U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES PAYS TRIBUTE; BILL EMERSON, 1938-1996

Colleagaues of Bill Emerson praised the Cape Girardeau congressman during several hours of testimony on the House floor Wednesday. Below are excerpts from some of the many speeches.

Paul E. Kanjorski, D, Pennsylvania

Mr. Speaker, it is with a heavy heart that I rise today to pay tribute to my oldest and dearest friend, Bill Emerson.Bill and I knew each other for 43 years. We met in this Chamber as 15-year-olds when both of us were young. Bill was an exceptional young man, very bright, very focused and very dedicated. As a matter of fact, I used to think of him as an American Churchill or a Midwestern Lincoln: a person of great potential ready to be molded, with a big heart and an understanding love for America and what this great democracy is all about. You know, a lot of my friends on both sides of the aisle will miss Bill because he was truly bipartisan in most everything he ever did.

A lot of us know him and know him in different ways, but one does not know Bill Emerson unless one knows he was not really Bill Emerson. When I first met him, he struck out his hand and he introduced himself as Norville William Emerson of Missouri. Being a young man from Pennsylvania, I had never heard of a Norville William Emerson from Missouri before, particularly one who talked with a Midwestern twang and almost had hayseed in his hair. But clearly the light and brightness of his mind reflected through his eyes, and he and I became the dearest of friends, roommates for 2 years and fellow pages. And it did not stop there. We spent time together. He visited my home and I visited his, and our families became the closest of friends from my childhood days. We went on to colleges; we shared the hopes of young men and the witnesses of the great sacraments in marriage. And as we went on through life, we gave advice and thoughts to one another and always remained friends.

We even shared the history of the 90th anniversary of Gettysburg together. I drove through the battlefield yesterday. That is 43 years ago that we stood up there, and I remember Bill well, telling me about his understanding of this great Civil War, this great battle that preserved democracy for America and individual rights for every American then and unborn into the future. He had such a fundamental understanding of it that truly I thought that he could be the next Lincoln coming along.

Well, Bill and I went through life together and shared all those years between then and 1980. He and I ran in 1980 for the House. He was a better politician than I. He got elected, I did not. But we remained close friends and in 1984 I had the good fortune of winning my seat, and we joined each other again after a period of 40 years of having known each other as very close friends.

In this House we tried with other Members, Mickey Leland being one, to form an organization uniting Members across the aisle. We tried to put Republicans and Democrats together as human beings, as friends, and as Americans, rather than as politicians interested in short-term advantage. Bill was a great bridge builder.

Bill had that magnificence to reach out and be understood and trusted.

It was not until recently, when I saw him afflicted with his last challenge that I understood the reason why: he had a profound understanding of the basic good nature of man, and that was reflected in his every action.

And, Mr. Speaker, people trusted him rightly so. He had a wonderful grandfather. We shared a love for him together. He has a beautiful mother, a wonderful wife and four beautiful daughters. They will all miss him. We will miss him. America will miss him. But I think, Mr. Speaker, I will miss him most of all.

Newt Gingrich, R, Georgia

I just want to take this moment to share with my colleagues briefly the sense of sadness that I think that we all feel at the passing away of Congressman Bill Emerson of Missouri. Bill Emerson was a tremendous human being who worked extraordinarily hard on the issue of hunger, reach out in a bipartisan way, and was recognized around the world as somebody who cared deeply about everyone on the planet having a chance to have a decent meal and to live a life which has good nutrition.

Congressman Emerson was an expert on nutrition programs here and abroad. He was also a man who cared deeply. He cared deeply about his family, about his district, about representing the people of Missouri, and about serving in the U.S. Congress.

I think that as all of us watched him struggle with cancer and we watched as he came to the floor with oxygen, he came to the floor in a wheelchair, but he was absolutely, totally dedicated to serving. He loved this House. He loved the process of dealing with issues and problems and helping people, and he loved the interaction between human beings.

I think all of us are a little poorer and all of us in the House I think on both sides of the aisle are certainly a little sadder at the loss of this fine, wonderful gentleman who passed away over the weekend. I simply wanted to share with the House those thoughts on behalf I think of all the Members of the House.

