of the
11th congressional district of Ohio.
Stephanie, I thank you. (Applause)
Mr. Speaker, I thank you for this honor bestowed upon me
today. It is humbling to be accorded this honor by the
speaker of the House of Representatives. Having served in
this house with you prior to and during your speakership, I
have great admiration and respect for both your leadership of
the House and the great service you are giving to our nation.
Thank you, sir.
Madam Leader, Nancy Pelosi, as you and I know, before
Stephanie Tubbs Jones arrived you were my favorite female in
the House. (Laughter)
Madam Leader, I am so proud of you, and I am proud of our
friendship over the years. As members of the Appropriations
Committee and the Ethics Committee, as you've already stated,
you and I stood and fought together on many issues on behalf
of health, education, housing, women, children, minorities,
the poor and the disadvantaged. We didn't always win, but we
always fought.
I want to thank you, Nancy Pelosi, also for this great
honor.
I'm also indebted to my friend Dick Gephardt, who last
year, while still Democratic leader, selected me for this
honor. When I served in the House I was proud to be a member
of his leadership team. His leadership in the House was
exemplary, and I am grateful to him for deeming me worthy of
this high honor.
In this audience today are a few people whose presence I
would like to acknowledge. I share this great honor today
with my lovely wife and closest friend, Jay Stokes, with whom
next month I will celebrate 43 years of marriage. (Applause)
We have with us here today our four children, Shelley,
Angie, Chucky, Lori, Lori's husband Brian. We also are
privileged to have with us five of our seven grandchildren.
My children and my grandchildren have been my greatest
inspiration.
Also present is my best friend in the House, former
Congressman William ``Bill'' Clay, who came into Congress
with me, with whom I served for 30 years.
I'm also proud to acknowledge the presence of a number of
my current colleagues at Squire, Sanders & Dempsey, a
worldwide law firm, including the chairman of that firm, Tom
Stanton (ph).
The word ``ultimate'' seems to best describe the award
being given me, John Rhodes, Bob Michel and Don Edwards.
Serving with each of them was a great honor.
I have always thought that to be one of the small group of
Americans privileged to have been elected to serve in the
greatest legislative body in the world was the highest honor
that one could achieve. But to be given this ultimate award
here today by my former colleagues in an institution which I
revere is the most humbling experience of my life. No greater
honor can ever be accorded than to be honored by one's own
peers.
[[Page H6316]]
In accepting this award today I'm reminded of my first day
in Congress, January of 1969, 34 years ago. My mother, my
wife and family had been specially seated in the gallery, in
the section usually reserved for the family of the president
or other special guests. My mother had just been honored as
Ohio's mother of the year. Seated next to her was my brother
Carl, the mayor of Cleveland, who was America's first black
mayor of a major American city.
Growing up on welfare in the housing projects of Cleveland,
in the heart of Cleveland's slums, this mother, who scrubbed
floors and cleaned houses for a living, constantly admonished
Carl and me to work hard and grow up to be somebody. That
day, 34 years ago, as I stood on the floor of the United
States Congress and looked up in the gallery at her,
painfully aware that Carl and I were the first in our family
to ever to go to college, I was determined to make her proud.
Thanks to all of you in my prayers tonight I can say, Mom,
I worked hard, and Congress said I grew to be somebody.
Thank you very much. (Applause)
HASTERT. Thank you, Louis.
I'd now like to introduce the distinguished gentlewoman
from the state of California, who for eight years worked for
Congressman Don Edwards before his retirement from Congress.
She then ran for his seat and was elected to serve the people
of the 16th District of California.
Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Congresswoman Zoe
Lofgren. (Applause)
U.S REPRESENTATIVE ZOE LOFGREN (D-CA). Thank you, Mr.
