[JPRT, 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
Stephanie Tubbs Jones
LATE A REPRESENTATIVE FROM
OHIO
a
MEMORIAL ADDRESSES
AND OTHER TRIBUTES
hon. stephanie tubbs jones
[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
1949-2008
hon. stephanie tubbs jones
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1949-2008
[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Stephanie Tubbs Jones
Memorial Addresses and
Other Tributes
HELD IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
AND SENATE
OF THE UNITED STATES
TOGETHER WITH MEMORIAL SERVICES
IN HONOR OF
STEPHANIE TUBBS JONES
Late a Representative from Ohio
One Hundred Tenth Congress
Second Session
[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Compiled under the direction
of the
Joint Committee on Printing
CONTENTS
Biography.............................................
v
Proceedings in the House of Representatives:
Tributes by Representatives:
Baca, Joe, of California.......................
66
Boehner, John A., of Ohio......................
4
Bonner, Jo, of Alabama.........................
65
Boustany, Charles W., Jr., of Louisiana........
77
Capito, Shelley Moore, of West Virginia........
81
Capps, Lois, of California.....................
23
Clarke, Yvette D., of New York.................
47
Cleaver, Emanuel, of Missouri..................
29
Clyburn, James E., of South Carolina...........
77
Cohen, Steve, of Tennessee.....................
68
Costa, Jim, of California......................
79
Davis, Danny K., of Illinois...................
45
Davis, Susan A., of California
..............................................
24, 76, 78
DeGette, Diana, of Colorado....................
79
Edwards, Donna F., of Maryland.................
48
Gingrey, Phil, of Georgia......................
62, 72
Hastings, Alcee L., of Florida.................
64
Hayes, Robin, of North Carolina................
18
Hirono, Mazie K., of Hawaii....................
34
Hobson, David L., of Ohio......................
15, 85
Jackson-Lee, Sheila, of Texas
........................................
27, 53, 80, 84
Jefferson, William J., of Louisiana............
32
Johnson, Eddie Bernice, of Texas...............
31
Kaptur, Marcy, of Ohio
................................
3, 4, 5, 28, 30, 31, 52, 75
Kilpatrick, Carolyn C., of Michigan
.....................................
37, 41, 88
Kucinich, Dennis J., of Ohio...................
13, 71
Lee, Barbara, of California....................
69, 73
Lewis, John, of Georgia........................
31
Lowey, Nita M., of New York....................
33
Maloney, Carolyn B., of New York...............
70
Matsui, Doris O., of California................
34
McCollum, Betty, of Minnesota..................
67
McDermott, Jim, of Washington..................
75
Meek, Kendrick B., of Florida
..............................................
45, 53, 59
Moore, Gwen, of Wisconsin......................
81
Pallone, Frank, Jr., of New Jersey.............
79, 80
Payne, Donald M., of New Jersey................
39
Pomeroy, Earl, of North Dakota.................
26
Pryce, Deborah, of Ohio........................
20
Rangel, Charles B., of New York................
16
Regula, Ralph, of Ohio.........................
12, 30
Richardson, Laura, of California...............
49
Ryan, Tim, of Ohio.............................
63
Sanchez, Linda T., of California...............
66
Schakowsky, Janice D., of Illinois.............
25
Schmidt, Jean, of Ohio.........................
22
Scott, David, of Georgia.......................
19
Sessions, Pete, of Texas.......................
86
Space, Zachary T., of Ohio.....................
21
Stark, Fortney Pete, of California
.................................
35, 76, 82, 87
Sutton, Betty, of Ohio.........................
11
Udall, Tom, of New Mexico......................
62
Wasserman Schultz, Debbie, of Florida..........
72
Watson, Diane E., of California................
38
Watt, Melvin L., of North Carolina.............
36
Whitfield, Ed, of Kentucky.....................
78
Wilson, Charles A., of Ohio....................
22
Woolsey, Lynn C., of California................
36
Proceedings in the Senate:
Tributes by Senators:
Brown, Sherrod, of Ohio........................
89
Dorgan, Byron L., of North Dakota..............
89
Memorial Services.....................................
91
BIOGRAPHY
Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones was the first
African American woman elected to the U.S. House of
Representatives from Ohio. Congresswoman Tubbs Jones was a
lifelong resident of the 11th District, which encompasses
most of the East Side of Cleveland and parts of the West
Side of Cleveland and includes parts of 22 suburbs.
For her five terms in office, the Congresswoman was a
strong advocate for many issues, and championed wealth
building and economic development, access and delivery of
health care, and quality education for all. The
Congresswoman was the first African American woman to
chair the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct
(Ethics) and the first African American woman to serve on
the powerful Ways and Means Committee. She was an active
member of numerous congressional caucuses, including the
Congressional Black Caucus.
Congresswoman Tubbs Jones introduced several pieces of
legislation including the Uterine Fibroids Research and
Education Act to increase funding for research on uterine
fibroids and provide enhanced public education about this
condition; the Predatory Mortgage Lending Practices
Reduction Act, which would require certification of
mortgage brokers and enhance penalties for predatory
loans; and the Campus Fire Prevention Act, which would
provide money to equip college dorms, fraternities, and
sorority houses with fire suppression devices. Most
recently, Congresswoman Tubbs Jones introduced the ``Count
Every Vote'' Act of 2005 which seeks to provide an all-
encompassing solution to a broad range of voting
irregularities that occurred during the 2004 Presidential
election. She is an original co-sponsor of multiple
significant pieces of legislation, including health care
for low- and middle-income families and community reentry
for ex-felons.
Congresswoman Tubbs Jones made a number of historic
achievements in her distinguished career as a public
servant. Prior to her election to the House, Congresswoman
Tubbs Jones served as the first African American and the
first female Cuyahoga County, OH, prosecutor. She was the
first African American woman to sit on the Common Pleas
bench in the State of Ohio and was a municipal court judge
in the city of Cleveland.
Congresswoman Tubbs Jones received numerous honors
throughout her lifetime including the National Bible
Association Capitol Hill Distinguished Leadership Award,
Human Rights Campaign of Cleveland Equality Award,
Backbone Campaign's Backbone Award, and the Carib News
Multi-National Business Conference Marcus Garvey Award.
Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones is a graduate of
Cleveland public schools. She received her undergraduate
degree from Case Western Reserve University, graduating
with a degree in social work from the Flora Stone Mather
College in 1971. She received her juris doctorate from
Case Western Reserve University School of Law in 1974.
Additionally, she has received honorary doctorates from
David N. Myers University, Notre Dame College, Central
State University, and Cleveland State University.
An active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority
Incorporated, she served on its national social action
committee. She was a lifelong member of Bethany Baptist
Church in Cleveland, OH, and was a member of its board of
trustees.
The Congresswoman was married to Mervyn L. Jones, Sr.,
deceased (2003), for 27 years and was the proud mother of
Mervyn Leroy Jones II.
MEMORIAL ADDRESSES
AND
OTHER TRIBUTES
FOR
STEPHANIE TUBBS JONES
Proceedings in the House of Representatives
Monday, September 8, 2008
Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I seek to be recognized in
order to place on the Record officially for the first time
the passing from this life of our beloved colleague,
Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones of Ohio's 11th
District.
I would like to announce to my colleagues that after
votes this evening, we will manage a special bereavement
resolution. Many Members, I know, will want to pay tribute
to Stephanie's beautiful life. We as Ohioans, as Buckeyes,
share her son Mervyn's profound sense of loss; but also I
know we share an equal gratitude for the manner in which
she lived her life and what she contributed, not just to
her family or her church family, or her staff, but to our
country and indeed to our world.
When Stephanie hugged many of us before we left in
August, I can tell you I certainly didn't think I would be
down here this evening. Any Member who wishes to honor her
life can do so after the votes are cast this evening.
Let me just mention to my colleagues that we knew
Stephanie here as chair of the Ethics Committee and as the
first African American woman to serve on the Ways and
Means Committee. But her path was not an easy one. Coming
from East Cleveland, she was a gregarious leader who
blazed many trails.
She was one of the few women who have ever served in the
Ohio delegation, and the first African American woman ever
to be elected to the Congress of the United States from
the State of Ohio. She was the first black woman to become
a judge of the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court, as well
as the county's first African American prosecutor.
She gave so much to so many. I always seemed to catch
Stephanie running through the airport with her suitcase,
traveling somewhere, with that boundless energy and that
constant smile; and we will pay tribute more fully to her
later this evening.
To her son, Mervyn, who I would expect is listening this
evening, we all know that your mother's strength will hold
you now in a very profound way; and we extend our deepest
sympathy to you. We know that in the years ahead you will
come to appreciate even more what her life has meant to
our country.
Mr. Speaker, I think my dear colleague, Mr. Boehner, the
minority leader, has remarks at this time.
I will be happy to yield you time.
Mr. BOEHNER. Let me thank my colleague from Ohio for her
words.
We all loved Stephanie. Here is a lady who gave her
entire career to public service, and she did so in a way
that was gregarious, that was outspoken, loud, if you
will.
All of you know Stephanie. Her office was next to mine
over in the Longworth Building, and we always knew when
Stephanie was coming back to her office because she would
be walking down the hall talking to somebody. But she and
I were friends and we were smoking buddies. Now, I know
that might offend some of you, but you just never know how
well you get to know someone over a cocktail. But here was
a lady who blazed a lot of trails, who dedicated her life
to public service, and someone that we will dearly miss in
this Chamber.
Ms. KAPTUR. I thank the gentleman.
And as I paid my respects at the wake the day before the
service, I was reminded I had been in that church twice
before to pay tribute to Stephanie's father who died
during her tenure here, and then her husband who also
died. And it was almost hard to walk into that church for
the third time, and my respect for her grew even more for
the strength that she showed to all of us despite these
enormous personal losses that she had borne.
Mr. Speaker, in concluding, let me just say that from 1
Peter 4:10-11, this is what the prayer card said at her
funeral service:
Each one should use whatever gift he has received to
serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its
various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one
speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he
should do it with the strength God provides, so that in
all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him
be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.
And at the base of the card is Stephanie's signature
with the words, ``I hope I made you proud.''
Mr. Speaker, may I ask now for the membership to rise
and pay tribute to the life of Congresswoman Stephanie
Tubbs Jones.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members will now rise for a
moment of silence in honor of the distinguished gentlelady
from Ohio, the distinguished chairwoman of the Ethics
Committee, Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones.
Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening in order to
consider the bereavement resolution in memory of our
beloved colleague.
The Clerk read the resolution, as follows:
H. Res. 1415
Resolved, That the House has heard with profound sorrow
of the death of the Honorable Stephanie Tubbs Jones, a
Representative from the State of Ohio.
Resolved, That the Clerk communicate these resolutions
to the Senate and transmit a copy thereof to the family of
the deceased.
Resolved, That when the House adjourns today, it adjourn
as a further mark of respect to the memory of the
deceased.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentlewoman from Ohio is
recognized for 1 hour.
Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker and colleagues, it is with a
profound sense of sadness, as well as a deep sense of
privilege that I rise this evening to commemorate and to
celebrate the life of our friend, colleague, and sister,
Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones of Ohio's 11th
District. This evening, we do this with the deepest
gratitude for her life, and on behalf of our entire Ohio
delegation, the people of our State, her home city of
Cleveland, and citizens far and wide, who were blessed to
know and walk, work, worship, and smile along with
Stephanie.
On the day of her funeral, the Cleveland Plain Dealer,
or actually it was the day after, the Sunday Plain Dealer,
had a very large photo of the memorial service held in
Cleveland, Ohio. And the headline read, ``Stephanie Tubbs
Jones, 1949-2008: Tears Flow, Laughter Rolls During
Memorial Service.'' And the paper goes on to recount so
many beautiful remarks and remembrances that people across
this country attributed to her life. We will be placing
this in the Congressional Record, and as well I would like
to read from my home paper, the Toledo Blade, way on the
other side of the State from where Stephanie represented.
It stated, ``a leader passes, the loss of her fighting
spirit will be keenly felt, deeply mourned and difficult
to replace.''
I think this evening, particularly of her son, Mervyn.
We wish him comfort, and we wish him her strength as he
mourns her passing.
We all know that when you met Stephanie, you knew you
had met strength. You knew you had met someone who endured
struggle. She had a keen intelligence, a high-minded
idealism, and wow, her charisma just overflowed.
The other day I was in my district and met a man from
Cleveland who had gone to school with Stephanie. And I
asked, ``tell me, was Stephanie always that
enthusiastic?'' He said, ``Marcy, I went to law school
with her. She never changed.''
And from the time she was in her late teens and early
twenties to her service here, she had the same boundless
energy, drive, and positive spirit.
She was a devoted wife, a beloved mother, a sister to us
all, and an elected leader, in that order. And she
relished all of her life's roles. Her drive and energy
were genuine, and they were infectious. And she carved a
nobler path for America with her election as the first
African American woman from Ohio to serve in the U.S.
Congress. We Ohioans were very proud of her.
I know that I, like my colleagues, have so many vivid
lasting memories of Stephanie. Upon her first swearing-in,
I still recall a little table in a reception hall here
where I was able to present her with a single red rose as
she was sitting next to her predecessor, Congressman Louis
Stokes, and how she poignantly responded. She knew the
steepness of the climb.
I recall my efforts to comfort her on the loss of her
husband, and she immediately reciprocated as she shared
with me, over my Blackberry, a favorite poem from which
she drew succor.
Imagine how many memories each of us has, how many
thousands of lives she touched, representing a district
and State that tested her talents, her spirit, and her
conscience daily. She served people well beyond her
district, logging thousands of miles in freedom's cause.
I don't think I saw Stephanie too many times without
that little valise in the back room here. She was always
going somewhere. She held a hard job, and she put her
entire being into it. She literally gave herself to us.
And in her memory, we should dedicate ourselves to her
unfinished work.
One can imagine how few women have ever served in the
Congress from our State. To those afforded the privilege,
there is a priceless bond that links our spirits and
provides support.
Stephanie was such a valued sister. Though her years
with us were far too short, her impact endures well beyond
the years. She made history. She spoke her conscience, and
she reveled in every step of the journey.
Thanks be to God, she did not suffer in the end. The
Lord spared her that, perhaps as, through her life, she
had endured too much personal sadness and loss that would
have broken lesser spirits.
In loss, Stephanie's strength strengthens us. Her
enduring personal legacy of character and endurance,
beyond her milestone achievements, remain the portrait of
her life. Our delegation is especially honored to
fittingly commemorate her life and achievements here this
evening.
[From the Sunday Plain Dealer, August 31, 2008]
Stephanie Tubbs Jones, 1949-2008: Tears Flow, Laughter
Rolls During Memorial Service
(By Tony Brown)
It was a moment that surely would have earned one of the
wide, knowing smiles remembered so well by all the friends
of Stephanie Tubbs Jones.
Rep. Tim Ryan of Niles, the man Tubbs Jones used to call
her ``white son,'' and fellow Congressman Kendrick Meek of
Florida, whom she nicknamed her ``black son,'' had just
finished moving tributes to their congressional ``mom.''
That's when Mervyn Jones II, her real son, slipped out
of his front-row seat to join his ``brothers'' in an
intimate, tearful embrace in front of thousands gathered
to bid farewell to the first black woman elected to
Congress from Ohio.
The three remained locked in each other's arms well into
remarks made by former Rep. Louis Stokes, the man whose
seat Tubbs Jones inherited in 1989.
After the men returned to their places, Sen. Barack
Obama--the son of a black father and a white mother who
grew up to become the first black presidential nominee of
a major U.S. political party--turned in his chair to
console a still-sobbing Meek.
In that moment, amid the grieving and the laughter and
the consolation and the stories and the campaign rhetoric
of the celebration of a life well-lived, everyone under
the vaulted ceiling of Public Hall--all friends of Tubbs
Jones--shared in that group hug.
It was a hug that encircled the woman whose body lay in
a flag-draped casket that rested on a square of red carpet
in front of the stage: Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones, who
died of a burst brain aneurysm on Aug. 20 at the age of
58.
Friend was a word heard over and over as the nation's
most powerful Democratic leaders, fresh from Obama's
nomination in Denver, joined religious leaders and Tubbs
Jones' beloved constituents, family and sorority sisters
in testifying to the immensity of Tubbs Jones' spirit.
Former President Bill Clinton, not scheduled to speak
but unable to help himself, called his relationship with
Tubbs Jones ``16 years of astonishing friendship.''
So astonishing that Tubbs Jones continued to support a
failing presidential bid by his wife, Sen. Hillary
Clinton, well after many of the congresswoman's
constituents had voted for Obama.
``She was not a fair-weather friend,'' Hillary Clinton
told the crowd.
``I certainly know what that means. Now, her friendship
was not uncritical. When she was your friend, she felt it
her responsibility to inform you of all the matters that
needed improvement.''
Obama, Clinton's opponent for the party's presidential
nomination, also counted himself among Tubbs Jones'
buddies.
``I am here today to pay tribute to an extraordinary
American and a devoted public servant, a mother, a
daughter, a sister, a wife and a dear friend to so many
here in Cleveland, so many in Ohio and so many across
America.
``And during the most recent contest, Stephanie and I
were on different sides, and we would see each other, she
would say to me, `This is what it means to be a friend for
me.' All I could say is, `I understand.' ''
There were more words of praise and prayer from elected
officials, some quoting Shakespeare and Scripture, during
the three-hour-and-47-minute marathon of tributes.
Speakers included Sen. Sherrod Brown, Mayor Frank
Jackson, Cuyahoga County Commissioner Jimmy Dimora, Rep.
Carolyn Kilpatrick of Michigan and Ohio Gov. Ted
Strickland.
And they told plenty of funny and poignant stories.
Perhaps the funniest and most poignant was recounted by
Bill Clinton, who recalled accompanying Tubbs Jones to
Puerto Rico on a primary campaign visit for his wife.
``Now, how Stephanie became a native Puerto Rican in 15
minutes, I'll never know,'' Clinton said, warming to his
subject.
They went into a shop, Clinton said, where Tubbs Jones
admired a piece of locally made jewelry. Clinton bought it
surreptitiously and presented it to her.
``She looked at me and laughed and she said, `You know,
I really like this,' she says. `It's not often a man'll
give a woman a piece of jewelry and not want anything for
it.' I totally lost it.''
So did Clinton's audience. As the laughter died down,
the former president moved in for the kicker.
``I looked at her and said, `Stephanie, you have given
me and our family more, you have given your people and
this country more than you will ever know.' ''
In addition to the eloquent politicians who were
gathered, there were plenty of just plain friends who
laughed and wept and patted each other on the back to the
rhythm of hymns like ``Amazing Grace'' and ``Canaan's
Happy Shore.''
Some of the late arrivals almost didn't make it into the
funeral.
At 11:30 a.m., about 30 minutes after the service began,
Secret Service officers blocked the entrance. ``The event
is closed,'' one told approaching visitors.
Within minutes, the number lingering at the entrance
grew to more than a dozen. They spoke in shared disbelief.
``Stephanie would not want this,'' one woman said angrily.
Someone in charge agreed. Within minutes, the officers
stepped aside. Newcomers flowed into the cavernous
auditorium until well past noon.
One of the most moving speakers the friends of Stephanie
heard Saturday was no politician or preacher.
She was a 16-year-old named Tiffany Robertson, a member
of an all-girls health careers class at Cleveland's Martin
Luther King Jr. High School that Tubbs Jones took under
her wing two years ago.
`` `This is the future,' '' Tiffany recalled Jones
telling the girls.
The congresswoman took time from her political and
legislative schedule to visit the class and take them
places. She took them to church one Sunday, but Tiffany
had to work.
So Jones dropped by the workplace with Tiffany's
classmates in tow.
``We're family,'' Tiffany told her classmates, who stood
in a show of unity with their peer.
``We got to stick together. We got to carry on her
legacy. She was steward, protector and advocate to us.''
``I will miss her as a friend.''
``There's a famous song a few years back . . . and the
refrain of the song says, `If you have a choice, to sit it
out or dance, I hope you dance.' And we all know that
Stephanie didn't sit it out, she danced.''
--Tim Ryan, U.S. Representative from Ohio.
``Stephanie was the kind of political leader who needed
hours to go grocery shopping because everyone she saw
wanted a moment of her time, and she willingly gave it.
Because if you met Stephanie, she was your friend.''
--Ted Strickland, Ohio Governor.
``Oftentimes, late at night, on the campaign trail,
whether the news had been good or bad, she would have a
look in her eye. Sometimes she would grab my hand, and she
would say, `Oh, I miss my husband, I wish he were here.'
Well, they are together now.''
--Hillary Clinton, U.S. Senator.
``That's not the air show. The rumbling you hear is the
rearrangement of chairs in heaven.''
--Dennis Eckart, Former Representative standing outside
Public Hall as a jet roared by.
``I considered her my congresswoman as well. We talked all
the time about statewide issues.''
--Michael Coleman, Columbus Mayor.
``Whenever Stephanie came in contact with young people,
she inspired them, she taught them, she mentored them, she
stayed in touch with them. Her legacy is in their
legacy.''
--Sherrod Brown, U.S. Senator from Ohio.
``Whenever we talked on the phone, she would say,
`Congressman, I love ya.' And I'd say: `I love you, too.'
She was a great congresswoman. She was a good friend.
Thanks, Stephanie, I love ya.''
--Louis Stokes, former U.S. Representative from Ohio.
``For Stephanie, it wasn't enough to rise up from modest
circumstances and break so many barriers herself. She had
to reach back and pull others through the doors she
opened.''
--Barack Obama, Democratic presidential nominee.
``I want to let you know, Cleveland, that you were
represented by one of the best . . . Ladies and gentlemen,
she lived a life that was worth living.''
--Kendrick Meek, U.S. Representative from South
Carolina.
``I'll always know her as Aunt Stephanie. She had a big
smile.''
--Erin Norton, 24, of Cleveland, whose uncle lived next
to Tubbs Jones.
``All the good things she started, it's like she's still
living.''
--Schuvar Murray, 37, of Cleveland.
a
[From the Blade, August 24, 2008]
A Leader Passes
Society's downtrodden, disadvantaged, disillusioned, and
disconnected have lost an influential voice and ally in
Washington with the unexpected passing of Stephanie Tubbs
Jones, the first black woman to represent Ohio in the U.S.
House of Representatives.
The 11th District representative from the east side of
Cleveland died Wednesday after suffering a brain
hemorrhage.
The loss to Ohio and the nation was described by one of
her colleagues as ``incalculable,'' and that was an
understatement. It was a setback for the cause of
impassioned, committed, gutsy leadership, especially for
the district, made up of east Cleveland and its nearby
suburbs, which Ms. Tubbs Jones served so tirelessly.