Frank R. Wolf, R, Virginia

Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness that I rise to make some personal comments about our colleague, Bill Emerson, who died Saturday night. Bill was a very honest, very decent, very ethical, very moral individual. As everyone knows, he had friends on both sides of the aisle. Republican and Democratic Members were very close to Bill personally.

I was in a small group with Bill that met in the House chapel every week. In the group are Republicans and Democrats, both backgrounds. We would pray for each other in the group, we would pray with each other in the group. Bill was an inspiration all the years together and was an inspiration during the very difficult time when he found out about his illness.

Bill Emerson had a very strong faith, a very strong Christian faith.

He loved the Lord very deeply, and his faith was very, very strong. As the other people know and the Washington Post points out today, Bill and the gentleman from Ohio, Mr. Hall worked together on the issue of hunger. The fact is Bill Emerson went to many places with Congressman Hall, from Sudan to Ethiopia, to Somalia and similar places. I can safely say there are many people, hundreds of thousands or even millions of people that are alive today on the continent of Africa and other places that would not be alive had it not been for the work of Bill Emerson working with Congressman Hall.

Bill was totally committed to dealing with the issue of hunger and working together with Tony they did so much good that saved so many lives.

The fact is the people whose lives were saved do not even know how they were saved or why they were saved, but I want the record to show there are millions who are alive today because of the work of Bill Emerson working with Tony Hall.

Norman Sisisky, D-Virginia

I am delighted this bridge is going to be built and now named after Bill Emerson. I did not know Bill Emerson real well up until last year. We did not serve on the same committees, we were not neighbors and things, but let me just tell my colleagues a little bit. We both got cancer at the same time. Mine was operable and, thank goodness, I am just about cured and doing well. But our friendship developed over this. We compared notes on getting chemotherapy. It is strange.

He used to tell me all the time, "You are going to get better, Norm; you are going to get better." Thank God, he was right. And I kept telling him he was going to get better. He did not get better. There is something here that I want Members to understand. At one time I made a speech on the floor and started crying that I was very fortunate that I was able to get prescreening, and when they were taking the prescreening out of the Medicare it did not bother me because I could afford to get prescreening.

But it is so important to find this dreaded disease early. We put it back in now, the leadership put it back into the budget, which I am very grateful for, and it should have been basically in honor of Bill Emerson. It is a dread disease.

But I would like to say something else. I know we are not supposed to talk about some of the things that we get in the House, but there is a doctor downstairs, a Dr. Eisold, who came up here every night to check on Bill and I to see how we were doing at the late hours. And Bill and I talked about that and were go grateful just for the caring. They cared, and that was important. And Bill cared.

I used to tell him sometimes at 10 o'clock at night, I said, "Bill, why don't you go home?" He said, "Why don't you go home? I said, "Well, you know, people are paying me." He said, "They are paying me, too, and I am going to stay here. I am going to stay here." And I tell my colleagues he stayed when he could hardly breathe, and it showed courage.

Tony P. Hall, D, Ohio

Mr. Speaker, my friend died on Saturday.

Bill Emerson and I knew each other for many years, traveled together, supported one another in our endeavors in Congress -- especially in humanitarian work.

We served the Congressional Hunger Center as cochairmen, and Bill's support during my fast -- and during the startup of this nonprofit organization -- made a very real, very personal difference to me.

We got to know each other's families, and my family already feel the loss of our good friend. And we all extend our deepest sympathy to his family: to Bill's mother, Marie Hahn; to Bill's wife, Jo Ann; and to their daughters -- Elizabeth, Abigail, Victoria, and Katherine.

In the Washington Post this weekend, David Broder wrote that "the companionship that once crossed party lines in Congress * * * has been replaced by a tone of unremitting enmity." That was never true with Bill Emerson. He nurtured his relationships with both Democrats and Republicans alike.

People like Bill Emerson showed us all that we can work together to make a difference for the people who send us to Washington -- and especially for children.

Christopher Cox, R, California

Mr. Speaker, there is hanging in the Republican Cloakroom a photograph of Bill Emerson taken on March 1, 1954, when he was a page here. As all of us know, he served as a page on that fateful day when the House of Representatives was attacked by terrorists, and the photograph shows Bill Emerson carrying on his shoulders the prone body of Alben Barkley, a Representative here, who was in fact shot during that attack. That was very early on in Bill's congressional career.

