[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 146 (Saturday, October 8, 1994)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page E] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov] [Congressional Record: October 8, 1994] From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] A TRIBUTE TO REPRESENTATIVE DON EDWARDS ______ speech of HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL of new york in the house of representatives Thursday, October 6, 1994 Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, please join me in honoring our distinguished colleague, Representative Don Edwards, who is retiring from the House of Representatives at the end of this, the 103d Congress, Representative Edwards, the dean of the California delegation, has represented his San Jose district with considerable distinction since 1962. Representative Don Edwards was born and raised in the community that he now represents. He attended public schools in San Jose and received both his bachelors and juris doctorate degrees from nearby Stanford University. Don served as a Federal Bureau of Investigation agent from 1940 to 1941, and during World War II as a Naval intelligence officer and gunnery officer at sea. He and his wife, Edith B. Wilkie, a native New Yorker and presently executive director of the Arms Control and Foreign Policy Caucus, raised five sons: Judge Leonard Perry Edwards and Judge Thomas C. Edwards, both of Santa Clara County Superior Court; Samuel Dwyer Edwards, a software designer living in Portola Valley; Dr. Bruce Haven Edwards, a mathematics professor at the University of Florida; and William Don Edwards, a San Jose lawyer. By perpetuating the leadership and commitment to serving fellow human beings, these five men will serve, perhaps, a Don and Edith's greatest legacy. Matching his legacy of congressional service, which he will bestow upon the Members of this body in a few short weeks, will prove difficult, if not impossible. Upon arriving in Washington, he made clear his goals to serve the people of San Jose and southern San Francisco Bay and to defend the liberties and laws of the Constitution. Working with both Presidents Kennedy and Johnson, Representative Edwards was the floor leader in the enactment of the 1964 Omnibus Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights of 1965. He participated in civil rights demonstrations and marches in Washington and throughout the South. In 1963, he visited Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the Birmingham Jail. Later, he helped to shepherd the equal rights amendment through the House and authored both the Freedom of Choice Act and the Religious Freedom Act. His respect for civil liberties and consistent support of those principles have led many of us to refer to Mr. Edwards as ``The Conscience of the Congress.'' Representative Edwards never wavered in his adherence to those principles, even when it led to helping those outside of this body's realm. Whether referring to his work on oversight of the FBI, United States involvement in El Salvador, Nicaragua, Vietnam, or South Africa, Don brought his integrity and decency with him. It has touched all who know him. And by doing so, Don Edwards has better served his constituency and his country. In his 32 years of service, Mr. Edwards's legislation has: doubled the size of the San Francisco Bay Wildlife Refuge; established environmental education centers in Alviso and Fremont; given copyright protection to semiconductor manufacturers; streamlined export licensing; helped build the Robert F. Peckham U.S. Courthouse and Federal Building in San Jose, and many other highway, flood control, earthquake relief, and rail projects. I find it perfectly appropriate that we honor Representative Edwards in the same week that this body honored President Nelson Mandela of the Republic of South Africa and welcomed him here to address Congress and the Nation. Like President Mandela, Don Edwards believes that our society's enemy is never an organization, an event, a symbol, or a race of people. Humanity's true enemies are tyranny, contempt for liberty, and injustice. In waging a never-ending battle against these foes, Don has transcended the legislative works of this body. In doing so, he has inspired generations of constituents, colleagues, and friends, including this humble legislator. ____________________