A decade ago, the 58-year-old Democrat was handpicked by
U.S. Rep. Lou Stokes to be his successor after his
legendary stewardship of that congressional district for
30 years. Over five terms, Mr. Stokes said, ``she took it
to a higher level, a new level. She made me so proud.''
A gregarious leader, she also blazed trails for others
with a resume of many firsts--the first black woman to
become a judge of Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court, as
well as the county's first black prosecutor, succeeding
the storied John T. Corrigan.
In Washington, she was also the first black woman to sit
on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, where she
was a force to be reckoned with. Fiercely partisan, but
not necessarily predictable, she was that unusual
politician who said what she meant and meant what she
said.
In 2001, she endorsed an unknown black lawyer for
Cleveland mayor over the more politically experienced Jane
Campbell, who eventually won. This year, she perplexed--
and provoked--her constituents with her unflagging support
of Hillary Clinton for president over newcomer Barack
Obama.
But her word was her bond, said the Rev. Jesse Jackson.
``It didn't waver in the wind.'' Like all congressional
Democrats, she was scheduled to serve as a super delegate
at the Democratic National Convention in Denver next week
to witness the formal nomination of Mr. Obama as the first
black candidate for president of the United States.
Ms. Tubbs Jones, who once said she considered herself a
voice for minorities across the country, would have
reveled in the moment. The loss of her fighting spirit
will be keenly felt, deeply mourned, and difficult to
replace.
Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield at this
time to Congresswoman Betty Sutton from the Ohio
delegation, the able Representative from Akron-Lorain.
Ms. SUTTON. I thank the gentlewoman from Ohio for
yielding me the time.
I, too, rise today with heaviness in my heart but also
with a deep sense of gratitude and respect for my
colleague, my friend, Stephanie Tubbs Jones. Her passing
is truly a tragic loss for the people of Ohio's 11th
District, whom she loved so very much, and for all of the
people who she stood up for across this country.
Stephanie was truly a historic figure in American
politics. She achieved many firsts and she blazed many
trails in a way that only Stephanie could. She was the
first African American and first female prosecutor in
Cuyahoga County, Ohio; the first African American woman to
sit on the Common Pleas bench in Ohio; the first African
American woman to be elected to Congress from Ohio, and
the first African American woman to serve on the House
Ways and Means Committee, a job she truly loved.
Stephanie attacked her job as a Congresswoman with
passion and a contagious enthusiasm on behalf of those she
served. She was effective and determined. Her strength
exceeded courage. She was fearless. She lived her life and
represented her constituents giving it everything she had.
She had no time for fear.
Her amazing spirit touched and brightened so many lives,
and with every first that Stephanie achieved, with every
rung of the ladder she climbed, Stephanie always reached
back to help others following behind. From encouraging the
young women and men in her office who interned, to
inspiring the young people from her hometown of Cleveland,
Stephanie was a force. And she loved her staff and spoke
of them as family. Stephanie was not pretentious. She
treated all people as they should be treated, with dignity
and respect.
Mr. Speaker, when I first arrived in these hallowed
halls in January 2007, I was very fortunate to have
Stephanie here to help me. She was a colleague and a
friend who I could turn to for advice not only on the many
crucial issues that we face but also simply on how to
navigate this body. And when I thanked her for helping me
along, she would always wave a hand in the air and
explain, ``Hey, we're sisters.'' Stephanie's friendship
and mentorship were vital to me, and I am grateful that
she touched my life.
Stephanie was honest and loyal. You could count on her
word. She was the type of person who could lift up the
spirits of those feeling down. She was willing to work
with others for the good that was greater than just
herself, but she was also tough and willing to fight as
necessary to protect the rights of the people of this
great country. Nowhere was this more evident than in the
fight she led to ensure the integrity of our voting
process. Stephanie also worked tirelessly to promote home
ownership and to help keep families in their homes.
But with all of her achievements, nothing compared to
that of the strong young man that Stephanie raised, her
son, Mervyn. Stephanie's face would beam when she talked
about Mervyn. There could be no question beyond everything
she gave in service, everything she accomplished, they all
paled in comparison to how proud she was of Mervyn. She
loved him and continues to love him beyond measure.
Stephanie also had a beautiful and strong sister who she
loved and appreciated so deeply. When Stephanie spoke of
her sister Barbara, it was clear how special she was to
her.
Mr. Speaker, I could go on and on about the life of this
amazing woman. I am so honored to have known her and to
have served alongside of her. Stephanie was more than my
colleague; she was my friend, and we were sisters. I will
miss her greatly.
My thoughts and prayers are with her son Mervyn, and her
very special sister Barbara, and the rest of her family.
Mr. REGULA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express deep
sadness on the sudden passing of our colleague in this
House and a member of the Ohio delegation, Congresswoman
Stephanie Tubbs Jones.
August was a busy month for us. We have participated in
events in our districts and meetings in our offices. Many
of us participated in our party's Presidential
conventions. Unfortunately, too many of these tasks and
goals were cut short and cut short too early for our
colleague. We grieve her loss here this evening.
Throughout our time together in this House, the members
of the Ohio delegation have been a congenial group and not
a partisan one. We regularly worked together to share
common responsibilities and actions to improve and
strengthen our State. Stephanie brought energy and
enthusiasm to our delegation and to our work, and we will
miss her terribly.
As you will hear throughout this evening's remarks by my
colleagues, Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones was a
Member who held many firsts in our delegation. And I won't
repeat those because many Members will touch on it.
To me, Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones was my
friendly, outgoing, and upbeat colleague. We often
traveled back and forth together in the same plane from
Ohio to Washington for our congressional session. I will
miss her wonderful personality and the energy she brought
to our delegation and to this House.
This morning, when I was getting ready to leave for the
airport, I said to my wife, ``You know, I'm going to
really miss Stephanie because we would be on the plane
together most of the time, the same flight, and she was
always so upbeat and she had the common expression, `Well,
how are you doing today? How are you doing today?' ''
Well, we did well together, but I will miss her energy
and personality that she brought to the delegation and to
this House. I worked with Stephanie--her district was not
far from mine--and we had a common interest in furthering
the medical facilities in Cleveland, Ohio, some of the
best in the United States; and it was a pleasure always to
work with her and to enjoy her boundless enthusiasm and
good nature.
And certainly on behalf of my colleagues in the Ohio
delegation, we express our sincere sympathy to her son,
Mervyn Jones, and to her sister, Barbara Walker, as well
as to her thousands of constituents and to her devoted
staff.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair understands the
gentlewoman from Ohio to have yielded half her time to the
gentleman from Ohio.
And the gentleman from Ohio reserves the balance of his
time.
Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I would like to call on the
distinguished Member from Cleveland, the colleague of
Congresswoman Jones, Congressman Dennis Kucinich.
Mr. KUCINICH. I thank the gentlelady.
When I look at this Chamber this evening, there are so
many Members of Congress here, each who wants to pay
tribute to her. I'm going to keep my remarks brief, not in
any way reflecting the depth of grief that I feel over
Stephanie's passing.
We shared not only districts--because my district is
mostly on the West Side of the Cuyahoga River and hers is
mostly on the East Side of the Cuyahoga River--but we
shared political careers, having worked with each other
for the better part of three decades. And the Stephanie
that we saw here in the Congress, the one of the 100-
megawatt smile, the boundless energy, the telling sense of
humor, the challenging approach when you may not agree
with her, that was the Stephanie that I knew for 30 years.
But we also shared a friendship about family. And she
went through it in the last years of her life with the
loss of loved ones close to her, her father, her husband.
And when we would have major events in our lives, like we
do with close friends--and she was a close friend to many
of us--we would share many of these things. And there was
a lot of sadness to share. But there was also a moment
when, for me, I had one of the biggest things happen in my
life, and Stephanie was the first person I wanted to share
it with.
More than 3 years ago, I met a woman who walked into my
office as part of a meeting for policy, and even though I
had a very brief conversation with her, I knew something
had happened at that moment. And I just knew at that
moment that this was somebody I was going to marry, and I
didn't even have a discussion with her about anything
except for policy for more than about half a minute. And I
ran down the floor to tell my friend Stephanie, because
that's the kind of friend she was. You would want to tell
her when you thought something big was happening in your
life.
And so I said, ``Stephanie, I met her.'' And she looked
at me and her eyes widened, and she gave her big smile,
and she went, ``Shut up!'' And she had that kind of way of
assessing things brilliantly and quickly in a manner and a
tone and a language that was Stephanie.
And she really brought the wisdom of a keen legal mind
and melded it with a street sense into this political
persona that touched people all over this country and,
indeed, in other countries as well. She had that magic.
Her presence is so powerful that I know I speak for
other Members when I say that even at this moment, weeks
later after her passing, we still can't believe it. That's
how powerful a presence she was personally. And when she
engaged you, you knew you were in a conversation and it
was real.
When Members of Congress arrived to pay respects at the
Bethany Church, we saw the sidewalks lined with her
constituents. We saw a line to get into Bethany Church
that was more than a block long. Hundreds of people
waiting in line.
I had the chance to talk to some of them. You could
see--you have to look into people's eyes, look at their
faces, and you see the faces of people who are struggling
with life, who are dealing with the kinds of problems that
Stephanie came to Congress to address: trying to save
their homes, trying to save their jobs, trying to keep
their families together. And their eyes are searching
today because they know they have lost a champion, and it
puts such a great responsibility on all of us, a greater
responsibility on all of us to uphold those things that
she came to Congress for, the basic rights of people.
This was a loss for women who have strived for
recognition in this body. This is a loss for African
Americans who saw in her a champion, the first African
American woman elected to Congress from the State of Ohio.
But what Stephanie did, her genius and her magic was she
just broke all of the barriers. She went beyond gender and
beyond race and emerged to a whole different political
element. That's why she can't be replaced. And that's why,
long after many of us have left this Chamber, people will
still be talking about Stephanie Tubbs Jones.
Stephanie, we love you, and we will remember you.
Mr. REGULA. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Hobson).
Mr. HOBSON. Mr. Speaker, it's been a tough term for the
Ohio delegation. First we lost Paul Gillmor, and now we've
lost Stephanie. Too early for both of them in their lives.
But I think it's these times when people in the country
need to know the friendships that happen in this House. We
may differ politically on certain issues, but we don't
differ when it comes to making friends and friendships
here in this House.
Stephanie had that beautiful energy that you will hear
about and that we will all remember. She never met a
stranger. Wherever we traveled in the world, Stephanie
always had that great smile on her face. Whenever we were
in Cleveland together--I have a daughter who lives in
Cleveland, and Stephanie would give me a ride when I would
fly into Cleveland to my daughter's house. She would stop
and talk to my grandkids. Even though she was in Dennis'
district, she was still working that side of town, too,
because Stephanie worked wherever she was.
She is a loss to all of us. She worked on issues that
transcend this body, these human issues, and the people in
her district are not going to forget that, and they truly
do have a loss.
We traveled together many times to view the troops, and
I just came back yesterday from Korea. In Korea, I talked
about Stephanie to one of the general officers, and he
said, ``I remember her. When we were in Bosnia, you came
there on Thanksgiving and she related to the troops in her
own special way and talked to these young people about
what they were doing, what they're going to do in the
future.''
But the most important thing about Stephanie is she
never forgot who she was. She was a friend to all of us,
but she never forgot her district.
One time I talked Stephanie into going on a trip with me
to Italy, and she said, ``I can't go. It's our 25th
wedding anniversary. Mervyn and I want to spend our 25th
wedding anniversary together.'' And this was when you
could do this. I don't even know if I want to tell this,
but she's gone and I'm retiring. So maybe I can tell this
story now without going to the Ethics Committee. But I
said, ``Stephanie, we're going to give you a party in
Venice. You tell Mervyn it's going to be a very romantic
time and it isn't going to cost him a cent.'' Guess what.
They went on the trip.
And even after Mervyn's tragic passing--and I was there
with her then--she would recall the great time we had
together. And I'm not going to miss her because she's
going to be here with all of us, but who's going to miss
her is Mervyn II. He's lost not only his mother and his
father but his grandparents in a very short period of
time, and this is a young man. I hope his aunt can help
him, and I hope all of us don't forget this young man and
his life. And we're not going to forget Stephanie.
Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the
distinguished chairman of the Ways and Means Committee
from New York City, our beloved colleague, Charles Rangel.
Mr. RANGEL. Thank you so much, Chairwoman Kaptur, for
giving me this courtesy and this opportunity.
I was a very longtime and dear friend of Louis Stokes. I
loved him, I worked with him, and when he decided that he
was going to retire, I did everything that I could to
share with him how much he would be missed by his country
and by this Congress. But when he had me meet in Cleveland
with Stephanie. Some of you may have met people that you
know that it really wouldn't make any difference what they
decided to do. Their intellect, their drive, their
personality would make them successful, and especially for
a woman and an African American woman in Ohio or any other
part of the United States, to be a prosecutor, to be a
judge and then to come to the Congress, it had to be
extraordinary, the same way Harriet Beecher Stowe, Fannie
Lou Hamer, people of extreme resilience.
And so from then, she said that she wanted to get on the
Ways and Means Committee, and boy, the Ways and Means
Committee has never been the same since she's joined with
us. She would come to the meetings where we would be
fighting and arguing and, with a smile, light it up. But
that didn't prevent her from getting involved in the
argument and many times on a different side of the Chair.
But at the end of the day, I knew that once she was
convinced that was the way the committee was going, you
couldn't stop Stephanie Tubbs Jones.
I say in conclusion, one of the reasons that so many of
you must like her, love her is because I don't remember
that many complaints that she had about the Chair not
responding to the needs of her constituents, especially
when the housing market fell in Cleveland.
But so many of you that she brought to the chairman of
this committee, that were not on the committee, because
you had convinced her that it was important to your
community, and she, as a person on that committee, thought
we should look into it, and there was never, but never, a
frivolous request. Every time she came she had done so
much homework that I just know that the gap that she
leaves in my heart and our committee will never be filled
by anyone else.
I thank you for this opportunity of sharing.
[The revised remarks of Mr. Rangel follow:]
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay special tribute to one
of our own; my friend and colleague, the Honorable
Chairwoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones who represented the 11th
Congressional District of Ohio for five terms. Sadly she
passed away at the young age of 59 on August 20, 2008,
from an aneurysm in her brain. She is survived by her son,
Mervyn L. Jones II, and her sister Barbara Walker.
Congresswoman Tubbs Jones truly was a pioneer. She
became the first African American woman to chair the
Committee on Standards of Official Conduct in the 110th
Congress and the first African American woman to serve on
the Committee on Ways and Means in the 108th Congress
where she played an important role on the Health
Subcommittee. She fought tirelessly for wealth building
and economic development, access and delivery of health
care, and quality education for all. The Congresswoman had
the ability to remain grounded and always continued to
work and include the interests of her constituents when
dealing with issues.
It was an honor and a privilege to have worked directly
with her on the Committee on Ways and Means. On the Health
Subcommittee she focused on end stage renal disease (ESRD)
disparities and she played an important role in the SCHIP
debate. She was a strong supporter of tax provisions
designed to encourage the rehabilitation of historic, and
other real property, and to encourage community
development. Despite her constituency that is mainly
unionized, she supported the Peru Trade Promotion
Agreement and other free trade agreements as long as they
met the International Labor Organization's Declaration on
Fundamental Principles and Right to Work.
She will be missed by Members on both sides of the aisle
and by staff on the Hill who admired and enjoyed working
with her as well. We who knew and worked with her will
surely be among many who will miss her smile, her
tenacity, and her infectious love of life. She leaves us
an inspirational legacy, a memorable record of public
service and a charge to keep fighting for what is right
and just. She will forever be in our hearts.
Mr. REGULA. I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from
North Carolina (Mr. Hayes).
Mr. HAYES. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Ohio,
the Ohio delegation, and the gentlelady, Ms. Kaptur, for
allowing me to be a part of this.
Stephanie was a special friend. I am terribly saddened
by the untimely passing of Stephanie Tubbs Jones. She was
someone who cared deeply about helping others, especially
those who couldn't help themselves. Tubbs Jones was a
wonderful philanthropist and friend. I will miss serving
with her as co-chair on the House Philanthropy Caucus.
Representative Tubbs Jones and I began our work in the
House the same year together in 1998. I was honored last
year to have the opportunity to partner with her to
establish the Congressional Philanthropy Caucus, an
initiative that she was very passionate about. Her
tireless and tenacious advocacy for the philanthropic
field, commitment, and leadership was very inspiring and
helped to forge new relationships and partnerships between
and among lawmakers and grantmakers.
The caucus was formed at the behest of the Council on
Foundations, a Washington, DC, area-based nonprofit
association of more than 2,100 grantmaking foundations and
corporations. The caucus aims to educate and inform
lawmakers about the field of philanthropy.
As a member of the House Ways and Means Committee,
Stephanie stressed the importance of reestablishing
charitable incentives that have expired, emphasizing the
impact such tools have on giving in the United States and
around the world. She was a strong believer that
charitable incentives help grow charitable giving to
populations in need across the country. Demonstrating her
commitment to her charitable values, Representative Tubbs
Jones was an original co-sponsor of the Public Good IRA
Rollover Act of 2007, H.R. 1419, which proposed to expand
the IRA charitable rollover. That act is especially
significant to the philanthropic field because it proposes
to allow distributions to donor-advised funds, supporting
organizations, and private foundations to qualify as
charitable giving tools.
In addition, when given the opportunity on the House
floor, Representative Tubbs Jones continually advocated
for philanthropy, encouraged our colleagues to join the
Philanthropy Caucus, and sponsored legislation promoting
charitable giving. She met with her foundation
constituents just a few weeks ago to discuss their work
and contributions to her home State.
Representative Tubbs Jones was a champion for the
philanthropic sector and will be greatly missed for her
contributions to the charitable giving field.
On behalf of the members of the Congressional
Philanthropy Caucus, and the many grantmakers that
Stephanie supported around the country, specifically Ohio
foundations, we wish to offer our sincere condolences and
to extend to her family, son Mervyn, colleagues, and
staff, our deepest sympathies for their loss.
Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the
distinguished gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Scott).
Mr. SCOTT of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, it is indeed an honor
to be able to stand in this House of Representatives and
say a few words for my distinguished colleague, Stephanie
Tubbs Jones.
You know, on everybody's tombstone there are three
things. There's first the date you were born and then the
date you die, and in between there is a dash. And the
question we all must answer at some point is what do you
do with the dash. Stephanie Tubbs Jones did an amazing
amount with her dash.
Born to hard-working, loving parents--Mary, who was a
factory worker; her father, Andrew, was a skycap--good,
hard-working people, who gave love to Stephanie. She rose
to become a prosecutor, a judge, a trial lawyer, all the
way up to the Congress of the United States.
And I tell you, in between, Mr. Speaker, she learned how
to play a mean game of bid whist. But I will tell you, Mr.
Speaker, she kept the faith, she finished her course, and
she fought the good fight. And therefore, there is put up
for Stephanie Tubbs Jones an extraordinary crown of
righteousness that the Lord, the righteous Judge,
appointed and has given to Stephanie Tubbs Jones, and we
thank God for sending Stephanie Tubbs Jones our way.
Mr. REGULA. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the
gentlelady from Ohio (Ms. Pryce).
Ms. PRYCE of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman
for yielding and thank the Members of the delegation for
having this very important time to remember our colleague.
Stephanie was a force in our delegation, and she was
also an inspiration to everybody here and everybody who
knew her. Perhaps we'll never understand or totally accept
the reasons that people are taken from us in such tragic
and untimely ways; yet there is always some comfort found
when we can look at a life and see the great purpose that
dwelled therein. And Stephanie Tubbs Jones lived with such
great purpose and made such a difference, and that will
help those of us that she left behind.
The last time I talked to Stephanie was not unlike most
of us right here, but it was not in this Chamber. It was
in her outer office. It was the office right outside the
door that is her car. And Stephanie was working in her
outer office, and she was right by the door. And I passed
there, and we were waiting for votes. I knocked on her
window, and she said, ``Come on in, Deb,'' and I crawled
in her office. I was glad to see it looked sort of like my
car. There were papers everywhere. There were books. It
was just like an office.
And we started not doing business but just chatting,
like so often we would do when we would find a minute
together. We talked of such great things in life as my
daughter's hair. Now, for those of you who don't know, I
have an adopted daughter who's African American, who was
born in Stephanie's district. And Stephanie took an
inordinate amount of interest in the lack of quality hair
care that I provided to my daughter, and Stephanie was
great about always giving me good advice for Mia, and she
wanted to become a greater part of Mia's life.
We had plans to make that happen the next visit to
Washington, and I'm sad especially for Mia that that won't
happen because Stephanie was a wonderful mentor for so
many people, women especially. I'm sorry that relationship
never took hold, but I will never forget the impact that
she had on me.
What a wonderful, strong personality. What a contagious
smile, and her laughter and her buoyancy held me up many
times when I needed just that extra shoulder.
She had such purpose in her life, and that is her
lasting legacy. We will all miss her, especially her
family. There are so many that became part of her family.
There are so many that she loved and touched in such an
important, meaningful way. She will sorely be missed, Mr.
Speaker.
I offer my deepest condolences to her family, to her son
who will miss her most of all. She was loved by so many,
as she so rightly should have been.
Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to
Stephanie's colleague from the State of Ohio, Congressman
Zack Space.
Mr. SPACE. I thank the gentlelady.
I rise today to remember a dear friend and dedicated
legislator, Stephanie Tubbs Jones. She was a tireless
advocate for justice, a dedicated mother, and a terrific
legislator and a fighter for the people of Ohio.
It will be very difficult for me to match the eloquence
of someone like Chairman Rangel, certainly the gentlelady
from Toledo, the gentleman from Canton, or my friend Mr.
Kucinich from Cleveland. But Dennis said something during
his presentation that struck me as being extraordinarily
accurate.
Stephanie did represent this magical, political persona
that was melded between her keen legal mind and her street
sense. She had compassion, knowledge. She was just a great
person and a great legislator. She was a trailblazer, as
those from the Ohio delegation have pointed out, in many
respects.
But something that many might not know is that Stephanie
actually had an effect on the people in my congressional
district, which is, while sharing the same State of Ohio,
a very long way from East Cleveland. Stephanie served as
an inspiration for women in politics, as well as our
African American community there as well. She fought for
justice and equality at every turn in her career, and this
was a tragic loss for the people of Congress and the
people of Ohio.
Indeed, I still feel her presence here, and I suspect we
will for quite some time. This has been a tragic loss for
this body.
Mr. REGULA. I yield to the gentlelady from Ohio (Mrs.
Schmidt).
Mrs. SCHMIDT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay my
respects to a great lady, Stephanie Tubbs Jones.
Just over 3 years ago, I first saw Stephanie in this
very room. As I was sworn into office, she came over and
greeted me with a great big smile and an enormous hug,
welcoming me to this wonderful body. Although we share
different political views, Stephanie understood that
friendship trumped politics. I felt fortunate to call her
my friend.