When the first Republican House of Representatives, the first Republican majority in 40 years, was sworn in and the gavel was banged in 1995, in January, it was Bill Emerson who was in the chair. He was the only current Member of the House of Representatives who had been here during the last Republican majority because he had been here as a page.

Probably, as a result, no one had more knowledge of this institution; and as so many speakers have pointed out this morning, more care for it, more understanding, and more love for the Congress of the United States.

Earl Pomeroy, D, North Dakota

I served on the Agriculture Committee with Bill Emerson for the last two sessions. He was without question a tough Republican and we banged heads.

Sometimes we banged heads hard. But Bill Emerson was a man with a very big heart. He has left me with three impressions that I will particularly remember:

The first, he was a man of strong faith. I remember vividly when he presided over the National Prayer Breakfast in 1993, my first year in Congress.

Second, he was a man that approached the duties of a legislator with professionalism. When we would bang heads, we would walk out of committee, and that would be the end of it. We were each trying to do the best we could, we understood that about each other, and our policy differences never came between our friendship. We have too little of that in this Chamber. I hope we remember the example of Bill Emerson and do a better job, each of us, going forward in the tough debates that are ahead.

Third, he was a man of incredible courage. We all watched as he mantained his perfect voting record this year in a state of obviously disintegrating health. It was terrible to watch someone we love like Bill grow sick and obviously failing right in front of us. But he hung in there and there was never any talk of retreat or surrender from Bill Emerson. He was going to beat this cancer and he was going to be reelected. He was not done serving the people of Missouri. That courage and never, ever stopping, looking forward, and doing his best is something that I will never forget from my friend Bill.

Rest in peace, old buddy.

Mel Hancock, R, Missouri

Mr. Speaker, one minute to express my personal feelings concerning the passing of our colleague, the Honorable Bill Emerson from Missouri, is very difficult.

Bill Emerson was a good friend, a trusted confidant, and a great American. He was dedicated to his maker, his family, and to the institution of the U.S. Congress where he served for almost 6 years.

Bill exemplified the qualities of honor and integrity that some would say is now lacking in public elected officials. Bill accepted people as they are and overlooked the frailties of human nature. This is why he will be sorely missed as a voice of reasonable accommodation.

All of us who had the privilege of knowing and working with Bill Emerson will remember his positive attitude.

Saxby Chambliss, R-Georgia

I rise today to salute my dear friend, Bill Emerson. Bill Emerson represented honesty, decency and integrity in this body in a very bipartisan way. Through my many conversations with Bill Emerson, I learned to understand that Bill had his priorities in order.

Bill loved this institution and he loved his country. But above all else, Bill loved his God, and he loved his family. I thank God for the opportunity to have served with Bill Emerson in this body for the past 18 months. Because of the opportunity to serve with Bill Emerson, those of us who knew Bill will be better Members of this body.

But above all else, we will be better citizens.

John D. Fox, R-Pennsylvania

I rise tonight to address my colleagues on the sad occasion of the passing of one of our most honored and distinguished Members. William Emerson, Representative from Missouri, had a very distinguished career here in the House. He served for eight terms from his district in Missouri. His record for constituent services had no peer. He was a parliamentary law expert.

His legislation filled volumes.

But above all, as a person he was, to many of us, especially freshmen and entering Members as they came to this body, a great teacher, someone who loved the House, who loved the legislative process and wanted the others to learn about it and do their best, always humble, always caring, self-effacing, low-key. This was a humanitarian extraordinaire.

Bill Emerson cared about each person he met, was sincere in all his dealings. He was a model Congressman. He was an advocate for his people. He fought hard for them. He could listen to others' points of view without giving ground and without compromising principle, but always patient and open-minded. That was his hallmark as an outstanding Congressman.

Ike Skelton, D-Missouri

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to my friend Bill Emerson, who died Saturday night at the Bethesda Naval Hospital.

Bill was a truly outstanding legislator who was a great credit to Missouri and to our Nation. He made public service his life. He reflected all that is good in the political arena. Although he was of one political party and I of another, this fact never interfered with our friendship.