Speaker, and Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi. It is great to
see all of you here today, and especially so many Members of
the House. I know how hard it is to take time to be at a
ceremony. We're pulled in a million different directions. But
someone who's probably even busier than us is a Cabinet
secretary, and I's especially like to thank Secretary Norm
Mineta, who shared San Jose with Don Edwards for so many
years, for being here. (Applause)
Norm was the Watergate class, the class of `74. And I see
people who served with Don Edwards, and I know that there was
a scramble, every one of them would have wanted to introduce
Don Edwards. And I guess I was lucky enough because not only
was I elected to represent the people that he represented so
well for 32 years, but I also served on his staff for nearly
nine years.
And you know, those of us who were on the staff sort of
divided up our service. I mean, there were different decades,
the `60s, the `70s, the `80s, and the `90s. And some of those
who served in the `90s never really knew the people who
served in the `60s, but we knew that Don Edwards made a
difference in every one of those decades.
It's worth noting that Don Edwards was not always a
Democrat, hard to believe. A native of San Jose, he grew up
on 13th St., just a few blocks from where I live today, on
16th St. He graduated from Stanford, passed the bar exam. He
was a scratch golfer, he was ``AM'' in the winning Pro-Am at
the Crosby one year. He established and ran a successful
business in San Jose and looked like he was going in one
direction when all of sudden the world turned.
And in 1960, John F. Kennedy was elected president of the
United States, Don Edwards came to his senses and became a
Democrat, and he got elected to Congress in 1962 to join the
country's new president in changing the world. And he did.
As floor leader during the omnibus civil rights act in the
`60s, he also led on the voting rights act; he was a key
figure in the establishment of fair housing laws.
You know, he was part of the greatest generation in World
War II. He was not afraid to fight for our country as a
gunnery officer and later as an intelligence officer, but he
also wasn't afraid to stand up for what he knew was right.
And so he was one of only nine people who voted against the
first funding for the Vietnam War, in the `60s. And he knew
that he was right and he wasn't afraid to stand up for it.
In the 1970s, he was the floor leader for the equal rights
amendment, and we all called him the Father of the Equal
Rights Amendment, but he was gracious enough to make sure
that women got to be the mothers and the authors. He was a
gentleman.
In the 1980s he led the fight for the ADA. And although he
and Congressman Henry Hyde had sharp differences of agreement
on many issues, he was able to work with Congressman Hyde
together on the assault weapons ban, and also on voting
rights issues, because he is the kind of person who would not
let a disagreement stand in the way of reaching an agreement
when you could if it served the public interest.
There are things that he did that people don't even know
about. I remember in the '70s, and you'll think back, when
the junta threw out the democratically elected government
in Greece, and his office became the center of the Greek
parliament in exile. And they would meet in his office,
and we would come in and find all the parliamentarians
from Greece plotting their return. And I think actually
the democracy in Greece today has a lot to do with what
Don Edwards was willing to do then.
As a former FBI agent, he knew about and had the stature to
go after misconduct in the FBI, the CoIntelpro, the misuse of
FBI resources for politics. J. Edgar Hoover was not a fan.
But the FBI has now become a better place because of the
efforts that he did to make sure that we had standards and
that law enforcement could not be misused.
I remember during 1974 in the impeachment inquiry of
Richard Nixon, President Nixon, and having served on the
Judiciary Committee's impeachment inquiries here, I am
especially impressed by the dignity and the fairness with
which Don Edwards dealt with that issue. He was never
interested in getting to an end, to reaching a conclusion; he
was only interested in making sure that the facts were out
and that fairness was applied and the country was served.
As chairman of what was then known as Subcommittee Number
4, later the Subcommittee on Civil and Constitutional Rights,
he spent full time securing constitutional rights for
Americans, and, yes, trying to expand civil rights. He spent
every day thinking how he could expand freedoms for America,
not just in his bills: I think you can tell a lot about
someone not just by their voting record and by the bills
introduced, but how they act in their daily life.
And I remember so clearly a situation where the least
powerful employees of the House of Representatives, workers
in the cafeteria, were being unfairly treated, and the one
person they felt they could come to in the House was
Congressman Don Edwards. And this group of totally powerless
people came to see him and he sat down with them and listened
to them and became their advocate so that they could receive
fair treatment.