When I went to Cleveland last week to pay my respects, I
was welcomed by her wonderful family--her sister, Barbara;
her nieces, her cousins, and her wonderful son, Mervyn.
I learned something about Stephanie I didn't know. I
didn't realize that she was involved in a very famous
case, a case that spurred not only a TV show but also a
movie, ``The Fugitive.'' It was the Sam Sheppard case. She
was involved with that case, making sure justice was done.
I want to say thank you to the Lord for letting us have
Stephanie as long as we did. We never know when the hour
comes that he will come for us. I know that Stephanie was
prepared for him because she was always prepared for her
family and for her constituents, and she had that great
big smile. I'm sure that it's there in heaven.
To Mervyn, to Barbara and to the rest of the family, you
have my prayers. To the constituents of Cleveland, you
have her heart.
May she rest in peace.
Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to yield 1\1/2\
minutes to Stephanie's distinguished colleague from Ohio,
our dear friend, Congressman Charles Wilson.
Mr. WILSON of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I'm sad to be here this
evening, but I'm also proud that we can rise on this
occasion to join my colleagues in paying tribute to the
honor of Stephanie Tubbs Jones. It's right that we express
the condolences of the House of Representatives. I feel
like she was a dear friend to all of us, and I know that I
loved her and that so many of my colleagues did.
It came as a terrible shock a week ago Tuesday when we
found out that Stephanie died, but it's appropriate that
we have this resolution we're doing this evening to
appropriately honor a devoted American, and Stephanie was
a devoted American.
Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones was a champion for
the residents in the Greater Cleveland area. She was a
tireless voice for our State of Ohio.
She always greeted me with a big smile and, many times,
with a hug. It was just the way she did and the way she
treated people. A colleague of hers recently said that he
felt that Stephanie treated people that way because it was
almost as if God were watching. She was taken from us way
too soon.
Mr. Speaker, her work was not finished. She is counting
on us to carry on. My deepest sympathy goes out to her
son, Mervyn, to her sister, Barbara, and to her extended
family. She will be sorely missed by the Ohio
congressional delegation, by all of Congress, and I will
miss working with her.
Ms. KAPTUR. I would like to yield 2 minutes to our fine
colleague from the State of California, who was such a
close associate and friend of Stephanie's, Congresswoman
Lois Capps.
Mrs. CAPPS. I thank my dear colleague from Ohio.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in sad support of this resolution to
pay tribute to our colleague, the Honorable Stephanie
Tubbs Jones.
As so many have said, Stephanie had the gift of making
us all her friends and, for me and for others, her
sisters.
As has been said, she was a tireless advocate on behalf
of working families and civil rights long before she came
to Congress, and she continued her devotion to these
causes over the last decade. I was proud to work with her
in the last few years against a proposal that would have
undermined the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Her leadership on this issue was exemplary of her
commitment to protecting people against discrimination. I
will cherish that opportunity of working with her.
She was also a wonderful and active member of the
Congressional Caucus for Women's Issues. She co-chaired
the Task Force on Women in the Judiciary with her
colleague from Ohio and fellow former judge, Deborah
Pryce.
She also led efforts to raise awareness and to fund
greater research into uterine fibroids. This is a disease
that affects as many as three of four women over the
course of their lifetimes. Yet it's rarely discussed in
public. She had the courage to bring this otherwise taboo
subject to the forefront in the quest to bring relief to
millions of women who have and who will suffer from
fibroids.
The people of Ohio and of the entire Congress have lost
a true champion. For me, there was a personal bond with
Stephanie Tubbs Jones. She lost her husband suddenly after
she came to Congress, and I had lost mine recently, and so
we had a bond, a sad one, but one that we both cherished.
We made an agreement that we didn't need to talk. We just
needed, when we saw each other, to give each other a hug,
and I will cherish those hugs, and that bond still exists.
I send my condolences to her son and to her family
members, and I hope they know that the grief is shared by
all of us, and our dedication to upholding the causes
which motivated and for which she showed such great
leadership will inspire us to continue and, in each of our
own ways, to make that legacy that was Stephanie Tubbs
Jones' live on.
Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to yield 2 minutes to
the Representative from California who was a close
colleague of Stephanie's, Congresswoman Susan Davis.
Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to
honor not only one of my colleagues but a dear friend, the
Honorable Stephanie Tubbs Jones.
As we all know, she served the 11th Congressional
District of Ohio with dignity and pride, and she
represented her district with compassion, always with
compassion, fighting for justice and equality.
I was very fortunate because, when I arrived here in
2001, my office was right across the hall from
Stephanie's, and so you can imagine how embraced I felt by
her and by all of her staff, by all of the people who were
so close to her, such a loyal group of people.
There have been many stories told this evening, and many
more will be told of her accomplishments; there have been
many tributes that people have paid to her, but in this
very brief time, I just wanted to talk for a minute about
how her influence goes far beyond the district that she
represented because, for years, Representative Tubbs Jones
had been a special guest speaker before a group of young
people from San Diego, the Aaron Price Fellows. She always
came to those meetings at my request, and was always so
enthusiastic. She would just captivate this room of high
schoolers, who come from very diverse backgrounds, with
warmth and humor. She would weave her congressional
experience with her personal stories to excite the whole
group, and she would encourage their discussion. She'd
love their questions and really would be so energized,
energized in that room of young people every year that she
spoke to them just as she did every time she spoke on this
very floor. I think it says so much about Stephanie that
she shared her time and a lot of that time with students
far from her district.
So, today, we remember her as such an inspirational
leader, inspirational for so many--from high school
students, to her constituents, of course, and to all of us
here--to her colleagues. I am proud to say that I will
continue to be inspired by her as I serve in Congress, and
I can just think of her saying today, ``Hey, girlfriend.''
So I want to say to her, ``Thanks, girlfriend. Thank you
for everything.''
Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield 1 minute
to the distinguished gentlelady from Chicago,
Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, who was a real soul sister
to Stephanie.
Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, Stephanie and I were in the
same class. We came in in 1998, and immediately bonded as
friends and classmates. She and my husband became very
good friends. We would joke about it that my husband, Bob,
was her boyfriend, and at their last conversation, it
ended with his saying, ``Love you, Stef,'' and her saying,
``Love you, Bob.'' I'm jealous of that because they had
that moment where they actually said the word that I feel
so much tonight, that I loved Stephanie Tubbs Jones.
Stephanie was a force of nature. She was a big woman and
she filled a room. I can just picture her now. Can't you
just picture her coming down and speaking from this podium
right now and just filling the space with her presence,
with her sense of justice, with her passion, and with, of
course, her smile? Stephanie was fiercely loyal. She was a
supporter of Hillary Rodham Clinton's. Some of us were on
the other side, but that didn't challenge our friendship.
Connie Schultz, who is a Pulitzer Prize winner for the
Cleveland Plain Dealer said, ``Our friendship was forged
by her to the bones understanding of what it means to be a
woman, willing to stick your neck out for your beliefs.''
Stephanie was fearless and she was loved. I loved her. I
love you, Stephanie.
Ms. KAPTUR. I would now like to yield time to the
distinguished Congressman from North Dakota, Congressman
Earl Pomeroy, a friend of Stephanie's for many years.
Mr. POMEROY. I thank the gentlelady for yielding.
I doubt our departed sister, Stephanie, would ever have
imagined the impact she had. In fact, the Cleveland Plain
Dealer referenced her essential humility even when
mentioning her personal electricity in this editorial of
August 22:
``I have no illusions about myself,'' Tubbs Jones told
the Plain Dealer reporter Fran Henry in 1995. ``It could
all go up in a puff of smoke. I'll never lose sight of
that.''
Stephanie's presence on Earth has come so tragically to
an all too early end, but her achievements--rising from
the daughter of a factory worker and skycap to the
positions of judge, county prosecutor, five-term Member of
Congress--have made a lasting impact at each and every
step along the way, especially with the many lives she
touched.
I was privileged to sit by her on the Ways and Means
Committee. You could probably call us the odd couple--a
reserved, middle-aged man from the most rural part of our
country, teamed with the most energetic, charismatic,
bombastic, thoroughly urban Stephanie Tubbs Jones.
Over the years, on our committee together, I came to
fully understand just how deep and how genuine her passion
for others was, especially for those less fortunate, for
those needing help. We'd joke about taking turns keeping
each other settled down even under considerable
provocation sometimes in Ways and Means debate. My counsel
of ``take it easy, Stephanie'' would be met in turn with
``now settle down, Earl.'' In one hearing on inexcusable
Social Security delays, we both just lost it entirely.
I'll never forget that hearing; it's one of my favorites.
One of the greatest compliments I've had in this
Congress, in any Congress I've served in, was when she'd
call me her country boyfriend. She had the most incredible
way of making those she met feel better. In the place
where smiles, laughter, and deep compassion are never in
sufficient supply, Stephanie Tubbs Jones will be deeply
missed but never forgotten.
Ms. KAPTUR. I thank the gentleman for his remarks and
presence this evening.
I would like to yield 2 minutes now to one of
Stephanie's sisters here from the State of Texas,
Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee.
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. I thank you very much.
These are such wonderful stories that I'm listening to
as we honor Stephanie Tubbs Jones, so I'm going to speak
on some issues that showed her in her fullness and in her
love of life.
And that was as a House basketball coach. She was that
woman with a smile. She was a Good Samaritan. She was also
like Ruth; if she was your friend, she was going to stick
with you. She loved life, loved her family. How wonderful
it was to be part of her family. And she allowed this
Congress to be part of her family because everyone knew
Mervyn, her husband; her son; her sisters; her mother and
father, who I got a chance to know. But yet when she got
on that basketball court and she was the coach, I tell you
that was a winning smile, a winning coach, and a winning
team.
And there was nothing more exciting than being at the
2008 House basketball team game. This was a game for
charity. But you couldn't tell Coach Stephanie Tubbs Jones
that she was out there for charity. She was out there to
win, and you'd think it was the NBA championship, for she
ran up and down that court. She gave the best coaching.
She told the guys, who happened to be Members of Congress
and others, what they could and could not do. And even
though she wasn't the referee and she wasn't the
penalizer, she'd penalize her team.
And what an exciting time to see in this year's 2008
winning basketball effort, Mervyn, her son, make the
winning basketball shot. It was so exciting that those of
us that were in the stands ran out onto the court, of
course in violation, but we were able to get away with
that. And I was so excited, in my short stature of 52\1/
2\", I asked the greatest coach that I knew if I could
work with her next year, and she gave me the greatest
honor and said ``yes.'' That was Stephanie Tubbs Jones,
the lover of life.
But yet as a prosecutor, one would think she would be
hard nosed and she'd be running toward prosecution and
incarceration. But she teamed up with her dear friend
Danny Davis, and they shed their light all around this
campus, both the House and the Senate, to work on what we
call the Second Chance bill.
So I rise today on behalf of the incarcerated whom
Stephanie loved, whom she gave an opportunity through her
work with Danny Davis and those who co-sponsored this
legislation, to say to these individuals they could have a
second chance.
May God allow her to rest in peace, but may her star
shine continuously through us. We love her and we love her
family.
Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I would like to place in the
Record the names of the very able staff of Congresswoman
Stephanie Tubbs Jones. This staff has endured great
sadness, and they have tried to carry on with their leader
being in spiritual guidance but not there personally.
I would like to thank, from her district office, Betty
Pinkney, her district director; Beverly Charles, her
senior liaison; Theresa Lang Coaxum, her health liaison;
Sharon Cole, business liaison; and Saulette Reed, her
office manager.
And here in Washington, Kimberley Alton, her legislative
director; Lalla King Green, her scheduler; Eric Hammond,
her staff assistant; Aaron Wasserman, her legislative
correspondent; Darrell Doss, her tax counsel; Athena
Abdullah, her health counsel; Nicole Y. Williams, her
communications director; and Patrice Willoughby, dear
Patrice, her chief of staff and counsel, who has tried to
stand in Stephanie's place during these very difficult
days.
Finally, from the Committee on Standards, Dawn Kelly
Mobley, the counsel to the chairwoman.
These are wonderful staff people who have Stephanie's
heart, and we want to do everything we can to help them
through this very difficult time. And we thank them for
their service to Stephanie and serving the people of the
11th District and the people of our country.
Also, Mr. Speaker, I would like to place in the Record
before I call on our final speaker this story: There were
many tributes paid to Stephanie at the service in
Cleveland. One of the most moving speakers the friends of
Stephanie heard Saturday from no politician or preacher
but from a young 16-year-old named Tiffany, a member of an
all girls health careers class at Cleveland Martin Luther
King Junior High School that Stephanie took under her wing
2 years ago. Tiffany recalled Jones telling the girls
``This is the future. You are the future.'' And the
Congresswoman took time from her political and legislative
schedule to visit the class and take them places. She took
them to church one Sunday, but Tiffany had to work that
day. So Stephanie dropped by the work place with Tiffany's
classmates in tow. Stephanie kept her eye on every one of
them. ``We're family,'' Tiffany told her classmates, who
stood in a show of unity with their peer. She said,
``We've got to stick together. We have got to carry on in
her legacy. She was steward, protector, and advocate to
us. I will miss her as a friend.''
Stephanie had friends of all ages. We thank her for her
leadership and for the seeds that she planted in the new
growth forest that is growing in Cleveland and growing
across this country to which she devoted her life.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to call as our final speaker
in this bereavement resolution Stephanie's very good
friend from the State of Missouri, Congressman Emanuel
Cleaver.
Mr. CLEAVER. Mr. Speaker, when Congresswoman Tubbs
discovered that I had three sons who had gone to college
on basketball scholarships, she asked if I would bring
them here for the annual fundraising basketball game with
the Georgetown Law School faculty. None of them could come
this year; so I was drafted by Stephanie Tubbs Jones in
language that I would normally not use during a sermon.
But I did show up and immediately became angry because she
pulled me out of the game just because I could not make it
down the court in a minute in the transition game. So I
cheered for the remainder of the evening for our team that
Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee mentioned did win in
overtime.
But the most significant moment for me came when we all
saw the signs that the pages had made for us. They were
cheering us on. And the pages sent me a statement that
they asked if I would read on their behalf. And I quote:
Ask any one of the pages from the spring 2008 class to
list their favorite memories from the 5 months we spent
working on the Hill. An anecdote about Ms. Stephanie Tubbs
Jones will likely be included. For some of us it is the
unwavering charisma shown when she was the Speaker pro
tempore. For others it is the simple act of coming to say
goodbye to us at our departure ceremony. For most of us,
it is the night of the 2008 home court charity basketball
game, where our chants cheering on the Hill's Angels team
and the Coach Tubbs Jones rang 10 times louder than the
formidable Georgetown students cheering section and led
our team to a surprising victory.
That night and for the rest of the time we knew Ms.
Tubbs Jones, we weren't just pages sitting in the back of
the House. We experienced that night the true strength,
pride, and enthusiasm of Stephanie Tubbs Jones, a strength
rooted in her devotion to making things better, a pride in
her job as a public servant evident every single day, and
an unmatched enthusiasm for our service as pages. She was
the type of woman you only dream of meeting at some point
in your life and the friend we never expected to find in
the Halls of Congress last spring.
Just as we will never forget our time as pages, we will
never forget Stephanie Tubbs Jones.
--The spring 2008 page class.
Mr. Speaker, Stephanie Tubbs Jones was my friend. We had
the opportunity to spend time together, and I don't want
to reminisce and say things that others have already said.
Let me just say that I hate death. I hate it. And if I had
an opportunity to erase it or kill it, I would. But death,
unfortunately, is a part of life and we will all
experience it. The issue is not death so much as it is
life, and we are granted an unspecified period of time,
and many of us deal with those moments with a kind of
carelessness that certainly was not planned when we were
given our time on this Earth.
Stephanie Tubbs Jones was exuberant. She lived her life.
She lived it out to the fullest. And I can say that if you
understand that life is not a time to just waste and then
look at the time of Stephanie Tubbs Jones, you know she
understood that. And I would say that death is not a cul-
de-sac for some. It's not an end. Death is a beginning.
And for Stephanie Tubbs Jones, it was a comma for a new
beginning. She lived her life and she lived it with zest
and zeal.
She pulled me in Kansas City on the dance floor in front
of hundreds of people and made me dance. I have a
photograph of it that I had been hiding, and I am now
going to bring out with pride because I think when she did
that, she was also saying live your life and live it to
the fullest. Never ever allow cobwebs to cover you. If you
rest, you rust. Stephanie Tubbs Jones never rusted.
Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, in concluding this first hour
this evening in honor of our dear colleague Stephanie
Tubbs Jones, let me just say that Stephanie Tubbs Jones
was a true mother of this Republic. Let the Record show
that. Let the Record comfort her son in years hence.
I want to say to our dear friend and colleague,
Congressman Regula, whose district sort of held
Stephanie's up on the southern side. I want to thank him
so very much, the dean of the Republican side of the
aisle, for being here throughout this evening and through
the wonderful participation of her colleagues of various
persuasions here on the floor. The friendships went beyond
party, and I thank the gentleman for his participation.
Mr. REGULA. Well, I would just comment that to know
Stephanie was to love her. She just had that ebullient
personality that you couldn't resist.
I also want to comment on one other thing, and that is
that thousands of people in East Cleveland, in her
district, have better health care today than they would
have without Stephanie. She focused on the health care
assets of East Cleveland, some of the best in the Nation,
and as a result, the people that she represented have a
better chance to take advantage of the health care
facilities. And that's a legacy of Stephanie's that most
people aren't aware of and yet touches the lives of
literally thousands of people.
I congratulate the gentlewoman from Ohio for having this
special order tonight because Stephanie was special.
Ms. KAPTUR. Thank you, Congressman Regula, and I want to
thank all of our colleagues who have participated this
evening. I can guarantee you that every word that is on
the Record will come to comfort Mervyn and the Tubbs Jones
family, their church family, her sisterhood, all the
people of Cleveland, all the people who have known
Stephanie across our Nation. I want to thank our
colleagues for their generosity and for their good hearts.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to say that the Ohio
delegation stands beside those from the Congressional
Black Caucus, that will have the second hour this evening
in remembrance of Stephanie Tubbs Jones. We thank them for
doing this. I know how much their words will mean not just
today but in future years to those who love Stephanie
always.
Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise
tonight deeply saddened by the passing of my friend and
colleague, Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones.
Congresswoman Tubbs Jones was an extraordinary woman,
wife, mother, and leader.
Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones made history by
becoming the first African American woman to be elected to
Congress from her State of Ohio.
Throughout her career, Congresswoman Tubbs Jones
demonstrated a serious commitment to her constituents and
represented them well.
She dedicated her life to uplift and inspire those
around her. Her dedication, strong will, and spirit gave
hope to so many people.
Congresswoman Tubbs Jones and her work will never be
forgotten as she lives in us all. She has left her mark in
history, in Congress, and in our hearts.
I will deeply miss her and my thoughts and prayers are
with her family.
Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, the untimely death of
Representative Stephanie Tubbs Jones gives us pause. There
was a great writer who once said that the death of one of
us diminishes us all. As Stephanie's friends and
colleagues in the U.S. Congress, we all feel a little lost
and a little less because one of our most fearless
champions is gone.
Those who are voiceless in America today, who have been
left out and left behind, have lost a warrior, a fighter,
a crusader who did what she could to defend the dignity of
humankind. There was not anything shy about Stephanie.
She had the courage, the ability, and the desire to
speak up and speak out, to fight for what she believed was
right, what was fair and just.
As a fellow member of the Ways and Means Committee, she
was very concerned about using the tax code to help lift
the burdens of the least among us. I always enjoyed it
when she made a statement or questioned a witness. She was
a brilliant judge and prosecutor, and that helped make her
a gifted Member of Congress.
Stephanie Tubbs Jones will be deeply missed by the
Cleveland community, by the people of Ohio, by the
citizens of America, by her family, friends, and all of
her colleagues in the U.S. Congress. Peace be with you
Stephanie, my friend. May God Almighty grant you eternal
peace.
Mr. JEFFERSON. Mr. Speaker, I first met Stephanie Tubbs
Jones through her legendary predecessor, Representative
Louis Stokes, who described her simply as ``full of
life.'' Indeed, she was. And, to have heard her
impassioned speech denoting the shortcomings of a housing
bill the Congress recently passed, a speech made just
before the Congress went on its August break, it was
impossible to see her death foreshadowed. Her zeal for
public service, her love for the Members of Congress, and
particularly of the CBC members, and her commitment to
people who needed a hand up from government, defined her
life here.
In a larger sense she was a devoted family person. She
lost both her parents during her service here, and, I
having also lost my mother and father over my years here,
gave us the opportunity for quiet reflection on what our
parents had meant to us, and helped to deepen our
friendship.
She was devoted to the memory of her husband, Mervyn,
who died just a few years ago. When I chaired the
Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, I urged her to join
the board, which she did. From that point, she launched
the Mervyn Jones Golf Classic which has raised millions in
scholarship funds for worthy and needy college students.
She was awfully proud of her son Mervyn II, who often came
to the gym to play basketball with us ``old jocks'' and
often schooled us with his basketball skills.
Her service on the Ways and Means Committee with me over
several years gave me insight into her caring heart for
health care and human resource issues but also into her
competence as an infighter in the legislative process. She
made her points, stood her ground, and quite often carried
her position. She sought me out after Hurricane Katrina
hit my district and my State, offering advice and real
help. Stephanie identified with human suffering everywhere
and wanted to do something about it.
I was stunned and saddened by her sudden and unexpected
death as were we all. And it was the hardest thing not to
take the plane ride to Cleveland to attend her funeral and
memorial service. It was only after the sage and stern
advice from my Chairwoman Carolyn Cheeks-Kilpatrick that I
reluctantly canceled my trip to Cleveland to attend to the
issues back at home with Hurricane Gustav bearing down on
our people. I know I was well covered by the Members who
did attend and part of me will always regret not being
there. But, looking at it from another vantage point--not
having fully seen her in death--my memories of her will
only be those of her in life--not just in life but ``full
of life'' as Lou Stokes described her.
Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to mourn the loss of my
friend and colleague Stephanie Tubbs Jones.
Stephanie Tubbs Jones was a kind and caring friend, a
hard-working and diligent colleague, and a committed
Representative. She was also a trailblazer--she was the
first African American and the first female prosecutor in
Cuyahoga County, Ohio, the first African American woman to
be elected to serve Ohio in the House of Representatives,
and the first African American woman to serve on the
powerful House Ways and Means Committee.
Stephanie Tubbs Jones was an inspiration to me and to
others who aspire to represent their constituents with
passion, dedication, and integrity. A champion of voting
rights, she stood up for those who lacked a voice to
ensure that they are not denied the most fundamental right
of our democracy--the right to vote.