He stood by his principles and fought hard, but political differences never became personal with him.

He was a person filled with honor, one whose word was good. He reflected the people in his district. He was so proud of Missouri. The country lost an excellent Congressman, Missouri lost an excellent Representative, and I lost a warm friend.

John L. Mica, R-Florida

Mr. Speaker, there is an empty seat in the House of Representatives today, and there is a great void that will never be filled, and that is the void created by the death of my friend and our colleague, Bill Emerson. We will miss him. We send our condolences to his family.

Some of the previous speakers have reflected on Bill and his many contributions. I am not sure if the pages and Members all know about Bill's great legacy, but Bill came here as a page and served in the Congress.

I remember seeing back in the Cloakroom, there is a photo of Bill as a young man helping when the shooting occurred in the House of the Representatives. When nationalists fired into the House Chamber, Bill was one of the young pages helping Members back then who were wounded. That picture still hangs in the Cloakroom.

Mr. Speaker, I came here as a freshman just several years ago, and Bill was doing the same thing, helping Members along the way, new Members like myself, to learn more about the House of Representatives and its procedures and how to go forward. He never changed his role.

Bill Emerson was a tough bird, too. I remember talking to him as he was undergoing his treatment and giving him encouragement and also asking about some of my own dealings here. Should I move forward? Should I proceed?

Sometimes I am pretty aggressive in my service. Bill, whether he was in the wheelchair taking chemotherapy or whether he was advising me as a new Member, he always said, "Mica, give 'em hell." I always admired his counsel and his advice and his determination that we should serve this body with every ounce of vigor that we can muster, and he did that right to almost his last days. Now he has been taken from us.

This Congress has a great void without the Bill Emerson who had a tough veneer but had a warm heart and a great record of service to this body that will neve be matched.

Glenn Poshard, D-Illinois

Mr. Speaker, I have known Bill Emerson for nearly 20 years. I worked with Bill closely for the past 12 years. He was one of the most solid people that I know.

He was common sense, he was decency. He exemplified the principle of integrity in this body and in his life as much as anyone I have ever known.

Some years ago, Bill and I shared a problem between our districts. We needed to keep an old bridge open to Chester, IL, over the troubled waters of the Mississippi River. We worked together. The bridge is still open today, still serving the basic needs of the people of our districts.

The old bridge symbolizes for me in many ways the life of Bill Emerson. Bill was always reaching out, always trying to help, always building bridges over troubled waters somewhere in his life. I do not know that Bill ever really demanded a political solution. He was too interested in practical solutions to help his people and to help this country. I will forever be grateful for his true sense of bipartisanship.

Cliff Stearns, R-Florida

Mr. Speaker, I also stand here in the well to remember our dear colleague, Bill Emerson from Missouri. I can still see him in the back row, all the way in the back in the last aisle, standing there talking. And many of us used to go back to talk to him and ask him, Bill, what are the nuances of this vote and would he explain it.

He was very knowledgeable about different bills on the House floor. But he would also give you a sense of humor, a point about the bill that would make you chuckle and laugh, knowing that sometimes Members were forced to vote on things they did not like, because within the whole bill there would be a small something you did like. But Bill Emerson had that way.

And I also want to tell you, Mr. Speaker, that many times I spoke to him during his illness and encouraged him. But he did not need to be encouraged in terms of a positive attitude because his entire relationship that I had with him and saw on the House floor was one of optimism, one of being a positive American and showing other Americans, through his leadership and through his personality, the purpose of all of us is that we are to be caring and helpful for our fellow man.

So I tell you, Mr. Speaker, when I come here to the well, I can almost still see Bill in the back there, laughing, encouraging all of us, and giving that light chuckle he has, together with the sparkle in his eyes.

Petri, R-Wisconsin

I had the honor of serving with Bill on the Transportation Committee and always found him to be hardworking, and dedicated to his beliefs and serving his constituents in Missouri.

He was never afraid to state his views or take on an issue, and it was one of many traits that we admired about Bill. I remember well his good humor and straightforward manner, even when the committee was considering controversial or difficult matters. But make no mistake, you always knew exactly how he felt about an issue.

In the end, Bill demonstrated extraordinary courage in the face of his illness this year.