[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 2] [Senate] [Page 1457] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]TRIBUTE TO HAROLD McGRAW, JR. Mr. DODD. Madam President, today I honor a great American from my home State of Connecticut, Harold McGraw, Jr. After serving as a captain in the Army Air Corps during World War II, Mr. McGraw joined the family business, McGraw-Hill, as a sales representative in 1947. Over the next half century, he worked his way up to the position of president of the McGraw-Hill book company, and then CEO and chairman of the parent corporation, McGraw-Hill, Inc. Not satisfied with simply succeeding in business, Mr. McGraw quickly became a leader in his community. In the 1980s, he founded the Business Council for Effective Literacy, BCEL, and served as its president for a decade. He spoke at events across the country to champion the cause of adult literacy, giving generously of his own wealth and raising funds from corporate and public entities alike. A BCEL grant led to the formation of the National Coalition for Literacy and established Mr. McGraw as a key public policy expert on this important issue. His work laid the foundation for the National Literacy Act and the National Institute for Literacy, and those of us in Congress and in the executive branch quickly became familiar with his tireless advocacy. He spoke up in person and in letters. He mobilized the business community. And he was always accessible to adult learners, teachers, and local adult literacy programs. Always cognizant of the role education played in his own success, Mr. McGraw has worked hard to make education a focus of his civic engagement, including efforts with the New York Public Library, the Council for Air to Education, the International Center for the Disabled, and the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy. A proud Princeton graduate, Mr. McGraw gave back to his alma mater with a generous gift to establish The McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning at Princeton University. Princeton President Harold Shapiro said that the McGraw Center would help ``redefine teaching and learning for future generations.'' Mr. McGraw has also lent his publishing expertise to the Princeton University Press. The Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Prize in Education, established in 1988 by The McGraw-Hill Companies to mark the Company's 100th anniversary, honors those who have dedicated themselves to improving American education. But Mr. McGraw is no stranger to honors himself. In 1990, President Bush awarded him the Nation's highest literacy award at a special White House ceremony. And he is the recipient of honorary degrees from the Graduate School of Princeton University, the City University of New York, Ohio University, Pine Manor College, Fairfield University, Hofstra University, and Marymount Manhattan College, as well as the Cleveland E. Dodge Medal for Distinguished Service to Education from Columbia University's Teachers College. Mr. McGraw has given so much to our country at large, but he hasn't forgotten the State he and I both love. A major supporter of the library in his town of Darien, he has also contributed generously to Norwalk Hospital and St. Joseph's Hospital, along with his local church. He has worked to support elderly care at the Waveny Care Center in New Canaan, CT, Pegasus Therapeutic Riding in Stamford, and a wide range of civic organizations, from the Boy Scouts to the Literary Volunteers of Connecticut. Harold McGraw represents the best of American business and civic culture. All of us in Connecticut are proud to call him one of our own, and the many whose lives have been touched by his commitment to adult literacy are grateful for his efforts. We look forward to his continued good deeds and remain inspired by his example. It is my pleasure to honor this great American. ____________________