In her role as chair of the House Ethics Committee, she
led the House of Representatives in ensuring that Members
of Congress live up to high standards. She understood that
increasing Americans' confidence in their government
requires honest and ethical behavior by their leaders.
All those who loved Stephanie Tubbs Jones, including her
son Mervyn Leroy Jones II, and her sister Barbara Walker,
are in my thoughts and prayers.
As we mourn the passing of this intelligent, hard-
working, and caring Representative, we celebrate her
accomplishments. We are reminded that despite the tragedy
of her passing, her life was a blessing for her
colleagues, her friends, her family, her constituents, and
so many who needed a champion.
Ms. HIRONO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join my
colleagues in expressing great sympathy on the sudden
passing of Stephanie Tubbs Jones.
Stephanie Tubbs Jones was a pioneer her entire
professional career: She was the first African American
and the first female prosecutor in Cuyahoga County, Ohio;
the first African American woman to sit on the Common
Pleas bench in Ohio; the first African American woman to
be elected to Congress from Ohio; and the first African
American woman to serve on the House Ways and Means
Committee.
As a first-term Member of Congress, my service with
Stephanie was too short, but I will fondly remember her
bright smile and vibrant personality. Her leadership and
passion will be sorely missed.
I would like to extend my deepest condolences to
Stephanie's son, Mervyn Leroy Jones II, and her sister,
Barbara Walker.
Ms. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today joining my
colleagues in tribute, sharing kind words and memories of
our colleague and dear friend, Congresswoman Stephanie
Tubbs Jones.
I was deeply saddened when I heard the news of her
death. My sincerest thoughts and prayers go out to her son
Mervyn, to all her family, and to her friends and
supporters during this difficult time.
Stephanie Tubbs Jones was an inspiration and a tireless
advocate for her constituents. She was a fighter--a strong
woman of conviction and intelligence, whose values and
experience guided her advocacy and fearlessness.
Stephanie broke molds, she broke glass ceilings, and
then swept away the stereotypes. Stephanie was never one
to be absorbed into the folds of a monochrome following.
She was outspoken and proactive, bold in demeanor and
action. Her always bright and powerful attire spoke to her
outgoing personality, which never shied away from a
challenge and approached every day with enthusiasm and
confidence. Her skill in crafting intelligent and
responsible legislation shows that she viewed the world
through this diverse spectrum of color, dismissing the
notion that solutions to complex problems can come from a
world of simply black and white.
Justice and inclusion were at the heart of her work. In
her 10 years in Congress and her lifetime of service she
always put justice, opportunity, and equality atop all
other pursuits. Stephanie did not come from a life of
privilege simply to serve the privileged. She came from a
working class community and put her heart and soul into
lifting up that community with every step of the ladder
she climbed.
I remember how highly coveted she was by the then-
members of the Ways and Means committee, when joining the
powerful committee soon after her election. My husband Bob
served on the then-committee and recognized in her
character the genuine desire to serve her Nation, her
constituents, and those whose voices had yet to be fully
heard. Her experience as a prosecutor and judge gave her
arguments tenacity and her decisions finality.
Stephanie Tubbs Jones effectively represented her
Cleveland district for over a decade. Yet she never
dismissed the acknowledgment that her success as a
groundbreaking figure touched many outside her district's
boundaries. Her work looked beyond district lines and
party lines to affect, inspire, and speak for those in
need of justice and advocacy.
My heart goes out to her loved ones. I know that she
will be greatly missed by everyone who knew her. Her
impact will continue to be felt, not only in her Cleveland
district and the U.S. House of Representatives, but by the
many individuals who benefited from her service.
Mr. STARK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with great sadness
to mourn the passing of my good friend and colleague,
Stephanie Tubbs Jones.
While serving with Stephanie on the Ways and Means
Committee, and more closely on the Health Subcommittee, I
experienced first hand what a fierce and effective
advocate she was in Congress. She was an uncompromising
champion for health care as a right for everyone. Her
constant effort highlighting the disparities in our health
care system and her tireless work on behalf of end stage
renal disease patients made her an outstanding
Representative. She is, in a word, irreplaceable.
Her spirited advocacy and commitment to justice and
fairness were accompanied by warmth and strong loyalty.
Those who worked closely with her were privileged to see
both her intense passion and joy for her work.
I extend my sincerest condolences to her son Mervyn and
her sister Barbara, and the many women and men who counted
her among their family and friends. As a colleague and
friend, I am honored to have served beside her. She will
be sorely missed.
Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life
and legacy of our dear friend, Congresswoman Stephanie
Tubbs Jones. Since her arrival here nearly 10 years ago as
the first African American woman elected to Congress by
Ohio, she was a tireless advocate for the poor and our
Nation's working families. Despite the tremendous personal
losses she suffered, including the tragic loss of her
sister, her parents, and her husband Mervyn of 26 years,
she never wavered in her commitment to the people of Ohio.
Stephanie Tubbs Jones will be remembered as a role
model, an ardent and bold voice for progressive causes,
and a champion for the rights of the disenfranchised. She
will be a tough act to follow. Her remarkable passion and
bravery continue to be an inspiration to us all, and we
will all truly miss her presence in this Chamber.
Ms. KILPATRICK. I'd like to yield to the former
chairman, my predecessor of the Congressional Black
Caucus, Congressman Mel Watt.
Mr. WATT. I thank the gentlelady for convening this
special order for us to pay tribute to our friend and
colleague, Stephanie Tubbs Jones.
In the midst of all our sadness I think the one thing
that keeps occurring over and over and over again are
wonderful, uplifting, fun stories and memories of
Stephanie Tubbs Jones. In fact, I was privileged to share
a whole sequence of fun, funny, uplifting experiences with
Stephanie Tubbs Jones, and I concur with my colleague,
Emanuel Cleaver, who made a comment earlier that this life
did not cheat our friend Stephanie Tubbs Jones. She lived
and enjoyed every single minute of it. Even when she was
working, she was having fun. So I suspect you're going to
hear from this group that is coming for this special order
more stories about our experiences with her because they
were all a series of fun experiences.
Let me start with this experience. Probably 3 weeks
before Stephanie Tubbs Jones' death, 7:30 a.m. the phone
rings at my residence in Charlotte, North Carolina, and on
the other end is Stephanie Tubbs Jones saying, ``Mel, I
got into your city last night at about 10 o'clock. I was
on my way from Memphis, Tennessee, where I had been
campaigning for a person who was running for Congress, and
I was on my way to give a speech in Cincinnati, Ohio, and
there was bad weather in Cincinnati, Ohio, and I ended up
spending the night at a motel in Charlotte, North
Carolina, and I don't have any clothes and I am supposed
to be giving a speech in Cincinnati later today. What can
you do for me?''
I said, ``Well, Stephanie, no problem. I will just have
somebody pick you up, take you to the shopping center. You
can do your shopping, buy a whole new wardrobe.'' So she
went to all this excuse to go shopping.
So that very morning, as soon as the stores opened in
Charlotte, one of my staff members had Stephanie Tubbs
Jones at the mall and she did her shopping and we got her
to the airport by 11:30 that morning to catch her flight
to Cincinnati. She went to Cincinnati and gave her speech.
Now I missed the opportunity to see the outfits--not
one, but outfits--that Stephanie Tubbs Jones purchased
that morning. She promised me she was going to show me the
special outfit that she purchased, and I never got the
opportunity to see it.
But as those kinds of stories that make Stephanie Tubbs
Jones a real person to us, not just a colleague in
Congress, but a friend, a peer, a confidant, a person that
you knew that if she ever made a commitment to you, would
be there come heck or high water. I am cleaning it up a
little bit.
She was our friend, a delightful, wonderful person,
always with a smile. She never got cheated in this life,
because she lived every moment of it.
I thank my colleague for yielding me time. I know there
are so many other of my colleagues here to pay tribute. I
could go on and on and on, but I won't. I thank you for
doing this. My condolences to Barbara and Mervyn and the
entire Stephanie Tubbs Jones family.
Ms. KILPATRICK. Thank you very much.
Sister Sister, that is who she was to me. And to Mervyn
too, and Barbara and the rest of the family, it has been
said, this night is for you. She lives in this Chamber,
and she always will.
I yield now to a former U.S. Ambassador to Micronesia,
the Congresswoman from California, Congresswoman Diane
Watson.
Ms. WATSON. Thank you so much, Madam Chairman, and thank
you, Mr. Speaker. I had some prepared remarks, but I think
the intimate stories really speak to who she was and how
we felt about who she was.
After the untimely passing of our colleague Juanita
Millender-McDonald, Stephanie called and she said, ``Hey
girl, I am coming out there to spend some time. I just
want to be in Juanita's space.''
So she came out, and I picked her up. And representing
Hollywood, I took her with me that weekend, and she met
Ben Vereen and she met other celebrities, and she was so
thrilled. She said to me, ``I'm coming out again, girl.
I'm coming out again.''
After we had our AKA Boule several weeks ago here and we
had our pink and green, she came in the last I saw her in
her red. And she came strutting down this aisle, and she
said, ``See, I got my red on. We are getting ready to have
our Boule too.'' I said, ``Well, your red is just a deeper
pink.'' We laughed. And that was the last time I saw her.
Stephanie was that kind of person, who, as everyone has
described her as being, lived life to the fullest. She was
a fighter with a tremendous presence. She stood up for
tens of thousands who could not stand up for themselves,
and she fought for justice, equality, and opportunity for
every American. In her home State of Ohio and in her
beloved city of Cleveland, she led the fight for election
reform to assure that every American's vote was counted
and was valued.
Stephanie was also loved and respected by her colleagues
here on Capitol Hill, where in relatively short order she
was appointed the first, among her many firsts, African
American woman to the prestigious Ways and Means
Committee. She also served as chairwoman of the Committee
on Ethics and made great strides to work across the aisle
in a nonpartisan manner.
I admired her enthusiasm for public service, her
integrity, her warmth, and her keen intellect. I extend to
the family my condolences, to her friends and to all of
her colleagues. Her presence will be missed. But I know
she is in this assemblage at this moment. Her shoes will
be hard to fill, but, Stephanie, we feel the surge of
energy as we speak of you this evening.
Thank you, Madam Chairman.
Ms. KILPATRICK. I thank the gentlewoman from California.
I yield now to a young man from Newark, New Jersey,
chairperson of our African Globalism Committee, the
gentleman from Newark, Congressman Donald Payne.
Mr. PAYNE. Madam Chairman, the chair of our
Congressional Black Caucus who has done such an
outstanding job--it is really a great loss. We have this
untimely loss of our wonderful friend and colleague,
Stephanie Tubbs Jones. A void has been left in the lives
of all of those who had the privilege of knowing this
remarkable, vibrant, and accomplished woman. It is a loss
shared by her family, her many friends, her Ohio
constituents, and all of those around our great Nation who
looked to her as a champion of justice, a person who was
an advocate for the everyday people.
A former county prosecutor, a judge on the municipal
court, she went to break glass ceiling after glass
ceiling, with her election as the first African American
woman to be elected to Congress from Ohio. She tore down
barriers here in the House of Representatives when she
successfully sought a seat on the Ways and Means
Committee, and those walls came down. She was like at
Jericho. When she blew that trumpet, the walls just came
tumbling down. She was just so full of energy.
In the little time that she was on the Ways and Means
Committee, her reputation for fairness was so great that
she was selected as chair of the Ethics Committee. To
chair the House Ethics Committee, you have to be the
fairest person among that body. It is a tough position.
So, once again she was called to duty. It is really not an
office you seek, it is just something that is bestowed
upon you, and when you are asked, you have to take it.
She was a pioneer who forged ahead, not just for
herself, because she knew that she was opening doors for
others. As co-chair of the Caribbean Caucus, I had the
pleasure of traveling with Stephanie. We would go to the
Caribbean, and she was a great traveling companion. She
had a lot of interest in global issues. She was interested
in understanding other cultures. She was interested in
those people in nations less fortunate than ours.
She was enthusiastic about promoting international
trade. She wanted to have economic development to address
the problems of poverty and hunger around the world. She
wanted to bring more educational opportunities to regions
in the Caribbean and other places that we traveled.
Even though she was a diligent public servant, Stephanie
always found time to laugh and enjoy life. A terrific
sports fan, she was unrivaled in her enthusiasm for her
hometown teams, the Cleveland Browns, the Cleveland
Cavaliers, and she even cheered the Cleveland Indians,
even though they had not won a World Series since 1948 and
she would complain about that.
She was just so proud of Mervyn II. She loved to sail.
My brother is a sailor, and they would talk about just
getting out. The only water I like is when I take my
shower every day, and that is about it. But she loved to
sail, and she just knew all about it, and her sister
Barbara right there paid attention.
I remember her proud father. He was elderly and he was
so dignified. One time we were staying on the same floor
at the CBC's hotel where we were, and his tie came loose.
He was walking so proud, and I said, ``Could I just fix it
for you?'' I felt good just trying to do something. And he
was just so proud. I know how my grandfather was, the
dignified black man who had to endure so much. But when
they walked, they walked proud and they walked straight as
an arrow, and that is how he was.
She was just great. She was my pal. She was my traveling
companion. It's just hard to find words for Stephanie,
full of life, full of energy. I didn't smoke, but I used
to tell her she needed to slow down on that smoking. But
we did have some times together. I won't get into that. We
don't want to get into too many details.
She was good at everything. She did a great job with
that tennis and golf tournament every Wednesday at the
Congressional Black Caucus lunch. She would say, ``You
have got to come. You have got to support it, scholarships
for children.''
It is hard to be in Congress without Stephanie there,
but we are going to have to remember her. She was my pal.
[The revised remarks of Mr. Payne follow:]
With the untimely loss of our wonderful friend and
colleague, Stephanie Tubbs Jones, a void has been left in
the lives of all those who had the privilege of knowing
this remarkable, vibrant, and accomplished woman. It is a
loss shared by her family, her many friends, her Ohio
constituents, and all those around our great Nation who
looked to her as a champion of justice and also an
advocate for their everyday concerns.
A former county prosecutor and judge of the Cleveland
Municipal Court, she went on to break another glass
ceiling with her election as the first African American
woman elected to Congress from Ohio. She tore down a
barrier here in the House of Representatives when she
successfully sought a seat on the Ways and Means
Committee, which had no African American woman member at
the time. It was a measure of her reputation for fairness
that she was selected to serve as chair of the House
Ethics Committee.
She was a pioneer who forged ahead not just for herself,
but because she knew that she was opening doors for others
who would benefit from her groundbreaking steps.
As co-chair of the Caribbean Caucus, I had the pleasure
of traveling with StephanieTubbs Jones, and what a great
traveling companion she was. She had a strong interest in
global issues, in understanding other cultures, and in
improving the lives of those in nations less fortunate
than ours. She was enthusiastic about promoting
international trade and economic development; in
addressing the problems of poverty and hunger; and she
wanted to bring more educational opportunities to regions
where such opportunities were severely lacking.
Even though she was a diligent public servant, Stephanie
always found time to laugh and to enjoy life. A terrific
sports fan, she was unrivaled in her enthusiasm for her
teams, the Cleveland Browns, the Cleveland Cavaliers, and
she even cheered on the Cleveland Indians, even though
they had not won the World Series since 1948--a year
before she was born.
She was also very proud of her son, Mervyn II, and she
loved spending time with her sister, Barbara Walker. I
recall the care and attention she paid to her elderly
father; it was touching to see the bond between them when
they were together.
Stephanie lived life out loud. Her dazzling smile, her
passion for causes, and her devotion to her family made
her a remarkable person to know.
Her hometown newspaper, the Cleveland Plain Dealer,
summed it up well when they wrote that she was ``tough,
exuberant, passionate . . . a woman from modest means who
rose to national prominence.''
Our thoughts and prayers remain with her family as we
mourn the loss of Stephanie Tubbs Jones and celebrate her
amazing life and legacy.
Ms. KILPATRICK. Thank you, Congressman.
You know, you have heard it said tonight that she was a
friend and a leader and intelligent, and you could count
on her when she gave you her word. We all felt that. And I
think as Congressman Payne said, she is in this Chamber,
and she will be in this Chamber, and it is our
responsibility to carry her spirit and her dedication to
building a new America for all of God's people.
The caucus has received many letters and
congratulations, condolences, and expressions of love for
Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones. At this time I would
like to put some of them in the Record, from the South
African Embassy, from the Embassy of Turkey, from the
Black Women Lawyers' Association of Greater Chicago, and
from the Embassy of Colombia. The list goes on and on, and
we will be putting them in the Record all week long. To
you, Sister Sister, you live, and you always will.
Embassy of Turkey, Washington, DC,
August 21, 2008.
Hon. Carolyn Kilpatrick,
Chairwoman, Congressional Black Caucus,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
Dear Chairwoman Kilpatrick, I learned with profound
sadness and regret the passing of Congresswoman Stephanie
Tubbs Jones, chairwoman of the House Committee on
Standards of Official Conduct and a valuable member of the
Congressional Black Caucus.
Chairwoman Jones took great personal interest in Turkey
and was dedicated to upholding the strong relations,
friendship, strategic partnership and alliance between our
two great nations. We will always feel her great loss in
our hearts.
On this note, I would like to extend our deepest
condolences and sympathies to the members of the
Congressional Black Caucus.
Sincerely yours,
Nabi Sensoy,
Ambassador.
a
South African Embassy, Washington, DC,
August 22, 2008.
Hon. Carolyn C. Kilpatrick,
Chairwoman, Congressional Black Caucus,
Rayburn Building, Washington, DC.
Dear Madam Chairwoman, it was with sadness that I
learned of the sudden and untimely passing of
Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones. A spirited
Representative from the great state of Ohio, Ms. Tubbs
Jones stood up proudly for what she believed in, and her
infectious zest for life, her optimism and her service to
others, are all the qualities that she brought to the U.S.
House of Representatives, and to all that had the pleasure
of knowing her, and she will be sorely missed. On behalf
of the Republic of South Africa, I hereby wish to convey
our sincere condolences to the family, friends,
constituents, colleagues and especially to you our friends
in the Congressional Black Caucus, and you remain in our
thoughts throughout this very difficult time.
Yours sincerely,
Welile Nhlapo,
Ambassador.
a
Black Women Lawyer's Association of
Greater Chicago, Inc., Chicago, Illinois,
August 21, 2008.
Re death of the Honorable Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs
Jones.
Hon. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick,
Chairman, Congressional Black Caucus,
Rayburn Building, Washington, DC.
Dear Congresswoman Kilpatrick: The Black Women Lawyers'
Association of Greater Chicago wishes to honor the late
Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones for her numerous
accomplishments and achievements in her role as a
member of the Ohio Congressional Delegation, an African-
American lawyer, and an activist.
As the chairman of the esteemed Congressional Black
Caucus, we respectfully ask that you place the enclosed
resolution into the Congressional Record.
Should you have any questions about our bar association,
please do not hesitate to contact me.
Respectfully,
Mary A. Melchor,
President, Black Women Lawyers'
Association of Greater Chicago.
Enclosure.
A Resolution for
U.S. Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones (OH-11)
``For I am already being poured out like a drink
offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have
fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have
kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of
righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will
award to me on that day--and not only to me, but also to
all who have longed for his appearing.'' II Timothy 4:6-8
In commemoration of the life of U.S. Congresswoman
Stephanie Tubbs Jones (OH-11) from the members of the
Black Women Lawyers' Association of Greater Chicago, Inc.:
Whereas, it is with deepest regret that we are compelled
to mourn the passing of U.S. Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs
Jones on August 20, 2008, the first African-American woman
elected to the United States House of Representatives from
Ohio; and
Whereas, Congresswoman Jones was a lifelong resident of
the 11th District of Ohio, which encompasses most of the
East Side of Cleveland and parts of the West Side of
Cleveland and includes parts of 22 suburbs; and
Whereas, Congresswoman Jones was in her fifth term in
office and a strong advocate for many issues, including
championing wealth building and economic development,
access and delivery of health care, and quality education
for all; and
Whereas, Congresswoman Jones chaired the Committee on
Standards of Official Conduct (Ethics), served on the
powerful Ways and Means Committee, and was an active
member of numerous Congressional Caucuses, including the
Congressional Black Caucus; and
Whereas, Congresswoman Jones introduced several pieces
of legislation including, the Uterine Fibroids Research
and Education Act to increase funding for research on
uterine fibroids and provide enhanced public education
about this condition; the Predatory Mortgage Lending
Practices Reduction Act, which would require certification
of mortgage brokers and enhance penalties for predatory
loans, and the Campus Fire Prevention Act, which would
provide money to equip college dorms, fraternities, and
sorority houses with fire suppression devices; and
Whereas, Congresswoman Jones introduced the ``Count
Every Vote'' Act of 2005, which seeks to provide an all-
encompassing solution to a broad range of voting
irregularities that occurred during the 2004 presidential
election, and was an original co-sponsor of multiple
significant pieces of legislation, including healthcare
for low and middle-income families and community re-entry
for exfelons; and
Whereas, Congresswoman Jones made a number of historic
achievements in her distinguished career as a public
servant, including serving as the first African-American
and the first female Cuyahoga County, Ohio Prosecutor, the
first African-American woman to sit on the Common Pleas
bench in the State of Ohio, and a Municipal Court Judge in
the City of Cleveland; and
Whereas, Congresswoman Jones received numerous honors
throughout her lifetime, including the National Bible
Association Capitol Hill Distinguished Leadership Award,
the Human Rights Campaign of Cleveland Equality Award, the
Backbone Campaign's Backbone Award, and the Carib News
Multi-National Business Conference Marcus Garvey Award;
and
Whereas, Congresswoman Jones was a graduate of Cleveland
Public Schools; received her undergraduate degree in
Social Work from Case Western Reserve University in 1971;
received her Juris Doctorate from Case Western Reserve
University School of Law in 1974; and received honorary
doctorates from David N. Myers University, Notre Dame
College and Central State University; and
Whereas, Congresswoman Jones was an active member of
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated and served on its
national Social Action Committee; and was a lifelong
member and member of the Board of Trustees of Bethany
Baptist Church in Cleveland, Ohio; and
Whereas, Congresswoman Jones was married to Mervyn L.
Jones, Sr., deceased (2003), for 27 years and is the proud
mother of Mervyn Leroy Jones, II.
Be it therefore resolved, that we, the members of the
Black Women Lawyers' Association of Greater Chicago, Inc.,
pause on this day with abiding sympathy to support the
family of Congresswoman Jones;
Be it further resolved, that we offer our admiration,
respect, and support of the legacy of Congresswoman Jones
and give recognition for the many ``firsts'' that she
achieved as an African-American woman, lawyer, and
legislator and an outspoken champion of justice for her
Congressional District, the State of Ohio, and the nation;
Be it finally resolved that a copy of this resolution
shall be given to the family of Congresswoman Stephanie
Tubbs Jones; and a copy shall be presented to the Speaker
of the U.S. House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, and
the U.S. Congressional Black Caucus at the Democratic
National Convention which will take place in Denver,
Colorado from August 25, 2008 through August 28, 2008; and
a copy shall also be placed in the archives of the Black
Women Lawyers' Association of Greater Chicago, Inc.