I first saw Don Edwards in Mitchell Park in 1964. He was
running for reelection. And Larry O'Brien, then the
postmaster general, was with him. He gave a speech and I was
totally inspired. I was totally impressed. And although he
didn't know it, I walked a precinct for his election.
Later, on the staff, I was inspired again. And I will say,
also, on a personal level, I would not be here today as a
member of Congress except for the help and assistance and
encouragement that he gave to me, both in terms of working
here and helping me to go to law school and always inspiring
me to do my best.
You know, when I got elected in 1994, after Don's
retirement, members would come up to me and say things about
him, and I think you can learn a lot by what people--the
words used to describe someone they had served with, and let
me just give you some of those words: ``a gentleman, fair,
decent, honest.''
``Even when I didn't agree. I knew he was a principled
person. He was someone who actually listened to other points
of view. He stood up for his country.''
I was inspired when I first saw Don Edwards in 1964. I'm
inspired today that even in his retirement he continues to
fight for civil rights, for civil liberties.
He continues to stand up for what is right and decent in
America. Our country is a better place because of his
service. We are all in his debt. And I am very, very honored
to be participating in this ceremony today. Thank you very
much. (Applause)
HASTERT: Will Don Edwards please come forward?
On behalf of the House of Representatives. (Applause)
EDWARDS. Thank you, Zoe.
And thank you, Mr. Speaker and Leader Nancy Pelosi, The
people's house is in very good hands with your leadership.
I'm pleased today that my wife, Edie Wilkie Edwards (ph),
can share in this happy day, and also that I have members of
my family have come from a long way, from California, to
share in this lovely day. My grandson, Eric Edwards (ph), and
his fiancee, Susan Parret (ph), are here. They're going to be
married in September in Carmel, California. Carmel is a
little village...
(Laughter)
... out of the Third World...
(Laughter)
And we're looking forward to the ceremony.
Also, Eric's mother, Dr. Inger Sagatin Edwards, who is
Norway's great gift to the United States. Inger is a
professor, got her doctorate at Stanford University, and is
the head of the Administration of Justice Department at San
Jose State University.
We also have other people from different parts of the
country, and welcome to all of you.
No member of Congress would be anything without a staff
that is competent and skillful, and I was very lucky for all
the many years to have a marvelous staff. And from Portland,
Oregon, Terry Pocue came all this way to share in this
celebration. Catherine LeRoi was the chief counsel for the
Subcommittee on Civil and Constitutional Rights, where I was
chair. Stuart Ishimaru from the Department of Justice and a
valued staff member. And Virginia Stone, Ginny Stone, was a
valuable lawyer, and she and I worked very closely on a lot
of issues.
So I couldn't have gotten along without these valuable
staff members, and I thank you all for coming.
I am very grateful to have had the privilege of being a
member of the House of Representatives. It's a glorious
organization, and I have many happy and important memories of
my service.
One day in 1983 I was sitting in my office and the sergeant
at arms called and said that You, as the senior member of the
California delegation, have the honor of escorting the
president into the House chamber tonight so that the can
deliver his State of the Union message.
And I said, fine, and so I showed up at quarter of nine in
the speaker's formal sitting room, I walked into the room,
and there
[[Page H6317]]
was only one person: It was President Ronald Reagan.
And I said, I said, What in the heck am I going to talk to
President Reagan about? (Laughter)
All by myself. So I walked over and shook hands, and then
I, there was a moment of silence, and I said, Mr. President,
at your ranch in San Diego, do you have rattlesnakes?
(Laughter)
And his face lit up, big smile, he said, We sure do. He
said, And I wear boots up to my knees because they're pretty
dangerous. And he said, When I see one on the path, I just
stomp on it with those big boots.