Respectfully submitted, this 21st day of August, 2008 by
the membership of Black Women Lawyers' Association of
Greater Chicago, Inc., by Mary A. Melchor, President.
a
Embassy of Colombia, Washington, DC,
August 21, 2008.
Hon. Carolyn C. Kilpatrick,
Chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, House of
Representatives, Washington, DC.
Dear Chairwoman Kilpatrick, I would like to extend my
most heart-felt condolences for the passing of
Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones to you and the members
of the CBC.
During my time in Washington, I had several
opportunities to meet with Congresswoman Tubbs Jones, and
was fortunate to have had the chance to be with her during
her visit to Colombia. Her high spirit, sharp mind and
positive outlook left a lasting impression, and she will
be missed.
Her son, Mervyn Jones, her family, her staff and her
colleagues remain in our prayers.
Sincerely,
Carolina Barco,
Ambassador.
Ms. KILPATRICK. Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield the
balance of my time to a young man who has taken this House
by storm. He chairs our Congressional Black Caucus
Foundation, one of Congresswoman Tubbs Jones' sons, also a
member of the Ways and Means Committee. I yield the
balance of my time to Congressman Kendrick Meek.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Florida will
control the remainder of the time.
Mr. MEEK of Florida. Thank you so very much, Madam
Chairman.
I would like to thank my leader and colleague from the
great city of Detroit, Ms. Kilpatrick, for yielding the
balance of the time. We will continue to go down the list
I have been given here, Mr. Speaker, as we continue to
honor our fallen colleague.
Next on this list I have Congressman Danny Davis from
the great State of Illinois, a very good friend of the
Congresswoman, Stephanie Tubbs Jones.
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join
with my colleagues as we come this evening to pay tribute
to our colleague, Stephanie Tubbs Jones. I am pleased to
follow so many of my distinguished colleagues, because
they have said so much until there isn't much to say. But
the interesting thing is that with Stephanie Tubbs Jones,
you never run out of things to say, because she was so
much and meant so much to so many.
It is interesting that when you knew Stephanie, you knew
her whole family. You just didn't know her, you knew her
sister; you knew her father; you knew her mother; you knew
Mervyn; you knew her husband, Mervyn the first; you knew
Mervyn the second; you knew nieces and nephews; you knew
friends; and you almost got to know the whole of Cleveland
if you knew Stephanie Tubbs Jones.
Stephanie, as many people have already indicated, had a
great legal mind. Prior to coming to Congress, she served
as both a prosecutor and a judge. And the interesting
thing about prosecution is that you are generally trying
to make sure that the law is upheld, and that once people
commit infractions, that they pay a price. Of course, that
is what prosecutors often do.
Well, Stephanie had another interest in the law, and she
wanted to make sure that the law also had a sense of
justice. And even though she was a prosecutor, brother
Kendrick, even though she was a prosecutor, she was a
champion for those who had committed crimes, who had been
convicted of crimes, and was one of the staunchest
supporters of something called the Second Chance Act.
That is a bill which simply says that once individuals
have fallen, that they also need to be lifted up; that
once they have had problems, they need to be reclaimed;
and, once they had committed crimes for which they may
have been punished, they also needed to be redeemed. And
so it was very pleasant for me to work with Stephanie on
the Second Chance legislation.
She befriended people from all walks of life. It didn't
matter if they were Democrats or Republicans, or if they
had been prosecuted.
As a matter of fact, when I think of her, I often think
of the poet Homer, who talked about the kind of house that
he wanted to live in, and I think Stephanie was an
embodiment of that kind of house. He said,
Let me live in my house by the side of the road, where
the race of men go by. Men who are good, men who are bad,
wise, foolish. But then, so am I. So why would I sit in
the scorner's seat or hurl the cynic's ban? But let me
live in my house by the side of the road and be a friend
to man.
Stephanie was indeed a friend to mankind, to humankind.
I thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. MEEK of Florida. I thank you so much, Congressman
Davis. And she was very proud of the fact that she was
able to work with you on the Second Chance Act, and was
there when the bill was signed.
I want to call on my very good friend and Stephanie's
good friend, I call her my Brooklyn Congresswoman,
Congresswoman Yvette Clarke from the great State of New
York.
Ms. CLARKE. To my colleague and very good friend,
Kendrick Meek, I want to thank you for picking up the
mantle. I know that Stephanie is watching us and is a part
of all that is taking place.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in honor of the distinguished woman
from Ohio, and I still can't believe that she has
transitioned. I have taken the Congresswoman's passing
somewhat personally. You have heard many of the Members
speak about their relationship with her and the pet names
or nicknames that she had for them. Well, mine was Baby
Girl.
My sister, friend, mentor, Representative Stephanie
Tubbs Jones, to the Representative of the 11th
Congressional District of Ohio, Cleveland, Ohio, from the
11th Congressional District of New York, Brooklyn, New
York, I love you.
Stephanie Tubbs Jones was the consummate public servant.
As a new Member-elect to the 110th session of Congress,
one of the very first persons to embrace me on the Hill
was Stephanie Tubbs Jones. She opened her office, her
office staff to helping me to adjust to Washington, to
select my staff, and to share with me what her transition
had been as she reflected back on becoming a Member here
in Congress 10 years previously.
I had the privilege to have been mentored by her, and
the one thing I can say is that she was one determined
diva. We danced together, we shopped together, we drove
together. Three things that I know that she loved to do;
dance, shop, and drive. As a matter of fact, she shared
with me the fact that if I loved to drive, then I have got
to put my staff under reins and get me a car and do my
thing, because that is what she had to do.
She worked hard, she played hard, she loved hard. She
was proud to represent the people of Cleveland, and she
loved her family. She simply adored her son and wanted the
very best for him in this life, Mervyn II. She was an
inspiration in my life. She loved her country, and she
fought for our people every day with an abiding commitment
to their struggles.
When Stephanie entered any venue, the chemistry changed,
and the atmosphere immediately acknowledged her presence.
Her history, a trailblazer, a fighter for women's rights,
women's health, civil rights, civil liberties,
Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones was always on the move
for justice and equality. And I learned so much from this
woman, and I just feel privileged to have had her as my
mentor.
She dedicated much of her life in service to others. She
has bequeathed to us a legacy and an imperative for me to
do the same. To Mervyn II, to Barbara, to the Tubbs Jones
family, to her constituents in Ohio, to her staff in Ohio,
to her staff here in Washington, may the love of God be a
comfort to you in this time of our bereavement.
Bon voyage, my sweet sister. See you in that great
getting-up morning. Fare thee well.
Mr. MEEK of Florida. Thank you so very much,
Congresswoman. And I know that Ms. Tubbs Jones meant so
much to you.
I would like to call on another good friend and new
friend, but a colleague of Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs
Jones, Ms. Donna Edwards from the Fourth District of
Maryland, who posted her condolences statement on the 21st
of this month, Mr. Speaker, the passing of Ms. Tubbs
Jones.
Ms. EDWARDS of Maryland. Mr. Speaker, and Mr. Chairman,
I am really grateful to be here this evening to speak of
my new colleague, Stephanie Tubbs Jones.
When I was first elected to Congress just a few weeks
ago, one of the first calls that I received was from
Stephanie Tubbs Jones. And when I came here to this floor
to be sworn in to the U.S. Congress as the first African
American woman to represent our great State of Maryland,
it was Stephanie Tubbs Jones who greeted me and said,
``Hello, girlfriend. I am a first, too.'' And I won't
forget that. And she knew, not asking me about my office
or how I was planning to settle in, but she said to me,
``You have a man-child.'' And I said, ``Yes, I do.'' And
to me, that was a mark not just of a colleague and of a
politician, but it was a mark of a woman. And I understood
from her as a mother what it meant to be a mother to a
man-child.
The next question she asked me was whether I planned to
play basketball, because she knew that I had coached my
son in basketball. I am not really quite sure how she knew
that, but she did. And so she immediately said to me that
not only did I have to play basketball, but I also had to
learn how to play golf. And so I am going to take that as
her marching orders as I serve in the U.S. Congress, and
try to serve in her memory, not just as a great woman, as
a great politician, and as a great sportswoman.
And I had the privilege of admiring Stephanie Tubbs
Jones not in the U.S. Congress but outside and from afar,
and the great privilege just prior to coming to serve in
this body of speaking at an event with her in the spring.
And she lit up the room. And very recently someone in my
congressional district asked me, ``Did you know Stephanie
Tubbs Jones?'' And however one knows a person, what I
could say is one of my favorite words in the English
language is ebullient. And Stephanie Tubbs Jones was
ebullient.
Thank you.
Mr. MEEK of Florida. Thank you so very much for that
very kind and moving dedication to Congresswoman Tubbs
Jones.
One of my good friends from California, Laura
Richardson, who has taken this Congress by storm and has
worked very well in the 37th Congressional District of
California, Mr. Speaker, it is very unique having women
that have come to Congress because, as you know, the
Congressional Black Caucus has been hit hard this
particular Congress with losing three women of our caucus
in this 110th Congress alone. And all of them played a
very substantial role.
This next speaker is, I wouldn't call a replacement, but
an addition to that greatness as we continue to march on
to allow good representation from all over the country
here, Congresswoman Laura Richardson.
Ms. RICHARDSON. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Meek, thank you for
yielding at this time.
It is interesting, from Florida, you brought up that we
as members of the Congressional Black Caucus have lost
three great women in this session. And as I came in as a
new Member really learning from Congresswoman Juanita
Millender-McDonald who I had worked for, when I came into
this body, I came into a family. And that was something
that Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones taught us; that
coming to Congress wasn't about a group, it wasn't just
about legislation, it was about people who were committed
to working together to make our communities better. That
is why we came here.
I'll never forget when I stood in this very spot to
share my comments of what it was that I hoped to do on
behalf of my community, and I knew that Ms. Tubbs Jones
was really hurting because she missed her colleague, Ms.
Juanita Millender-McDonald. But in that same hand, she
knew that, as I stood there, she was willing to embrace
me. She was willing to help me. And she wanted to make
sure that I had everything that Ms. McDonald had and then
some. So I will never forget as I spoke and I turned, and,
yes, she was one of those first big smiles that I saw, and
she said, ``Hey, girl. How are you?'' As she would always
tell us.
Ms. Tubbs Jones, what I wanted to share with her family
and with all of us today are just a couple things. First,
what I know of Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones is that
she was always ready. And I think that is a good lesson,
not only for us as colleagues, but as young people coming
forward, being ready to seize the opportunity, being ready
to speak up and to stand up, and not to hesitate at all.
Another thing that always stood out for me with her was
just her knowledge. You heard a lot of people tonight talk
about the fact of her law background and all of that. But
it was so much that was in her head, so much of what she
wanted to take of what she had learned to really change
America as we see it today.
And that brings me to my third point about sports, and
people have talked about that. Yes, I think we are going
to have a big basketball team next year, and I am sure we
will work hard to win in her honor. But I want to talk
about two other sports that were so special to her.
One, taking her son to the Super Bowl. That was
something that she valued and she treasured. And I would
challenge all of us CBC members that we need to make sure
that he goes next year and the years forward with us and
our families.
Two, her love for golf. In honor of her husband, who had
also served our caucus so well, we had named the spouse's
program after him, and I am sure next year we are going to
have to add her name to it.
But also, I want to talk about another sport, and that
is just being in the gym. You know, Congresswoman Barbara
Lee and Stephanie were gym partners, and I just happened
to be the beneficiary of being the third person there. And
when you hear people talk about the fervor and how
vigorously she approached everything, it wasn't just here
at work. It was her on the treadmill, it was her on the
Stairmaster. It was her getting ready to come in here and
do work. She was always about working hard and really
benefiting in any way that she could to help somebody
else.
The last two things I want to talk about are, one, her
commitment to youth. If you would come on this floor, it
was not uncommon that Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones
would pull you aside and say, ``Girl, I've got somebody I
want to you to meet.'' And if it wasn't a page from her
local area, if it wasn't a young intern who she was in the
process of hiring, her commitment to young people was
second to none. And I have got to tell you, as being a
relatively young Member of Congress, it is critical that
we take on that mantle. It was something that she knew and
she understood more than most, and that was that the
development that we do for our future young people is
really showing wisdom for the future.
And, last, I want to mention our travels that we had on
behalf of Senator Clinton. I had an opportunity to go;
Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones was the co-chair for
her national campaign, and we had an opportunity to travel
to South Carolina, to Ohio, to Nevada. I didn't go to
Puerto Rico as some did, but she went all over the place.
In honor of the sisterhood of the traveling pantsuits, I
want to say that Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones, when
I had an opportunity to go to Ohio, because she was also
working in so many other States, her folks loved her.
Her folks still love her. And it was out of that respect
that they had for her that anyone who came as her guest,
they were so well treated. And my time that I had a chance
to spend in Ohio, and to all the young elected officials
that she mentored and she helped, being a part of those 8-
12 months that we had an opportunity to work, there was no
one who ever wearied in her drive. There was no one who
ever hesitated. There was no one who worked harder to make
sure that Americans really understood the value of what we
have in our elected officials.
And so, as I close, I just want to say, my time that I
had with Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones was to know
her love, was to know how sincere she was, and last, she
was unwavering when she committed herself to you.
We love you and we love the family. Thank you very much.
Mr. MEEK of Florida. Thank you so very much,
Congresswoman.
Mr. Speaker, I am just going to yield time for my good
friend and a good friend of my mother's, Congresswoman
Carrie Meek, Marcy Kaptur, who is the dean of women here
in the House, longest serving woman on the Appropriations
Committee, and also dean of the Ohio delegation that held
an hour prior to this one as we dedicated a resolution and
condolences of the House to Stephanie Tubbs Jones.
And as she sat here listening to the stories and
testimonials of members of the Congressional Black Caucus
of how we remember Stephanie Tubbs Jones, I turned around
and I said, ``Marcy, do you have anything else that you
would like to share with the House?'' And she said, ``I
want to talk about the red dress.'' So I want to hear this
too. I yield to Ms. Kaptur.
Ms. KAPTUR. I thank the gentleman from Florida (Mr.
Meek). And your mother certainly had a man-child too. And
we love Carrie Meek, Congresswoman Meek. I miss her very
much, and she must be very, very proud of you. I am
certain of that.
We have shared so many memories this evening, and there
are very serious ones that I will end with. But I have to
say that I can still see Stephanie sitting in the
Speaker's chair in the reddest of red suits, and she just
beamed. And she loved that chair, and she loved that
gavel, and she used it. You could hear it ring against the
walls when she would hit that gavel down.
I did not know that she was not the only member of a
sisterhood that wore those red dresses. It wasn't until
her service in Cleveland that I saw an entire street from
side to side covered with women in red dresses. Stephanie
had many acquaintances and many friends. And I know that
those red outfits gave her strength, and it certainly
brightened this Chamber.
I remember her scarves with the fringes. I don't know
where Stephanie got all those, but they certainly added a
flourish here, and they helped to cheer us up and to add
to the full smile, ear to ear, that greeted every person
that she ever met.
Now, some of us knew about her cheers. There were many
cheers, sports cheers, political cheers, Democratic
cheers. She had a chant and a rhyme and a rhythm about
her, and she had a presence, and she took those cheers
forward. I know one of those cheers, one of the more
recent ones with a rhyme was H-I-L-L-A-R-Y. I know that
was one of the latest cheers.
She had a great devotion to youth, to the younger women
who are serving in this Chamber, three of whom we just
heard from, Congresswoman Richardson, Congresswoman
Edwards, and Congresswoman Clarke. And it almost seems
somewhat providential that as we lost three women from the
Congressional Black Caucus, we have three younger women on
the floor tonight. That says something right there. And I
have no doubt Stephanie is watching over us making sure
that the numbers get even better.
I think that her pathbreaking efforts in so many ways
put her in the footsteps of Sojourner Truth; particularly,
I am woman, I can do anything. I know Stephanie believed
that to her very core. Her zest for life and her
indomitable spirit surround us, surround her son, surround
her sister, surround all of her friends, her church
friends in Ohio, all of those who came to know her,
appreciate her.
I know that Congressman Louis Stokes, her predecessor,
feels this loss particularly deeply. I recall with great
affection his service here. As the years go on, it is
amazing the events that we witness and that we endure.
In Stephanie's memory, I want to thank Congressman Meek
for holding this special hour on behalf of the
Congressional Black Caucus and allowing me to add a few
words to the eloquence that has been spoken this evening
in memory of our beloved friend. And I yield back the time
you have kindly given me.
Mr. MEEK of Florida. Thank you so very much. And Marcy,
I just want to thank you for being a good friend of
Stephanie's, and continuing to carry the flag here in the
House.
I would like to bring on another Member, a great Member
of Congress, and she is a good, good sister of
Stephanie's, was a good friend and traveled to Cleveland
in between Stephanie's departure and her homegoing service
to be with Stephanie's family. We know her as
Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee. She was another fighter
here in Congress that sleeps with her fists balled up.
Stephanie and she were sisters as it relates to that. So
my good friend from the great State of Texas, Sheila
Jackson-Lee.
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. I feel like family has
gathered here on the floor, and I thank my good and
distinguished friend. We are like family. And his mother,
and as he has come here, and the extended family
relationship.
So, even as I spoke on the bereavement resolution, I
wanted to come and be part of the Congressional Black
Caucus special order because I could feel the warmth and
spirit just continue to flow through. I hope the
Congressional Record doesn't mind us talking about spirit
flowing through.
I want to acknowledge her staff that is staying here
till the end that are in the gallery there, and they are
like family as well. We know that Stephanie would say she
loved her staff, both in Washington and in Cleveland.
Certainly, I think the most poignant moment of the
homegoing service was my friend and brother, the Honorable
Kendrick Meek, and Congressman Ryan, having stood
together, stoically, strongly, and specially to talk about
Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones and, as well, as they
did so, you could feel in that huge Cleveland Convention
Center, everyone just pouring love toward them. I think it
drew Mervyn, her son, out of his seat to go up on the
stage and to see the most powerful embrace that one could
ever see. It will be lasting. I think it will go down in
the annals of her record, when you pull her up and you
look at this celebration, this homegoing service, you will
note that there was this kind of experience, this moving
experience. I want to thank my distinguished Member of
Congress from Florida, Congressman Meek, for just pouring
his heart out during that service. I think all of us just
paused for a moment to see the largeness of our
relationship with Stephanie.
So I wanted to come because I didn't get a chance to
just mention more extensively, someone who allowed you to
know most of her family members during her time here in
Congress. The goodness is I think we should celebrate that
her family members lived, her mom and dad lived to see her
become a Member of Congress. Her husband, of which,
someone mentioned they had celebrated 25 years together or
more, lived to see her in the U.S. Congress and enjoyed
being part of her commitment to the Congressional Black
Caucus, with the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation.
They were a couple. They were a pair.
In fact, I am envious and dream of the fact that I used
to hear the stories about the yachting that they did
together as a couple, and always said one day I would have
the time to go. But just think about how she used her life
experiences of joy and large living to touch everyone's
life.
When we talked about airlines, when we talked about the
troubles airlines were having, I remember her talking
after 9/11. She would always get in there that her dad was
a skycap. When they were talking about salaries or talking
about working conditions at the airlines, she had an
affinity because she would get in there that her dad was a
skycap, and she was proud of that.
And I want everybody to know, since we live in this kind
of multicultural society, that being a skycap was a big
deal for an African American and an African American man.
It was middle class, it was a working job that had
benefits, but it was an important responsibility. I know
that because my uncle was a skycap. So that was an
important, if you will, connection for her dad who
supported this family.
And of course, her mom and her sisters, and as
Congressman Meek mentioned, I had a chance to visit
Barbara and Mervyn when I went to visit them at home.
There were friends, and I know that I will get in
trouble, but I know that the mayor of Warrensville I
believe is the name, Mayor Fudge, a dear friend and a part
of the Delta family. But I know the guy that she calls Joe
Hewitt; never a single name, just calling him Joe Hewitt,
larger than life, someone whom she cared about; he cared
about her. We had a chance to enter into fellowship with
their family.
So I wanted to come and say that, as we talk about
sisterhood, it is really real. And as we talk about
traveling with her, it is really real. As we talk about
being larger than life, it is really real as well.
I want to close simply by adding to what my good friend,
Marcy Kaptur from Cleveland said, as I looked at the three
Congresspersons, one each from Maryland, California, and
New York, three beautiful young women. And we lost
Congresswomen Julia Carson, Juanita Millender-McDonald,
and now Stephanie Tubbs Jones, all mentors. Look at the
legacy that they have left.
Look at the legacy of Stephanie Tubbs Jones, who I call
a great patriot, a great American, because she could fight
you for her love for America. She would not take a back
seat. Whether or not she was talking about predatory
lending or about health care that did not serve the people
well in her community or around the Nation, or those
incarcerated persons who were treated unfairly and didn't
get a second chance, she still loved America.
So I want to leave us with the words of Sojourner Truth.
It was when she was sitting in the back of the room, and
it was during the abolitionist movement, suffragette
movement. It was crowded, and she saw they saw her hand
raise up, and the person called her sir, or indicated that
she was a man. And Sojourner Truth stood up and said,
``Ain't I a woman? I borne 13 children into slavery. Ain't
I a woman?''
To Stephanie Tubbs Jones, there will be no doubt that
she was a woman's woman and a leader's leader.
And finally, in closing, I read from Philippians 4:8:
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true,
whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just,
whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely,
whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any
virtue, if there be any praise, think on these things.
Let us think on the life of Stephanie Tubbs Jones, and
let us, in all of our imperfections, and we have them,
embellish those things in ourselves. As the Congressional
Black Caucus, let us live on, and the Congressional Black
Caucus Foundation, of which my distinguished colleague is
the chair, let her spirit live on as we do her work and do
the work of the Lord.
[The revised remarks of Ms. Jackson-Lee follow:]
I rise today with a conflict of emotions to recognize
Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones. I stand with a heavy
heart enriched and gladdened that I had the opportunity of
knowing and working with such a beacon of light here in
Congress.
Before heading to the funeral I was reminded of the
words of Mother Teresa,
There is a light in this world, a healing spirit--more
powerful than any darkness we may encounter. We sometimes
lose sight of this force, when there is suffering, and too
much pain. Then suddenly, the spirit will emerge through
the lives of ordinary people who hear a call and answer in
extraordinary ways.
That is why although I rise with a heavy heart at the
loss of a colleague and friend, I stand with a realization
and gratefulness for all that Congresswoman Stephanie
Tubbs Jones was able to do for her family, for her
constituents, and for her country in her brief time here
on this Earth. I also believe that Congresswoman Tubbs
Jones is in a better place and is looking down on us with
that contagious smile and generous nature that made us all
love working with her.
As Women's Caucus and Congressional Black Caucus
members, the Congresswoman and I spent a lot of time
working together and talking about our lives, our unique
work, and the issues facing our Nation.
I had the opportunity to get to know this great woman
and learn that she was born in Cleveland, Ohio, where she
graduated from the city's public schools, later earning
degrees from Case Western Reserve University, the Flora
Stone Mather College, and Case Western Reserve University
School of Law.
I knew that she was a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta;
and even more proud to have been married to the love of
her life, Mervyn L. Jones, Sr., for over 27 years until
his passing in 2003. Together she and Mervyn had one son;
Mervyn Leroy Jones II, who was the light of her life.
Like me, Stephanie Tubbs Jones was a lawyer who had been
a local judge. She served on the Cleveland Municipal Court
in 1981, and later on the Court of Common Pleas of
Cuyahoga County before becoming the Representative for the
11th District of Ohio.
She was selected to be the chairwoman of the House
Ethics Committee to watch over the standards of ethical
conduct for Members of the House. She also served on the
powerful House Ways and Means Committee where she fought
for economic development and financial opportunities for
all. She was loved by her district, and was routinely
reelected against nominal opposition.
Stephanie Tubbs Jones spent 58 years on this Earth. She
was a blessing, and her memory will always be a treasure.
She was loved beyond words and will be missed beyond
measure by all that knew her.
Over the last few months, Congresswoman Tubbs Jones and
I traveled across the country together. She was always
focused on doing the right thing. She understood that in
this unique work of ours we serve the people, but we must
also answer to our conscience. Doing the right thing in
this job is not always an easy task--but she did it day in
and day out as she worked to help the people of Ohio,
Americans across this great Nation, and our men and women
overseas.
She was an outstanding example of what it means to be a
leader. She epitomized service before self. Indeed, as a
society, we must do all we can do to build upon the
strength of service to help strengthen the fabric of the
Nation. I offer the Tubbs Jones family encouragement in
their time of bereavement by saying, ``Blessed are those
who mourn, for they will be comforted.'' Her work on Earth
is complete. We join the Lord in saying, ``Well done, thou
good and faithful servant.'' She was a fighter for issues
that affect the least fortunate among us and in all the
years she was in Congress--she never forgot that. Now let
us not forget her.
The Bible states in Philippians 4:8:
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true,
whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just,
whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely,
whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any
virtue, if there be any praise, think on these things.
Let us remember Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones, a
public servant, a colleague--a friend.
[From the New York Times, August 21, 2008]
Stephanie Tubbs Jones, Lawmaker, Dies at 58
(By Dennis Hevesi)
Stephanie Tubbs Jones, the first African-American woman
elected to the House of Representatives from Ohio and a
leader in the fight against predatory lending practices,
died Wednesday. She was 58.
The cause was a ruptured brain aneurysm that Ms. Tubbs
Jones suffered Tuesday, Eileen Sheil, a spokeswoman for
the Cleveland Clinic, which owns the Huron Hospital in
East Cleveland where the congresswoman died, told The
Associated Press.
Ms. Tubbs Jones, a Democrat, was in her fifth term as
representative of the 11th Congressional District, which
includes most of the east side of Cleveland. Two years
ago, she was re-elected with 83 percent of the vote.
Before her first election to Congress, in 1998, she had
been the chief prosecutor for Cuyahoga County in Ohio.
Considered a liberal, Ms. Tubbs Jones was a co-sponsor
of legislative efforts to broaden health care coverage for
low- and middle-income people and of programs supporting
the re-entry of convicts into their communities. She was
also the author of legislation requiring certification for
mortgage brokers and stiffer penalties for predatory
loans.
In June, Ms. Tubbs Jones voted against emergency
supplemental financing for the wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan.
``I feel it important that we have a plan for a timely
redeployment of our troops from Iraq and Afghanistan
before we continue funding what has become a seemingly
endless war,'' she said at the time.
When Congress officially ratified President Bush's re-
election in January 2005, Ms. Tubbs Jones joined Senator
Barbara Boxer, Democrat of California, in initiating a
rare challenge to what has historically been a polite
formal ceremony. They were objecting to accepting Ohio's
20 electoral votes for Mr. Bush, citing voting
irregularities in the state.
Instead of holding a courteous joint session to certify
the election, lawmakers were forced to retreat to their
separate chambers for two hours of debate. In the end, the
House voted 267 to 31 against the challenge; in the
Senate, the vote was 74 to 1.
Stephanie Tubbs was born in Cleveland on Sept. 10, 1949.
She graduated from Case Western Reserve University in 1971
and received her law degree there three years later.
From 1976 to 1979, she was an assistant Cuyahoga County
prosecutor. In 1981, she won election as a Cleveland
Municipal Court judge, and 10 years later she was
appointed chief prosecutor.
As chief prosecutor, Ms. Tubbs Jones was at the center
of a controversy in 1998 when she refused to reopen an
investigation into the 1954 murder of the wife of Dr. Sam
Sheppard, dismissing new DNA evidence that Dr. Sheppard's
supporters said would have exonerated him.
The case had received nationwide coverage in the 1950s.
Dr. Sheppard spent 10 years in prison before the Supreme
Court ruled that his trial had been prejudiced by
publicity. He was acquitted at a second trial, in 1966,
and died in 1970. With the new evidence, Dr. Sheppard's
son was seeking to collect damages on behalf of his
father. Ms. Tubbs Jones argued that the new DNA results
would be inadmissible because the samples were too old.
Ms. Tubbs Jones's husband of 27 years, Mervyn L. Jones
Sr., died in 2003. She is survived by her son, Mervyn II.
Mr. MEEK of Florida. Thank you so very much,
Congresswoman. It is a very kind tribute and kind words
given to our colleague.
Mr. Speaker, I just want to take the remainder of our
time to speak a few minutes on reflection of my friend and
colleague, Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones. I can say
that there has been several days of reflection and
testimony to her life and her presence here in this
Chamber.
I can also share with the House, Mr. Speaker, that this
tribute will continue on Wednesday. The Speaker has called
a memorial service of the House and of the Congress in
Statuary Hall at 11 a.m., so those Members of the House or
staff and friends can come and reflect and hear further
stories of Stephanie and her contributions to this great
country.
The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation will host a
reception for all in the Rayburn Room afterward, where we
will post pictures of Stephanie and the contributions that
she's not only made to this country but also to young
people who are walking the Halls of Congress. She
spearheaded efforts within the Congressional Black Caucus
Foundation to provide internships and fellowships for so
many students who ordinarily wouldn't have the opportunity
to do it working along with our Congressional Black Caucus
spouses.
I came to the Chamber today with mixed feelings. It was
a special kind of warmness that hit me when I walked into
the Chamber because so many times we would have the chance
to laugh and talk about things that took place either over
the weekend or over the break. And ``Stephanie Hall,''
like leader Boehner talked about a little earlier today,
her office is right down the hall from my office, and we
served on the Ways and Means Committee together. So it's
almost like not only Congresswoman Tubbs Jones, but her
staff and my staff, it was almost like having a good
neighbor, someone you can go get a cup of sugar from.
Someone you can go sit down and hold common goals with.
And we all know--and you heard a lot of folks saying
you're going to miss her because she was one of those
individuals who you assumed was just going to pop up at
any moment. I was talking with my wife when we attended
her homegoing service in Ohio, and she said, ``It just
seems like Stephanie's going to walk up behind us and say,
`Hey, what's going on,' '' because that was the kind of
unique person that she was.
I think during this whole time as I continue to reflect
and really live deep in the spirit of how good God is,
here in the present to have served with someone like
Stephanie, to have folks on both sides of the aisle, to
have people who know what it means to punch in and punch
out every day when they go to work, those that wake up
early to catch the bus to go to work, those that are
cleaning hotel rooms, those that are driving the carts at
Cleveland Airport. There are so many times that Stephanie
would talk to them and make them feel like real people.
All of them, including what we may call the ``blue
shirts'' here in the Capitol Building, those that work
here, those that clean, those uniforms, the police
officers, everyone knew Stephanie for being the person
that will treat them the same way they would treat a
Member of Congress or a President or a leader of a country
or what have you.
I say all of that to emphasize that the best
conversation that I keep going back to, and I spoke of
this at her memorial service, was a conversation that I
had with my mother about Stephanie Tubbs Jones.
Stephanie was a member of our family. Period. Dot. She
would travel to south Florida and would do things together
with my mother, and they had a relationship prior to my
arrival because they were both Delta sisters. It took me,
Mr. Speaker, a while, because my mother and I really work
hard to talk every day. I was holding off from calling her
because I said I know if I call her, we're going to get in
the middle of this conversation about Stephanie. And sure
enough, we did.
My mother, who I consider the person in my family that's
closest to the cross--that's not in the way of saying that
she's about to pass on, but she's very spiritual--and a
woman who has traveled a similar route as Stephanie has
traveled in her time. We were talking, and all of a sudden
she just rained down on the phone and said, ``Kendrick,
she had an appointment with the Maker.'' That has provided
more comfort to me, and I believe to others, of saying
that why would she have to have such an untimely death.
Well, it's not up to us to say what is timely and what is
untimely. That's something that's already planned from
birth.
Just looking at her trail and her track as we continue
to reflect on her light, that God would allow her to play
a national role in the primary election and to be judged
by others and cherished by certain individuals and to be
known nationally and internationally for her presence in
the primary election, this Presidential election. Then
after the primary was over, she was the person who served
as the instrument to bring the two that were running for
office against one another together in a special way. To
be able to work on behalf of Senator Obama, to have that
opportunity before her death to bring them together at her
homegoing service is beyond coincidental.
So we have to really look at every day, cherish every
day as though it's our last day to serve.
Stephanie spent a number of days, a number of hours
hugging those who may have had some doubt about her
judgment and her actions, but that's the kind of person
she was because she had this uniqueness that very few may
have.
So I close with this, Mr. Speaker, because I almost feel
like a visiting Baptist preacher. If I had time, I would
really be able to get into the deepness of Stephanie's
presence, and it will always be here in this Chamber. I'm
glad she lived life in the way she did because so many
times people say about those who pass and move on,
``Goodness. I wish they would have had the opportunity to
do this, this, and this,'' and I can't say that about
Stephanie because she did it all.
She held all of us up. She will continue to hold all of
us up, and as long as I'm a Member in this Congress and a
Member of the Ways and Means Committee and serving in the
leadership position, she will be someone I will never ever
forget because she called Tim Ryan and I--you know, we
know about Mervyn--but we were her congressional sons. She
would put it this way, ``Tim is my white son and Kendrick
is my black congressional son.'' And Tim could not be here
tonight, but I know he will be here in the future.
And I want the Members to know that she loved this body.
We will forever remember her, and we will continue to have
this great celebration of life for the next coming days.
Mr. Speaker, with that, I want to not only thank our
chair, Congresswoman Kilpatrick, who serves as the chair
of the Congressional Black Caucus, but all Members of
Congress who have come forth this evening to share words
of comfort with the family and the country for such a loss
of a great leader, a great hero, and someone who has been
an icebreaker for so many people.
My love and all of our love and our condolences go out
to the family and her staff, which was her extended
family, here in Congress and back in Cleveland, and to the
hundreds of constituents who wrapped the streets to pay
their appreciation to Stephanie.
May her spirit live long in the Halls of Congress.
I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. GINGREY. . . . But before I get started, I want to
join with my colleagues, my Democratic colleagues, and pay
tribute, Mr. Speaker, to Stephanie Tubbs Jones, the
gentlewoman from Ohio. I guess you can say that
everything's been said that needs to be said, but not
everybody has had an opportunity to say it. I can't
improve upon the kind words that we've heard here over the
last hour in regard to her life and what a great person
she was.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to mention one thing that I
thought about a lot after hearing of her untimely and sad
passing. She is the second member, Mr. Speaker, of the
Ohio delegation to die in office during this 110th
Congress. The first was a member on our side of the
aisle--again, very loved and respected--Paul Gillmor. Just
like Ms. Tubbs Jones, like Representative Tubbs Jones, as
bipartisan whenever he could be, as she was.
I went to his funeral in Columbus, Ohio, the great
capital of Ohio. Of the eulogies that were offered on
behalf of Representative Gillmor, the very first one, Mr.
Speaker, was offered by Representative Stephanie Tubbs
Jones. And it was very touching, very loving. You know,
it's a sad thing, of course, her passing. But God has His
plan, and we have our plans, but His plan takes precedence
over everything we do.
She was a great Member of this body, and I join my
colleagues in expressing my sincere sympathy to the
family. . . .
Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, history will
remember Stephanie Tubbs Jones as a trailblazer. News
reports about her death are littered with firsts: first
black woman to represent Ohio in the House, first black
woman on Ways and Means, first woman and first African
American prosecutor in Cuyahoga County.
Those who worked with her will remember her electric
smile, the kind of smile that made you feel like
everything would be all right. We will remember her
warmth, how she could hug somebody and give them a piece
of her high spirits. She had that uncanny ability to make
everybody she encountered--from presidents to homeless
constituents--feel like they had known her for years. Her
gift was to connect with people on a purely human level.
No pretense. When confronted with immensely powerful men
and women, she would treat them with the same casual
kindness that won her the love of her constituents back in
Cleveland.
Most important, we will remember her courage. Stephanie
was never intimidated by anybody or anything. When she saw
injustice, she did something about it, even when the
battle would be difficult and victory uncertain. She spoke
for those in need of a champion. In her career, she
transcended the barriers of race, class, and gender that
continue to undermine the great American creed of equal
opportunity. In her work, she helped ensure that those
barriers will not stop future generations of Americans
from achieving their potential.
Stephanie loved warm words, but she preferred strong
actions. Let her by example help us to speak truth to
power and stand up for justice. The best tribute we could
offer to so passionate and committed a public servant is
to continue her work.
Mr. RYAN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor my
friend, mentor, and a true pioneer. Congresswoman
Stephanie Tubbs Jones was taken from us at far too young
an age when she passed away on August 20. On August 30,
during a memorial ceremony held at the Cleveland Public
Hall, I addressed the hundreds of friends and family in
attendance to pay tribute to Stephanie and I would like to
share those remarks here as well:
There was a famous song a few years back called, ``I
Hope You Dance.'' And it's a song that passes along some
advice to all of us, and the refrain of the song says,
``If you have the choice to sit it out or dance, I hope
you dance.'' And we all know that Stephanie didn't sit it
out; she danced. She danced through this life with a style
all her own, and she now gets to dance once again with her
favorite partner, Mervyn. Whether literally dancing on the
dance floor or dancing through life, she possessed the key
quality of any great dancer--she was fearless. She wasn't
real concerned with criticism because she got her
instructions from the inside. And as Connie Shultz pointed
out last week in her wonderful column, ``When the rough
and tumble side of Cleveland politics reared its head and
threatened Stephanie, she simply said, `I don't have time
for fear.' ''
Gandhi said, ``My life is my message.'' And so it is
with Stephanie. Her life instructs us that if we live a
life without fear, we allow God's light to pour through
us, like His light poured through Stephanie. We saw this
light in her bright smile and her catchy laugh; her high-
fives she always liked to give when she made a witty
comment; and the nicknames she gave us. As Congressman
Meek said, I was the ``white son.'' We felt this light in
her passion for justice and her warmth for humanity. Her
life teaches us that if we live with courage and allow
God's light to shine, we can travel further and higher
than we ever dreamed; that we can achieve the seemingly
unachievable; and that we can break glass ceilings and
overcome barriers with grace and joy. Whether it's Mervyn,
or Barbara, or her staff, or Members of Congress, or
Senators, or Presidential candidates, Stephanie's death
gives us what she gave us so many times in life--our
marching orders: To live a fearless life. To let our light
shine. To bring joy and hope. To lift people. To dance.
The daughter of Cleveland's life mission. And the credo
she asks us to live by is reflected in the short poem
called, ``I Am One.''
I am only one,
But I am one.
I cannot do everything,
But I can do something.
And that which I can do,
I ought to do.
And that which I ought to do,
By the grace of God, I shall do.
We love you, Stephanie.
Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor
the life and contributions of Congresswoman Stephanie
Tubbs Jones. Stephanie was a good friend of mine, and I am
still in shock by her sudden passing. She brought energy
and enthusiasm, brilliance and dedication to this
Congress, and her presence is already sorely missed.
In the weeks since her passing, I have been reflecting
on her many contributions to her constituents, her State,
and her country, not only most recently in the House of
Representatives but also in a lifetime of service. She
broke barriers, and in the process elevated the lives of
those she touched, both professionally and personally. The
first African American woman elected to Congress from the
state of Ohio, Stephanie has set the bar incredibly high
with her dedication and devotion, and paved the way for
future generations to follow. As an attorney, judge, and
Member of Congress, she worked tirelessly on behalf of
reducing poverty, ensuring access to education and
affordable health care, and advocating for the rights of
minorities nationwide. Stephanie and I saw eye to eye on
many important issues, whether it was fighting to ensure
affordable housing, or for greater protection for Haitian
and other refugees, or for the simple notion that every
vote should be counted. In the 110th Congress alone
Stephanie introduced legislation to revitalize low-income
communities, protect and ensure voting rights, curtail
predatory lending, and provide greater resources for
uterine fibroids research, a personal commitment of hers
that I know she has carried for many years.
Stephanie and I have similar backgrounds as lawyers,
judges, and of course Members of Congress, and thus I have
always thought that she and I shared a kinship that went
beyond just our professional responsibilities. I hold her
in the highest degree of respect and admiration. Since her
untimely passing, I find myself recalling her personal
inspiration as she and I and so many others in this body
continue to fight for a better, more equal, and more
prosperous society. She is the very definition of a role
model.
Mr. Speaker, Stephanie's presence will not be easily
replaced, if it ever can. The country should value her
service; and I, for one, also value her friendship.
Mr. BONNER. Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness that I
rise today to honor the memory of former Ohio
Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones and her lifetime of
dedication to the people of Ohio and the United States. I
was deeply saddened to learn our colleague passed away so
suddenly. We have not only lost a wonderful friend but an
individual who made a number of historic achievements
during her lifetime.
After graduating from law school at Case Western Reserve
University, Stephanie began her career with Cleveland's
sewer district before serving as an attorney with the
city's Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. In 1976,
she served as an assistant Cuyahoga County prosecutor
before her election as Cleveland Municipal Court judge in
1981. Two years later, the Governor of Ohio appointed her
to a judgeship with the Court of Common Pleas of Cuyahoga
County, and in 1991, Stephanie was appointed Cuyahoga
County prosecutor.
Stephanie was elected to represent the 11th District of
Ohio in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1998.
Throughout her 5 terms of office, she strove for advances
in health care, economic development, and education.
Recently, she had become a leader in the fight against
predatory lending practices.
Most notably, Stephanie's legacy will be her career
filled with firsts. She was the first African American and
the first female to serve as prosecutor in her native
Cuyahoga County, Ohio. Stephanie was the first African
American to be chief prosecutor in the State of Ohio's
history. She also became the first African American woman
to represent Ohio in Congress and the first to serve on
the House Ways and Means Committee.
At the beginning of the 110th Congress, Stephanie was
named chairwoman of the House Committee on Standards of
Official Conduct, of which I am a member.
Stephanie Tubbs Jones will be deeply missed by her
family--her son, Mervyn Jones II and her sister Barbara
Walker--as well as the countless friends she leaves
behind. Our thoughts and prayers are with them all at this
difficult time.
Mr. BACA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to offer my sincere
condolences for the passing of the Honorable Stephanie
Tubbs Jones.
Not only was she a true hero and noble leader in the
U.S. Congress, a trailblazer for all minorities, but she
was also a friend who will be dearly missed.
Representative Stephanie Tubbs Jones' passing is a
tragic loss for this Congress and our Nation. Her
leadership on the Ethics Committee and on voting rights
will never be forgotten. On behalf of the Congressional
Hispanic Caucus, we send our prayers and condolences to
her family, friends, and staff.
As chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, I
worked with Representative Tubbs Jones on a variety of
projects, including our fundraising efforts for Gallaudet
University here in Washington, as well as other endeavors
which promoted advocacy for low-income and minority
communities.
Having been blessed with the opportunity to get to know
her outside the walls of Congress as a team member of the
Democratic Congressional Basketball Team, I was impressed
by her continually cheerful disposition and lively energy.
Due to this vigor, she was always able to spread joy to
others and add a positive light no matter the situation.
Stephanie's death will be felt by all, not just within
the Cleveland community, but also throughout the Nation
because of the ideals she stood for. I offer the thoughts
and prayers of my wife Barbara and myself to Congresswoman
Stephanie Tubbs Jones' son Mervyn and to her family for
their loss.
Ms. LINDA T. SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise
to express my most sincere condolences on the death of the
Honorable Stephanie Tubbs Jones.
I was extremely saddened to hear the news of
Congresswoman Tubbs Jones' passing. Since 1999, she has
proudly and honorably served Ohio's 11th District.
Stephanie Tubbs Jones was the daughter of an airport
skycap. She grew up in Cleveland and graduated from
college and law school at Case Western. She began her life
of public service when she went to work as a local
government lawyer and went on to serve 8 years as a judge
on the Court of Common Pleas of Cuyahoga County. As the
first African American woman elected from Ohio to serve in
Congress, she brought a fresh energy and new perspective
to the House. No one was surprised when she quickly rose
to a position on the powerful Ways and Means Committee.
I got to know Stephanie in my first term in Congress
because my office was next door to hers. She was never too
busy to help a freshman Member in whatever way she could.
Her energy was boundless, and I will sorely miss her
smile--it could light up a crowded room. Those who had the
good fortune to know this incredible woman know what I am
talking about.
During her four terms in Congress, she was a champion
for the people of the 11th District. She worked tirelessly
to create equal opportunities for all people in this
country as she fought to increase the minimum wage, to
increase funding to public schools, and to create
affordable and accessible health care.
The people of Ohio have lost a great political leader,
and we have lost a beloved and respected colleague. We
will all miss her friendly smile and her passion for her
fellow man.
Ms. McCOLLUM of Minnesota. Mr. Speaker, it is with
tremendous sadness that I rise to mourn the passing of our
dear colleague, the Honorable Stephanie Tubbs Jones of
Ohio. Stephanie's death is an unbelievable tragedy for her
family and all of us who loved her. It is a tremendous
loss for her Cleveland constituents and our Nation. Her
passing reminds us how precious life is and how we must
treasure the time we spend with our loved ones.