Oh, but, he said, Two weeks ago Nancy and I had been
riding, and we were walking back from the stable to the ranch
house, and I saw a rattlesnake and I stepped on him, and I
looked down and I had on tennis shoes. (Laughter)
But the most glorious moment in 32 years in Congress was in
1964, when the House enacted the omnibus Civil Rights Bill
that did away with segregation and American apartheid in this
country.
The House was the leader, and we didn't have the votes on
the Democratic side because we lost so many votes in the
South. And the Republicans joined us in enacting this
glorious piece of legislation.
Bill McCulloch of Ohio was the Republican leader, and other
great ones there were Bob Michel, John Rhodes, and the
Republicans did better in the vote than the Democrats, and
then next year this same thing happened with the Voting
Rights Act.
So that was my glorious moment, when the House in a
bipartisan way did this great movement. Now, if anybody asks
me what's your advice as you leave the House--nobody ever
asked me, but I said anyway----
(Laughter)
And all I would say is do good. Do good for the American
people, don't do any harm. And the same would apply to the
billions of people throughout the world. Do good for them,
too. Be a good neighbor. Thank you very much. (Applause)
HASTERT: Thank you.
Now I'd like to introduce a congressman from my own state
of Illinois, who also is known for his fair and balanced
approach in the House, just like his former boss, Mr. Bob
Michel.
Please welcome Congressman Ray LaHood. (Applause)
REP. RAY LAHOOD (R-IL): Thank you very much. Thank you,
Speaker Hastert, for the honor you bestow on me and to my
friend, Bob Michel, and the opportunity to say a few words of
introduction to our great leader.
I've had the honor to know Bob Michel for over 20 years, so
that I know there are three things that he dislikes very
much. The first is to miss a three-foot putt at Burning Tree.
The second is to see his Cubs lose a game they should have
won. And the third, worst of all, is to sit quietly by while
a former staffer sings his praises in public.
So Bob, I ask you to bear with me this morning. I'll try to
make this as painless as possible.
We all know Bob as a great legislator, a combat veteran, a
great singer, a patriot and as a man devoted to his beloved
Karin (ph) and his great family.
But today I want to speak of Bob in another capacity. I
want to speak about Bob Michel the teacher. I consider myself
a graduate of the Robert H. Michel school of applied
political arts and sciences, and there are some in this room
who are also students, like our friend Billy Pitts, who's now
at the Rules Committee; like John Feehery, who works for the
speaker; and Ted Van Der Meid, who works for the speaker; and
Karen Haas who works for the speaker, all students of Bob
Michel. And Paul Vinevicy, who works at the House
Administration Commission.
And my own staff, Diane Liesman and Joan Mitchell and Erin
Reif, all students of the Bob Michel school. We went to one
of the finest schools anywhere in the world.
His classrooms were his office, the floor of the House, its
committee rooms, and the farms and towns of the 18th
Congressional District. Everywhere he went, he taught his
staff by his example what it means to be a great public
servant.
President John Adams once said the Constitution is the
product of, quote, ``good heads prompted by good hearts.''
Bob Michel taught us that both of these qualities, head and
heart, are necessary in order to make this institution work.
Bob taught us by his example that the House floor should be a
forum for reasoned debate among colleagues, equal in dignity.
He inherited an old-fashioned Peoria work ethic from his
beloved parents, and he came to the House every day to do the
work of the people and not to engage in ideological
melodramas or political vendettas. And he expected, in fact
he demanded, that all his staff do the same.
Bob knew warfare first hand. Not a war in a Steven
Spielberg movie, or war fought on the pages of books, but
real war. I guess that's the reason he never used macho
phrases like ``warfare'' and ``take no prisoners'' when
discussing politics with his staff. To Bob, the harsh,
personal rhetoric of ideological warfare had no place in his
office, no place in the House, and no place in American
politics. He knew that the rhetoric we use often shapes the
political action we take.
Bob Michel was a superb Republican leader. And he would
have been a great speaker of the House. But fate decreed that
this was not to be.
So Bob, today I want you to know that you are, in the
opinion of many, the greatest speaker this House never had.
Bob, in a sense, you have never left this place you love so
well. Whenever there is a debate on the House floor conducted
by men and women with good heads and good hearts, treating
each other with mutual respect, you are there among us, and
will be so long as the House endures.
You are a great congressman, and you remain, as ever, a
great teacher.
And if I may just indulge--I was told we only had three
minutes, and some of the other people didn't get that memo,
so I'm not going to abide by it either. Right after I was
elected in 1994, and Bob was obviously a big help and came to
our victory party that night. Right after we were sworn in, I
had the great privilege of chairing the House of
Representatives. And during that chairing of the House, there
was a phone call to our office from our great leader, Bob
Michel, and he said to one of our staffers, You know, I
served in the House for 38 years. LaHood's been there three
months and he's chairing the House. How could this happen?
And it happened because of the great leadership that he
showed to all of us. He was a great teacher, he is a great
teacher, and we all--we all, not just those of us that worked
for him, but all of us who stand in the House, or serve in
the House, stand on his shoulders.
Thank you, Mr. Leader. (Applause)
HASTERT. Bob Michel, will you please come forward.
Bob, it's my great honor to present this to you on behalf
of the House of Representatives. (Applause)
MICHEL. Well, thank you, Ray, for your introduction. And
Mr. Speaker and Mrs. Pelosi and my erstwhile colleagues in
the House and those currently serving, and my friends, I
thought when I retired from the House, nine years ago, that I
had received far more than my share of plaudits and awards.
And yet, today there is one more.
I wouldn't feel right accepting it if I didn't share it in
a way and acknowledge those over the years who made it all
possible, those closely associated with me, working in my
office back in Illinois, here in Washington, here in this
Capital building.
And of course it would also include my dear wife of 54
years, members of the family.
When I first came--well, let me begin by saying that I
decided upon embarking upon a career in politics without the
blessing of my parents. I remember Dad and Mother telling me,
why would you want to get involved in this dirty, rotten,
nasty game of politics? And I had to respond to my mom and
dad, Folks, you've taught me the different between right and
wrong.
Michel: And while my father was a French immigrant,
probably didn't quite understand our system all that well,
and my mother was first-generation American, I told them that
I was quite sure that politics could be a very noble
profession, and that I'd give it a try, and then from time to
time, Dad, we'd come back and we'd check signals with one
another and see if you were right or if I was right.
And, well, time passed, and I went up the ranks,
leadership, and became leader, and before my parents passed
away, they changed their mind. And I think they were proud of
their son.
But I mentioned that only becuase, well, for several
reasons, because of the nature of things today, and how we
have changed as a country. And mention has been made, or
surely should be made, of my 38 years, all as a member of the
minority party. All those were frustrating years, believe me.
(Laughter)
And there wasn't many cheers. But I tell you, I never
really felt that I was out of the game, or that I had no part
to play. Under the rules of the House, the traditions of the
House and practices of the House, there is a role to play for
the minority and a solo voice from here and there.
And for me to have all these voices from around the
country, men and women, of different persuasions, come to
this body and argue those differences, the clash of ideas and
views of members. And then I guess the more exhilarating fays
from me as I became leader and took on more role of
responsibility, that those differing vies, those clases of
ideas, verbally, not personally, but on the issue, had to be
harmonized, they had to be rationalized, and we struck a
deal, we made a bargain, hopefully, and the joy of bringing
dissonant factions together, to work together, to craft good
legislation for the country.
That was the joy of it, and I can honestly say today,
emotional as this is for me, that my service in the Houe was
a real joy. And my collegues, particulary John and Luke, with
differing views than John Rhodes and I, were always just good
friends.
And we went at it hammer and tongs from whatever it was,
12:00 to 6:00 or 7:00, but then after all the arguments, back
and forth, you know, you could still be good personal
friends.