Stephanie's absence is profoundly personal for me
because she was a very special person and a friend. Many
memories and personal stories come to mind when I think of
her. She was a caring person who showed her kindness and
friendship freely. Her deep, strong, loving voice is
memorable. Stephanie's energy and strength--almost
fearlessness--to fight for what she believed in, and at
the same time, be open to opposing points of view was
admirable.
I can't count the number of times I watched Stephanie on
the floor of this House boldly speaking out on behalf of
Americans and her Ohio constituents. She was passionate
and never shied away from fighting for justice, equality,
and the belief that this great country can do so much
better for so many of the citizens who have been left
behind. A powerful voice for justice in Congress and an
extraordinary public servant is the best way I can
describe Stephanie and her legacy.
As the chair of the House Ethics Committee,
Congresswoman Tubbs Jones had one of the most difficult
duties in Congress. Her experience as a judge and a
prosecutor made her perfectly suited for the
responsibility of maintaining the integrity of the U.S.
House of Representatives.
Today is Stephanie's 59th birthday. It is heartbreaking
that she is not here with us, but I am proud to celebrate
her life of service and her commitment to both her family
and the families she represented. Congresswoman Tubbs
Jones was the epitome of a citizen servant and
demonstrated to all who knew her a spirit of joy, hope,
and compassion. I feel honored to have known her and
privileged to have served with her in this House.
Stephanie will be missed by me and many others, but she
will not be forgotten.
Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor our
departed colleague the Honorable Stephanie Tubbs Jones.
Many have attested to Stephanie's contagious smile and
fierce loyalty to her friends. I always respected and
admired her. I can honestly say that she was a nice and
professional colleague. We spoke for the last time a
couple of weeks ago at the Congressional Black Caucus'
Annual Retreat in Tunica, Mississippi. I feel a sense of
gratitude for our meeting. We talked. We embraced.
Stephanie expressed her congratulations for my success as
a freshman legislator. She spoke fondly of her time in
Memphis as she visited her family there.
Over the past decade, Stephanie was an undeniable force
in Congress. She broke barriers in 1998 by being elected
the first African American woman in Congress from Ohio.
She persisted over the years and was appointed to the
powerful Ways and Means Committee. She served with a sense
of pride as the chairwoman of the House Ethics Committee.
Stephanie and I co-sponsored a great deal of legislation
together. On July 29, 2008, we unified as Members of
Congress and passed H. Res. 194: the formal apology for
government's involvement in slavery and Jim Crow.
Stephanie was one of my earliest co-sponsors. She was a
community conscious legislator. She fought for the people
and sponsored legislation on issue areas ranging from
community economic development to enfranchisement and
retirement security.
I am forever grateful that my last interaction with
Stephanie concluded with a deep and meaningful hug. My
only regret is that Stephanie and I will not have the
opportunity to work together in the future.
Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the
life and legacy of Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones.
First, I would like to offer my deepest condolences to
her entire family, especially her son Mervyn and her
sister Barbara. I want to also offer my condolences to the
constituents of Ohio's 11th Congressional District, to all
of her many friends, her colleagues--especially in the
Congressional Black Caucus--and of course to her staff
here in Washington and in Ohio.
On August 20, 2008, the people of Cleveland, this
Nation, and the world lost a giant in the fight for
equality and justice when we lost my beloved friend and
colleague Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones.
So many know Congresswoman Tubbs Jones for her
exceptional work on behalf of her constituents and for the
many barriers she broke and trails she blazed as the first
African American woman elected to Congress from Ohio, as
the first African American woman to serve on the powerful
Ways and Means Committee, and as the first to chair the
House Ethics Committee.
Congresswoman Tubbs Jones and I came to Congress about
the same time. We worked closely together for a decade and
she was one of the most remarkable persons I have ever
known. Whether it was standing up for Ohio voters and
fighting for election reform or fighting to end the unjust
war and occupation in Iraq, she always stood on the right
side of justice.
She was a political giant, a skilled legislator, an
incredible orator, but she was much more than that to me.
She was also my sister in arms, my confidant, and my
friend. We spent many an evening in Washington together
throughout our decade-long friendship.
From attending events together, to just grabbing dinner
or an occasional down moment, we've spent a great deal of
time throughout the years. We also spent many mornings
together. You see Stephanie was also my gym partner along
with Congresswoman Laura Richardson.
Stephanie and I also had the chance to travel together
on several occasions to places like Cuba and Israel. I
will always treasure those times and memories. It was
during some of our travel together, and our work together
for the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, that I got
the chance to know her husband, Mervyn Jones, whom she
loved dearly and tragically lost in October 2003.
In the wake of his death, Stephanie created a
scholarship golf tournament in his memory, which has
become a successful annual event. I know she would be
pleased that a scholarship has been now arranged in her
honor.
Unquestionably, her passing has left a tremendous hole
in the Congress, in the Congressional Black Caucus, and in
my heart. I will miss my beautiful friend and sister,
Congresswoman Tubbs Jones so very much.
My thoughts and prayers remain with the Congresswoman's
entire family, her son Mervyn, her sister Barbara, her
staff, her friends, and her many supporters.
May her soul rest in peace.
Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, today I join my
colleagues to remember and celebrate the life of a dear
friend and colleague, Stephanie Tubbs Jones. It is during
times like these that we are both able to smile, thinking
about those who we admired and who have distinctly touched
our lives--and in the case of Stephanie Tubbs Jones--
touched the lives of thousands of Clevelanders who were so
devoted to her and she to them. And of course, we sadly
mourn the death of a woman who was dedicated to making the
lives of Ohioans and Americans better. From increasing the
minimum wage to making health care available to all,
Stephanie was at the forefront, fighting for all of our
families.
Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones is the real-life
American success story. Born to a factory worker and
skycap, Stephanie went to public schools in Ohio, then
became a prosecutor and municipal judge and finally, the
first African American woman from Ohio elected to the U.S.
Congress. Nearly 10 years ago, she was a little-known
Democrat from Ohio who rose to prominence becoming chair
of the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct
and a member of the powerful House Ways and Means
Committee.
Like so many, Stephanie was taken from us too soon and
too abruptly. I extend my sincerest condolences to
Stephanie's family and especially to her beloved son,
Mervyn. Your mom was a great lady and a wonderful friend.
We will all miss her dearly.
Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor and
remembrance of my colleague and dear friend, U.S.
Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones, who left us far too
soon.
Stephanie's fearless passion for social justice,
unyielding commitment to improving the lives of her most
vulnerable constituents, and limitless love for her family
and friends, will forever resound throughout our Cleveland
community and across our Nation. Her professional
achievements were many--her success as a county
prosecutor, municipal judge, trial court judge and
Congresswoman are well known, but it was her strength of
character in the face of personal hardship, her dedication
to and ability in helping others and her luminous zest for
life that ran through everything she did. It is these
attributes, framed by her hearty laugh and generous
heart--that will forever be remembered.
Stephanie's life touched and inspired countless lives,
young and old, and her energy and positivity knew no
bounds--reaching from the block clubs of Cleveland, to the
Halls of Congress, across the country and around the
world. Wherever she went, people were drawn to her quick
smile, sharp intellect, easygoing nature, and passion for
making the world a better place. The child of devoted,
working class parents, Stephanie blazed a trail of
possibility and hope for women everywhere, especially for
African American women, when she made history upon being
elected as the first African American woman from Ohio
elected to Congress. Stephanie was not afraid to stand up
against the tide--she was one of the Representatives to
vote ``no'' to authorizing the use of force in Iraq--an
action she believed to be a grave affront to the honor of
U.S. veterans and the honorable service of our U.S.
military women and men.
Stephanie's sage advice and ability to get to the heart
of the matter was coveted by her family and wide circle of
friends. Her warmth, friendship, and loyalty inspired and
strengthened the lives of many, including my own. People
from all walks of life--from U.S. Senators to the cashier
around the corner--called Stephanie ``friend'' and
``sister.''
Stephanie's most cherished roles were as wife and
mother. Her unwavering devotion to her family was
evidenced her entire life. Together, Stephanie and her
late husband, Mervyn Jones, Sr., raised their son, Mervyn
II, who was heart, soul, and center of Stephanie's life.
Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in honor and
remembrance of my dear friend and confidant, Congresswoman
Stephanie Tubbs Jones. Our shared experiences--from our
Cleveland childhood to standing together in the House of
Representatives--was the foundation for a friendship that
grew and strengthened over the past 30 years.
Her passing is a profound loss for all of us, and
especially for her beloved son, Mervyn, yet her fiery
spirit, love for her family and friends, and commitment to
serving the most fragile of our society will be forever
reflected in those who loved and knew her well--in
Cleveland, Washington, and far beyond. The indomitable
spirit, love for life, and passion for social justice that
defined my friend, Stephanie Tubbs Jones, will live on
forever, through every friendship she ever forged and
within everyone whose life was improved, inspired, and
lifted because of her, and she will be remembered always.
ADJOURNMENT
Mr. GINGREY. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now
adjourn.
The motion was agreed to; accordingly (at 10 o'clock and
32 minutes p.m.), under its previous order and pursuant to
House Resolution 1415, the House adjourned until tomorrow,
Tuesday, September 9, 2008, at 10:30 a.m., for morning-
hour debate, as a further mark of respect to the memory of
the late Honorable Stephanie Tubbs Jones.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Speaker, how can words
adequately describe someone who is larger than life?
Stephanie Tubbs Jones was a change-maker and a risk taker.
As a woman, she helped blaze a trail for generations to
follow, first in her role as a prosecutor, then a
judge, then as Ohio's first African American female
Member of Congress.
To me personally, Stephanie was a mentor and a role
model. She was someone who didn't hesitate to pull me
aside when I first came to Washington and give me advice,
from my wardrobe to my hair, Stephanie kept it real,
because that is exactly what she was in every sense of the
word.
Above all else, though, Stephanie was my friend, and one
of my first friends here in Washington. Her room-filling
energy, her passion, her dedication, her voice for the
downtrodden, all of these will be missed by the people of
Ohio. Her intelligence, her expertise, her counsel, will
be missed by all of us here in this Chamber.
And me? Well, Mr. Speaker, I will miss my friend.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, it is with a heavy heart that I
rise to pay tribute to the life and legacy of a great
woman, my friend and colleague, Congresswoman Stephanie
Tubbs Jones.
First, I would like to offer my deepest condolences to
Stephanie's entire family, her son Merv and her sister
Barbara. I also want to offer my condolences to the
constituents of Ohio's 11th Congressional District, to all
of Stephanie's many friends and colleagues, and, of
course, to her staff here in Washington, DC, and in Ohio.
On August 20, the people of Cleveland, this Nation, and
the world lost a giant in the fight for equality and
justice when we lost our beloved Congresswoman Stephanie
Tubbs Jones. When I walked on to the floor tonight, I
looked for Stephanie. She wasn't in the Speaker's chair
presiding. She wasn't on the floor moving around,
energizing and inspiring our deliberations. It is hard to
accept the fact and to believe that her physical presence
won't be with us anymore.
So many knew Stephanie Tubbs Jones for her exceptional
work on behalf of her constituents and for the many
barriers she broke and trails she blazed as the first
African American woman elected to Congress from Ohio, as
the first African American woman to serve on the Ways and
Means Committee, and the first to chair the House Ethics
Committee.
Congresswoman Tubbs Jones and I came to Congress about
the same time. We worked closely together for a decade,
and she was one of the most remarkable persons I have ever
known. Whether it was standing up for Ohio voters and
fighting for election reform, or fighting to end the
unjust war and occupation of Iraq, she was always on the
right side of history. And, like for many, Stephanie Tubbs
Jones was a very good friend.
Friendship means different things to different people.
Stephanie's friendship for me meant trust. She was my
confidant. Stephanie's friendship for me meant support.
Stephanie Tubbs Jones' friendship meant spending girl
time, shopping, eating, traveling, talking about matters
of the heart, like her man-child son Merv, who was her
heart and her soul. Stephanie's friendship to me meant
being for real in discussions about political and
legislative issues. And Stephanie's friendship for me
meant a lot of love.
I always remember last year when my father passed away,
the love and concern for me and my family that she
displayed. With the loss of her husband, her mother, her
father and her sister, she assured me that I needed to
grieve, and she called me day and night to make sure I
wasn't planning on coming right back to work after the
funeral. And, oh, how right she was.
From attending events together, to just grabbing dinner
or an occasional down moment, we spent a great deal of
time together throughout the years. Stephanie was my
traveling partner. We shared magnificent experiences in
Israel and in Cuba. I will always cherish those times and
memories.
It was during some of our travel together and our work
together for the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation
that I got the chance to know her husband, Mervyn Jones,
whom she loved dearly and tragically lost in October 2003.
In the wake of his death, Stephanie created two very
successful golf and bid whist tournaments in his memory
through the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation. And she
insisted that her friends and her colleagues participate
with her.
She loved young people, and made sure that these annual
events helped raise money for countless scholarships. I
know she would be pleased that a scholarship now has been
established in her memory.
Some have spoken of Stephanie's culinary experiences and
skills. She would bring some of her fabulous chili here to
share with us, and always loved to share her recipes,
especially her mustard-based fried catfish and her
mother's fried corn recipe.
I can remember calling her on her cell phone one day.
She was in a meeting in Cleveland while I was preparing
her fried corn recipe. Of course, I didn't quite get it
right, so she stepped out of this meeting and she walked
me through this recipe, step by step.
We all have so many Stephanie stories. She was a woman
for all seasons, a devoted mother, a devoted sister, a
brilliant legislator, a dedicated Representative of Ohio's
11th Congressional District, and she was a history maker,
as the first African American woman to break many glass
ceilings. And, yes, she was my trusted friend, a true
friend, and a fabulous woman whose smile lifted us all up
and forced us to be positive, even on days when we were
down. Stephanie was my gym partner, as we both tried to
get our physical fitness regimen back on track.
Yes, the Honorable, and that she was, Mr. Speaker, the
Honorable Stephanie Tubbs Jones, was a great
Congressperson, and she never lost the common touch. She
would help people find their seats on the airplane, she
mentored young people, and she would constantly remind us
to be strong advocates for working men and women.
Recalling her father's work as a skycap, she never forgot
who she was, and she used her positions to help those shut
out and those underrepresented.
So, yes, we owe Stephanie Tubbs Jones a debt of
gratitude. I thank her son Mervyn and her sister Barbara
and her entire family for sharing this brilliant and
beautiful woman with us. Her spirit is smiling tonight on
us. It continues to move around this floor, nudging us to
do the right thing.
May God's grace and His love undergird her family during
these difficult days, and may we redouble our efforts in
Stephanie's memory, our efforts for justice and peace and
equality and to make this a better world for all.
Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I wish to associate myself with
the remarks of the gentlelady from California, our dear
colleague, Congresswoman Barbara Lee, and thank her very
much for her remarks on Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs
Jones. We share your feelings and your warmth and
affection toward her, and I know that your remarks are of
comfort to her son, to her sister, to her family, to all
those who are associated with her and, of course, her
staff, who must carry on. We thank you so much for that. .
. .
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Mr. McDERMOTT. . . . The passing of Stephanie Tubbs
Jones was a great shock to all of us who worked with her.
We were always impressed by her tireless energy and her
infectious smile.
Stephanie was a true champion for vulnerable families
and children. In fact, her first legislative achievement
in Congress was a bill designed to improve training
opportunities for caseworkers in the child welfare system.
In recognition of Representative Tubbs Jones' efforts to
help vulnerable kids, this bill [H.R. 6893, the Fostering
Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of
2008] names the primary source of Federal funding for the
Social Security Act for Child Protective Services after
her, as well as making several improvements to the
program.
The Stephanie Tubbs Jones Child Welfare Services Program
will help at-risk children for many years and decades to
come, just as she did during her life. . . .
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Mr. STARK. Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce the
``Stephanie Tubbs Jones Gift of Life Medal Act of 2008''
with my colleague Mr. Camp of Michigan. Representative
Tubbs Jones' life ended as she lived it; by exemplifying
concern for the welfare of others. She donated her organs
in the waning hours of her life so that the lives of
others could continue. In that spirit, this legislation
creates a commemorative medal for organ donors and their
families, recognizing the brave and selfless act of organ
donation.
As I well know from my time on the Ways and Means Health
Subcommittee, Representative Tubbs Jones worked tirelessly
to remedy health disparities in our Nation. Organ donation
is one area where dramatic health disparities exist, which
makes this all the more of a fitting tribute. . . .
This is non-controversial, non-partisan legislation to
increase the rate of organ donation while honoring the
life and service of our colleague, Representative Tubbs
Jones. I ask my colleagues to help bring an end to
transplant waiting lists and recognize the enormous
courage displayed by organ donors and their families. This
bill honors these brave acts, while publicizing the
critical need for increased organ donation. I urge swift
passage of the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Gift of Life Medal
Act.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Mrs. DAVIS of California. I yield myself as much time as
I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 642, the College
Fire Prevention Act. This legislation is the result of the
life work of the late Representative Stephanie Tubbs
Jones.
Many of us know the commitment of Representative Tubbs
Jones to the cause of campus fire safety. Every September,
she would come to the floor to advocate for the
recognition of September as Campus Fire Safety Month.
Because of her efforts, States around the country also
recognized September as Campus Fire Safety Month and
helped to make students aware of the dangers they face and
to ensure that colleges and universities do all they can
to assist students.
H.R. 642 builds on Representative Tubbs Jones' work to
protect students on campus by creating a demonstration
program within the Department of Education to encourage
colleges and universities to install fire sprinkler
systems and other fire suppression and prevention
technologies in student housing and dormitories. . . .
In passing this legislation here today, we not only
honor the work of Representative Stephanie Tubbs Jones,
but we also ensure the safety of students on campus.
I urge the passage of this timely and important
legislation.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
I rise in support of H.R. 642, the Honorable Stephanie
Tubbs Jones College Fire Prevention Act, and I join my
colleagues in honoring our colleague.
So often in this Chamber we consider legislation to
expand access to college and strengthen our Federal higher
education programs. Today, we have an opportunity to
discuss the need to bolster safety on college campuses,
specifically fire safety.
The timing and the name of this bill are appropriate
because this month is often designated as Campus Fire
Safety Month, and there was no Member more concerned about
protecting our college students from the dangers of fire
than the late Representative Stephanie Tubbs Jones. This
bill would honor Representative Tubbs Jones by naming a
demonstration program in her honor. . . .
Today, we have the opportunity to honor Representative
Tubbs Jones' commitment to the safety of college students
and pass a measure that will help colleges keep our young
people safe from devastating fires. . . .
Mr. CLYBURN. Let me begin by thanking Representative
Susan Davis for allowing me to participate in this session
here this afternoon.
I would like to take a moment to say a personal word
about my dear friend Stephanie Tubbs Jones, who was a
powerful voice for justice, equality, and opportunity, who
served the people of Ohio's 11th Congressional District
and this Nation with passion and dedication.
Unfortunately, Stephanie passed away unexpectedly last
month, and it is a great loss to this cause and to our
country.
Throughout her five terms in Congress, Representative
Tubbs Jones tirelessly advocated for campus fire safety
and was the author of numerous pieces of legislation on
the issue. She introduced, and saw pass, a resolution
supporting the goals and ideals of Campus Fire Safety
Month. She was also the primary sponsor of the College
Fire Prevention Act, which she introduced in the 107th
Congress and then reintroduced in the 108th, the 109th and
the 110th.
I am here today to pay tribute to her efforts as a
champion for campus fire safety and am proud to take her
place as the lead sponsor of the College Fire Prevention
Act so that we can continue her legacy by passing this
important measure and renaming it the Stephanie Tubbs
Jones College Fire Prevention Act. . . .
I add my voice to those here today to pay tribute to
Representative Tubbs Jones' courageous efforts and say
that I am committed to the issue of campus fire safety.
Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, we're pleased to join our
colleagues on the other side of the aisle in paying this
tribute to our colleague.
Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, we come on the
floor once again to honor the life and work of the late
Stephanie Tubbs Jones, and we do that with this bill, very
important bill, H.R. 642, the College Fire Prevention Act.
I'm delighted that Mr. Clyburn was able to be here and to
continue her legacy in this way.
Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Speaker, as a co-sponsor of this
legislation, I would like to thank my colleagues and the
Education and Labor Committee for allowing this
legislation to be considered today. Additionally, I would
like to recognize Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones, who
during her five terms in Congress, worked to advance fire
safety, particularly on college campuses. . . .
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
I rise in support of H.R. 6469, the Stephanie Tubbs
Jones Organ Transplant Authorization Act of 2008. This
legislation would provide important new funding for the
Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network. . . .
The bill is aptly named in honor of Representative
Stephanie Tubbs Jones, our Democrat of Ohio who died on
August 20, 2008, from a brain aneurysm. Representative
Tubbs Jones was a strong and vocal advocate for organ
donation during her life and donated her organs upon her
passing. It is estimated that as many as 58 people will
benefit from her donation. When enacted, Mr. Speaker, this
legislation will provide critical funding to ensure the
OPTN has resources it needs to continue to perform its
valuable services to our Nation. . . .
Ms. DeGETTE. . . . I stand here in strong support of
H.R. 6469, which has been named the Stephanie Tubbs Jones
Organ Transplant Act of 2008. We named this bill in honor
of our dear departed colleague because Stephanie Tubbs
Jones was a committed advocate of organ transplantation
and was an organ and tissue donor herself. Upon her
passing she was able to continue serving her constituents
and the Nation by donating her tissue and organs. . . .
This bill is supported by numerous groups, Mr. Speaker.
It is a vitally important bill. I look forward to passing
it tonight and further continuing Stephanie Tubbs Jones'
legacy of public service.
Mr. COSTA. . . . As a founder and the co-chair of the
Congressional Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness Caucus,
I am very pleased to support this measure before us, H.R.
6469, otherwise known thereafter as the Stephanie Tubbs
Jones Organ Transplant Authorization Act. . . .
This bill reaffirms our Nation's commitment to providing
lifesaving care through transplantation, and at the same
time it honors our late colleague, Congresswoman Stephanie
Tubbs Jones, who gave the gift of life by becoming an
organ donor after her passing. . . .
I encourage all of my colleagues to join in honoring
Congresswoman Tubbs Jones by supporting this bill and by
also following her example in becoming organ donors. After
all, it's perhaps the most precious gift we can give. I
know because I am one of those who intends to do just
that.
I urge an ``aye'' vote on this important measure.
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. . . . We know that we lost our
very dear friend in August, a friend who championed health
care, who championed her own health system in the State of
Ohio. More important, she valued life because she lived it
to the fullest. Yet she understood that, in death, you can
also give life. This is a great tribute to Congresswoman
Stephanie Tubbs Jones. It reminds us again of the need of
organ transplants and of donors in the African American
population, which makes up about 12 percent of the
Nation's population, about 12 percent of the patients who
donate but 23 percent of the need.