That's the way I like to see these deliberative bodies
work, and I hope we can continue to keep our eye on striving
toward that end, because in that way, I think, we bring
credit to ourselves and for our country to the rest of the
world.
I tell you, this has been just some, such memorable day for
me, Mr. Speaker, and Nancy, Majority Leader, thank you for
the high honor that you do me by once again honoring me as
you do today.
[[Page H6318]]
I shall surely treasure this moment for the rest of my
life. Thank you. (Applause)
HASTERT. Thank you, Bob Michel.
As somebody has said several times today, we do stand on
the shoulders of giants. That's how we can make this a better
place. I think we can all learn from lessons passed and those
heroes that have gone before us.
I want to thank everyone, including all the families and
friends who have joined us for today, as we honor John Rhodes
and Lou Stokes and Don Edwards and Bob Michel. Please stand
and join me in a very deserving round of applause for all
recipients of the first-ever Congressional Distinguished
Service Award. (Applause)
And now please welcome the House chaplain, the Reverend
Daniel Coughlin.
COUGHLIN. Every blessing comes from our eternal father. May
divine providence continue to guide this nation, hold this
House together with clear ideals, civility toward all, aware
of the deepest needs of the people.
May God grant all who have gathered here, especially the
family and friends of the honorees, his continued blessings.
And let the honorees assure them happiness and health in the
future, with unwavering faith, constant hope and love that
will endure to the end.
God, order all our days and grant us peace of heart, hear
our every prayer and bring us all to everlasting joy and life
forever. Amen.
Mr. HASTERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from California
(Ms. Pelosi), Democratic leader.
Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I thank the Speaker for his very inspiring
words about the people who were honored today and for having the idea
along with the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Gephardt), our former
leader, recognizing the distinguished service of our former colleagues.
Today's ceremony was an opportunity to honor these individuals and to
remind ourselves how the outstanding character of a few fine people
through the sheer measure of their decency can elevate the institution
for everyone. It was a sincere pleasure, Mr. Speaker, to see our
friends and former colleagues today, and it was a moving occasion to
thank them for their service and to rededicate ourselves to the ideals
by which they lived. Those of us who served with them are indeed
blessed to be able to have called John Rhodes, Louis Stokes, Don
Edwards, and Bob Michel our colleagues. These former Members, as the
Speaker indicated, were on different sides of the aisle, but they took
a shared oath and recognized a greater obligation to serve the country
together to find their common ground where they could and to stand
their ground where they could not.
No one has come closer to the ideal of a perfect Member of Congress,
a perfect public servant, than John Rhodes, Republican of Arizona, who
could not be with us, but his son accepted the award for him, accepted
the award and the very good wishes of all assembled. And let me say
that the gentleman from California (Mr. Lewis) had the opportunity of
making the presentation on behalf of Congressman Rhodes, and moving it
was indeed; Congressman Louis Stokes, who was presented by the
gentlewoman from Ohio (Mrs. Jones), his successor, and with great
pride; Congressman Don Edwards, who was presented by the gentlewoman
from California (Ms. Lofgren), his successor; and Congressman Bob
Michel, who was presented by the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. LaHood),
his successor.
Any who have served with these people know what giants they were, and
as individuals they are some of the finest people ever to pass through
these halls. Together they are the welcomed reminder of what our
country and what our Congress can be. These first recipients of the
Congressional Distinguished Service Award call all of us to a higher
standard.
Mr. Speaker, it is so appropriate that this ceremony took place in
the days following July 4, because all of these people honored the
memory and the sacrifice of our Founding Fathers, every one of them, in
their service to this country. And in the course of these holidays, and
July 4 being a great one for our country, we are all singing God Bless
America, and we know that God in the service of Louis Stokes, Don
Edwards, Bob Michel, and John Rhodes in their service to this country,
God truly blessed America.
Mr. HASTERT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the Democrat leader for her
remarks, and I think in the spirit of Bob Michel, God Bless America was
probably a very fine resemblance.
____________________