So this is an important step forward, this legislation
that is now being renewed. It is an important tribute to
Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones and to her family. Out
of the joyful life that she had, she then gave life in
death and reminded us of the importance of organ
transplants and of the life they give to others.
I ask my colleagues to support this legislation.
Finally, this bill will honor an ardent supporter of
transplantation, the Honorable Stephanie Tubbs Jones.
Before her death, she ordered that when she passed away,
her organs be donated to any in need. Her death, while a
great loss for myself, her state, and anyone who knew her
and loved her, will hopefully serve as an example for her
fellow Ohioans and beyond. Congresswoman Tubbs Jones knew,
like all of us will, that there is a growing need among
the African American community for transplantation.
Currently, African Americans make up about 12 percent of
the Nation's population and about 12 percent of the
patients who donate. However, of all the patients
requiring a transplant, 23 percent of them are African
American. This disparity is a growing epidemic and must be
resolved.
Mr. Speaker, Congresswoman Tubbs Jones served as a model
for how we should live our lives and beyond. I hope that
her memory will inspire millions around the Nation to take
up the noble cause of saving those who have no other
choice. I urge passage of this bill.
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for
time, and I would urge the support for and the passage of
this bill, not only because of its significance but also
in honor of our colleague Ms. Stephanie Tubbs Jones.
Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such
time as I may consume.
It is with great humility and respect that I present for
favorable consideration H.R. 6950, the Stephanie Tubbs
Jones Gift of Life Medal Act of 2008.
Our friend, our respected colleague, Congresswoman
Stephanie Tubbs Jones, worked tirelessly for her district,
for her community and for people who are underrepresented.
As a constant advocate for justice and peace, as a very
proud member of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health,
she was a fervent supporter and leader of efforts to
reduce health disparities in our Nation.
This legislation directs the Treasury Department to
design and produce a commemorative medal that the
Department of Health and Human Services will award to
organ donors or to a surviving family member, which is
especially fitting to be named in honor of Congresswoman
Stephanie Tubbs Jones for a couple of reasons:
Organ donation is an area where dramatic health
disparities still exist. She, herself, was an organ donor,
and over 50 beneficiaries have benefited from her gift of
life.
The number of Americans affected by shortages of
suitable organs for donation is considerable. Nearly
100,000 people are currently waiting for organ
transplants, and nearly 2,000 of these are children under
18. The national waiting list grows substantially every
year. Since the waiting list began, over 80,000 donation-
eligible Americans have died while waiting for an organ to
become available. In 2007 alone, over 6,500 people died
for lack of a suitable organ.
The men and women who elect to become organ donors are
heroes just like our friend and colleague. They have the
opportunity to give the gift of life to thousands of
Americans who are suffering from debilitating and lethal
diseases.
While the gift of a donor is priceless, the enactment of
this bill would have no cost to the Federal Government as
funding for the medals would come from charitable
donations.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of
H.R. 6950, the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Gift of Life Medal
Act of 2008.
As everyone in this Chamber knows, the late
Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones was a wonderful woman
and a tireless public servant. She sought to use her time
each day to serve the people of her district and of this
Nation, and the extraordinary generosity she exhibited in
so many of her actions proves to be one of her lasting
legacies. She was also a very joyful woman, and she
brought much joy to all of those who were fortunate enough
to know her. I include myself in that group.
However, nowhere have her selfless nature and leadership
qualities been more apparent than in her decision to be an
organ donor. Her untimely death was a tragedy, but because
of her decision, others will be fortunate to enjoy the
gift of life.
Currently, there are close to 100,000 individuals on the
national transplant waiting list. Each hour, this number
increases, adding a new name approximately every 16
minutes. Yet, despite how sobering this statistic is and
the even harsher statistic that my colleague mentioned,
more sobering is the number of people who die while
waiting for a life-saving organ transplant. This number is
16 people per day. Understanding that reality,
Representative Tubbs Jones did what she always did. She
volunteered to give to those in need.
This legislation honors her actions. The bill before us
today would establish a Stephanie Tubbs Jones Gift of Life
Medal, and it would make any organ donor or family of the
organ donor eligible to receive the honor. The legislation
empowers the Secretary of Health and Human Services to
direct the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network
to establish an application and assessment process for
donors in order to receive the award.
By agreeing to this legislation, this Congress honors
the actions of Representative Tubbs Jones and the actions
of so many others who sought to give what they could to
those in need. This is an important action, and I urge my
colleagues to support the bill.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. STARK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge passage of
the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Gift of Life Medal Act of 2008,
and to thank the many colleagues and friends of
Stephanie's who joined together to bring this bill to the
floor.
Stephanie's life ended as she lived it; by exemplifying
concern for the welfare of others. She donated her organs
in the waning hours of her life so that the lives of
others could continue. In that spirit, this bill creates a
commemorative medal for organ donors and their families,
recognizing the brave and selfless act of organ donation.
. . .
As an active member of the Ways and Means Health
Subcommittee, Stephanie worked tirelessly to remedy health
disparities in our Nation. Organ donation is one area
where dramatic health disparities exist, which makes this
all the more of a fitting tribute. . . .
While minorities donate organs in proportion to their
population, the rate of organ donations fails to keep pace
with the need for transplants in the population. Minority
populations account for close to 50 percent of the people
who are currently waiting for organ transplants.
I'd like to take a moment to recognize the help of
former Senate Majority Leader and transplant surgeon Dr.
Bill Frist, for whom this bill was named for when it was
introduced earlier this year. Dr. Frist is a tireless
advocate of organ donors and their families, and worked on
behalf of the Gift of Life Medal Act. I appreciate his
graciousness in expressing his strong support for renaming
the bill, and I would ask the Chair to have Dr. Frist's
letter of support inserted into the Record.
I ask my colleagues to help bring an end to transplant
waiting lists and recognize the enormous courage displayed
by organ donors and their families. This bill honors these
brave acts, while publicizing the critical need for
increased organ donation, and pays tribute to the
selflessness and memory of our colleague. Stephanie's
dedication to improving health care should be permanently
recognized. I urge passage of the Stephanie Tubbs Jones
Gift of Life Medal Act.
Nashville, TN,
September 15, 2008.
Hon. Pete Stark,
Chairman, Ways and Means Health Subcommittee,
Longworth House Office Building, Washington, DC.
Hon. Dave Camp,
Ranking Member, Ways and Means Health Subcommittee,
Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC.
Dear Chairman Stark and Ranking Member Camp: Thank you
for your leadership on the Gift of Life Congressional
Medal.
Like you, I am truly inspired by those that donate their
organs. I can think of no act that is more honorable or
selfless, and it is befitting of Congress to pass this act
to recognize these outstanding individuals and their
families. I was pleased to sponsor this legislation in the
Senate.
It is also extremely fitting to name this legislation in
honor of the late Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones. A
tireless advocate for those in need, she cemented her
legacy by donating her organs and tissue, which will help
over 50 individuals. Her act, and the thousands that have
come before it, must be recognized.
Each year, there are nearly 14,000 organs that are
donated. As a transplant surgeon, I have seen first hand
how lives are transformed through these miraculous gifts.
For me, it is a privilege to be part of the
transplantation process. I am continually amazed at the
advances in technology that make transplants more
successful every year.
While advances are being made, there are still too few
donors--nearly 100,000 people are waiting on national
transplant lists. To encourage more donors, we should make
every effort to recognize those that make this life-saving
decision. I believe creating a Gift of Life Congressional
medal is critically important to increasing awareness on
this issue.
Again, please accept my sincere appreciation for your
work and strong support for naming the Gift of Life
Congressional Medal Act in honor of Congresswoman
Stephanie Tubbs Jones. It is a fitting tribute for such an
outstanding and committed woman.
Sincerely,
Dr. William H. Frist.
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I speak today on
a very close subject to my heart, House Resolution 6950, a
bill to establish the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Gift of Life
Medal for organ donors and the families of organ donors.
Congresswoman Tubbs Jones was a rare breed of person who
not only talked the talk, but walked the walk.
Tragedy struck Congress a few weeks ago when
Congresswoman Tubbs Jones was taken from us. This brought
attention to an issue of vital importance to her and the
Nation. Organ transplantation is the greatest gift a
person can give. While a majority of them happen while
both the donor and the recipient are alive, a large number
happen after death. Unfortunately these organs, such as
the heart, lung, liver, and kidney, among others, are very
hard to come by. In the Congresswoman's home State, only
53 percent of the population are registered organ donors.
This is a good start but we must go further.
When a loved one dies, it is never a happy moment;
experiences like this always bring sadness and sorrow.
When that loved one's death can serve as a beacon of hope
for another, it does not lessen the sadness; it allows the
family to have a good, if small, memory of the loss of
their loved one. When Congresswoman Tubbs Jones passed
away, we were all deeply saddened but I think I can speak
for more than a few of my fellow Members of Congress when
I express the joy and pride I felt when I learned that
after years of advocating for organ transplantation,
Congresswoman Tubbs Jones left all of her vital organs to
those in need. . . .
This bill will do three wonderful things and help the
cause that the Congresswoman fought for in all her years
serving Ohio. First, it will honor the life of an
unwavering advocate of transplant. Naming the medal after
her will show all those who come later, that this was a
woman deep with passion about this important issue. It
will shine a light on a life that helped shine a light on
others.
Second, this bill will honor those, who like the
Congresswoman, have shown their true patriotism to their
fellow man or woman and shared with them the greatest
gift. These medals are a way that the Federal Government,
on behalf of its people, can begin to thank Americans who
commit themselves to being organ donors.
Last, this bill will help raise awareness for minority
health issues. It was found that African Americans make up
a disproportional number of patients requiring transplants
and that they wait, on average, longer to receive an
organ. When they do finally receive this opportunity, they
are sicker and the success rate is not what it could be.
We can, and must, do more.
Mr. Speaker, we can do something to help the millions of
men and women around the world waiting for organ
transplants. We should also move quickly to honor those
who have already given the greatest gift there is. As
Albert Einstein once said, ``Only a life lived for others
is a life worthwhile,'' and no one exemplified this better
than Stephanie Tubbs Jones. I urge my colleagues to pass
this bill to honor her.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Mr. HOBSON. . . . There are two people who are not here
that were dear friends of mine. Paul Gillmor is one. I
wouldn't be here if Paul Gillmor hadn't gotten me
appointed to the State senate. And Stephanie Tubbs Jones
became one of my best friends. We traveled all over the
world looking at military bases together. She would, if I
flew to Cleveland to see my daughter and we were on the
same plane (I didn't have a car there) drive me to my
daughter's house and we became true friends. I took her
and her husband on their 25th wedding anniversary. She
wanted to go on a codel, and I said, ``I'll give you the
best party that you can ever have if you'll go on this
trip and get Mervyn to go with us.'' And those were the
days when you could do that. We had a great party for
them. And she was a wonderful Member of this Congress. . .
.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Mr. SESSIONS. Madam Speaker, today I rise to recognize
the life of my good friend and co-chair of the Capital
Fraternal Caucus, Stephanie Tubbs Jones. Stephanie and I
shared a passion to help ensure a secure future for
fraternities and sororities on campuses all across the
country. Together, we worked to form and mature the
Capital Fraternal Caucus to be an organization to
celebrate Greek life both as an undergraduate and
throughout post-collegiate years.
Stephanie dedicated her life to ensuring that every
young person had the opportunity for a college education.
As a member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Stephanie
understood first hand the lifelong friendships that
fraternities and sororities foster in young people during
their undergraduate years. It was these friendships which
fostered mutual respect and collaboration of ideas. I am
so honored to have shared this friendship with Stephanie
and to have enjoyed our bonds of Greek life as co-chairs
of the Capital Fraternal Caucus.
As the first African American chairman of the Capital
Fraternal Caucus, Stephanie used her position to champion
the Greek cause and quickly became a favorite member of
interns working on Capitol Hill who are affiliated with
Greek organizations. While always lending a helping hand
to students in Washington, Stephanie never forgot about
the hundreds of thousands of students on every college
campus. Through her dedicated work, she helped to pass the
College Housing and Infrastructure Act. This leadership
was recognized by the North-American Interfraternity
Conference who presented her with the NIC's Silver Medal.
This is one of the Conference's highest honors which
recognizes significant leadership for causes that advance
the highest ideals of fraternalism.
In honor of her dedication and enthusiastic work, the
North-American Interfraternity Conference is naming a
summer program for young people in Washington, DC, after
her. The Stephanie Tubbs Jones Memorial Legislative
Fellowship will enable outstanding student leaders from
fraternity and sorority chapters throughout the country to
work with legislative leaders on Capitol Hill to help
preserve the rich undergraduate traditions represented by
the communities on campuses across the Nation. I look
forward to meeting the next generation of leaders which
Stephanie's legacy will bring to Washington.
A wonderful example of the type of person our public
school system produces, Stephanie went on to attend Case
Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Following
her graduation from college she began her career in public
service by earning a degree in social work. This passion
for helping others led her to pursue a law degree from
Case Western Reserve School of Law in 1974. Ultimately,
Stephanie was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives
in 1998 and served the 11th Congressional District of Ohio
until her untimely and unfortunate death in August of this
year.
During her time as a Congresswoman, Stephanie never lost
her zeal for public service nor her passion to help young
people. She constantly sought to improve public schools
and ensure that every American student had the best
possible education. Stephanie was a well-respected Member
of this Congress, and her presence will surely be missed.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Mr. STARK. Madam Speaker, I rise today to applaud House
and Senate passage by unanimous consent of H.R. 7198, the
Stephanie Tubbs Jones Gift of Life Medal Act of 2008.
Representative Tubbs Jones' life ended as she lived it; by
exemplifying concern for the welfare of others. She
donated her organs in the waning hours of her life so that
the lives of others could continue. In that spirit, this
legislation creates a commemorative medal for organ donors
and their families, recognizing the brave and selfless act
of organ donation. It is a fitting tribute to her, and I
look forward to seeing this program get up and running.
This bill is a modified version of H.R. 6950, which
passed the House on September 25, 2008. We modified the
bill in order to address concerns from the other body and
ensure its passage.
Unfortunately, in modifying the bill, we had to delete
findings included in H.R. 6950. I ask to insert these
findings into the Record.
(1) Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones was dedicated to
eliminating health disparities and protecting vulnerable
populations.
(2) Through her service on the Committee on Ways and
Means, Subcommittee on Health, she was a strong voice for
those who were poor, elderly, racial and ethnic
minorities, and disenfranchised.
(3) Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones' concern for
others was demonstrated by the decision to donate her
organs, so that as her life ended, the lives of others
continued. . . .
Friday, October 3, 2008
Ms. KILPATRICK. Madam Speaker, I would like to submit
the following poem, written by Mr. Albert Carey Caswell,
in memory of our late great colleague, Congresswoman
Stephanie Tubbs Jones.
The Things Which Matter
The things which matter . . .
The moments which count, the ones all the end which so
amount . . .
All in our lives, are all of those things in our hearts of
which are so tantamount . . .
The very ones . . .
Which all in the end, are what our souls are really so all
about . . .
As to this our world, what we so give no doubt . . . all
in these our lives to tout . . .
Are all those things which really matter . . .
Are but the ones, which so make The Angels hearts so
shout!
All in the end, are but really what our lives are all
about!
The Ways and Means . . .
By which we overcome all the odds, all in our life's
themes . . .
Are but the ones, our songs which so make our Lord's heart
so shine and gleam . . .
Stephanie Tubbs Jones . . .
A Heroine . . . A Pioneer . . . A Champion for Civil
Rights so seen!
A great strong great woman of firsts, who but lived The
American Dream!
The only thing bigger than her bright big smile . . .
Was but her fine kind and warm heart, that which so
caressed all . . . all the while . . .
For in these our short lifetimes, these are but the things
you'll find!
For it's how we live . . .
And it's how we lead, all in this world which so helps her
to succeed . . .
And who we care for, and for whom we bleed . . . giving to
her what she so needs!
Are but All Those Things Which Really Matter . . .
All in these our times, all in these our short
lives which we so bring about . . .
All in the end, what really up in Heaven . . . what so
matters no doubt!
Proceedings in the Senate
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Mr. BROWN (for himself, Mr. Voinovich, and Mr. Hatch)
submitted the following resolution, which was considered
and agreed to:
S. Res. 654
Whereas Stephanie Tubbs Jones was born on September 10,
1949, in Cleveland, Ohio, and attended Case Western
Reserve University and the Franklin Thomas Backus School
of Law;
Whereas, in 1982, at the age of 33, Stephanie Tubbs
Jones was elected to serve on the Cleveland Municipal
Court;
Whereas, in 1983, Stephanie Tubbs Jones became the first
African-American woman to serve on the Court of Common
Pleas in the State of Ohio;
Whereas Stephanie Tubbs Jones served as the Cuyahoga
County Prosecutor from 1991 through 1999, becoming the
first woman and the first African-American to hold the
position;
Whereas, in 1998, Stephanie Tubbs Jones was elected to
the first of 5 terms in the House of Representatives,
where she was a tireless advocate for the citizens of
Ohio's 11th Congressional District and championed
increased access to health care, improved voting rights,
and quality education for all;
Whereas Stephanie Tubbs Jones was the first African-
American woman to represent the State of Ohio in Congress;
Whereas Ohio has lost a beloved daughter and the House
of Representatives one of its strongest voices with the
passing of Stephanie Tubbs Jones on August 20, 2008: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) mourns the loss of the Honorable Stephanie Tubbs
Jones and expresses its condolences to her family and
friends and to the people of the 11th Congressional
District of Ohio; and
(2) honors the life of Stephanie Tubbs Jones, a highly
esteemed and accomplished Member of Congress, dedicated
community leader, and tireless advocate for those in need.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Mr. DORGAN. Mr. President, tragically, a month and a
half ago, we lost a wonderful colleague of all of ours,
Stephanie Tubbs Jones. Stephanie Tubbs Jones was a Member
of the U.S. House of Representatives, a wonderful
Congresswoman who, whenever you met her, had a big, broad
smile on her face. She obviously loved her work on behalf
of her country. All of us miss her. . . .
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TONGRESS.#07
IN LOVING MEMORY
OF
HONORABLE STEPHANIE TUBBS JONES
Ohio's 11th Congressional District
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T4100.007
SEPTEMBER 10, 1949-AUGUST 20, 2008
SATURDAY, AUGUST 30, 2008--11:00 A.M.
CLEVELAND PUBLIC AUDITORIUM
601 LAKESIDE AVENUE
CLEVELAND, OHIO 44114
REVEREND DR. STEPHEN ROWAN, OFFICIANT
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T4100.002
Order of Service
Processional
Family of Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones
Prayer of Comfort
Bishop F.E. Perry
Scripture
``Old Testament'' Psalm 46:1-4, 10-11 Dr. E.T.
Caviness
Scripture
``New Testament'' Romans 8:35-39, Bishop Lincoln
Haughton
Musical Selection
``If I Can Help Somebody'' Hattie Johnson
Remarks from Clergy
Pastor Edward Small, Starlight Baptist Church
Musical Selection
Central State University Choir
Special Tributes
Governor Ted Strickland, State of Ohio
Mayor Frank G. Jackson, City of Cleveland
Representative Nancy Pelosi, California,
Speaker of the House
Senator Hillary Clinton, New York
Senator Sherrod Brown, Ohio
Senator Barack Obama, Illinois
Representative Carolyn Kilpatrick, Michigan,
Chair Congressional Black Caucus
Representative Kendrick Meek, Florida,
Chair Congressional Black Caucus Foundation
Representative Tim Ryan, Ohio Delegation
Honorable Louis Stokes, former Congressman 11th District,
Ohio
Commissioner Jimmy Dimora, Cuyahoga County
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T4100.003
Order of Service
(continued)
Musical Selection
Cleveland Metropolitan School District Choir
Patrice Willoughby, 11th Congressional District,
Chief of Staff
Cynthia Butler McIntyre, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.,
National President
Barbara Snyder, Case Western Reserve University,
President
Dr. Edgar Jackson, University Hospitals
Joe Hewitt, Media Consultant
Tiffany Robertson, Cleveland Metropolitan School District,
Student
Dorian Jones, Family
Dr. Brad Bayless, Family
Musical Selection
Mrs. Lucretia Bolden
Resolutions/Acknowledgements
Dr. Lanelle Perry
Reading of Obituary
Selection
Bethany Baptist Church Praise Team Choir
Eulogy
John 14:1-3, Reverend Dr. Stephen Rowan
Closing Prayer
Reverend Dr. Stephen Rowan
Recessional
Bethany Baptist Church Praise Team Choir
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T4100.004
Obituary
Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones, a native Clevelander, was born to
Andrew and Mary Tubbs on September 10, 1949. Her siblings Mattie and
Barbara cherished growing up with their younger sister. Stephanie was
joined in holy matrimony to Mervyn L. Jones, Sr. in November 1976 and to
this union was born Mervyn L. Jones, II.
Stephanie attended Miles Standish Elementary School and was a graduate of
the Major Work Program from Collinwood High School. Congresswoman Tubbs
Jones received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Social Work and her Juris
Doctorate Degree from Case Western Reserve University. She received
honorary doctorates from David N. Myers University, Notre Dame College,
Central State University and Cleveland State University. She was a lifelong
member of Bethany Baptist Church in Cleveland, Ohio and a member of its
Board of Trustees. Congresswoman Tubbs Jones was a lifetime member of Delta
Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated and served on its national Social Action
Commission.
Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones' entire career was spent in public
service. She was the Assistant County Prosecutor, serving under John T.
Corrigan, and a Trial Attorney at the Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission. In 1982 she was elected to the Cleveland Municipal Court, her
first elected office. Congresswoman Tubbs Jones made a number of historic
achievements throughout her distinguished career. She was the first
African-American woman to sit on the Common Pleas Court of the State of
Ohio. She became the first African-American and first female to become the
Cuyahoga County Prosecutor in 1991. Upon the retirement of the Honorable
Louis Stokes, Congresswoman Tubbs Jones made history again when she became
the first African-American woman to represent Ohio in the United States
Congress.
In Congress, she continued breaking new ground: President of the Freshman
Congressional Class, Member of the Congressional Black Caucus Housing Task
Force, Whip for Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi's Leadership Campaign, Co-Chair
of the Platform Committee Democratic National Convention, Co-Chair of the
Democratic National Committee (DNC), Co-Chair Congressional Black Caucus
Annual Legislative Conference, Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus
Retirement Security Brain Trust, Member of the Ways and Means Committee and
Chairwoman of the Committee of Standards of Official Conduct (Ethics).
Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones leaves to mourn: her loving son, Mervyn
L. Jones, II; devoted sister, Barbara L. Walker; aunts, Lula Robinson
(Pratt) of Memphis, Tennessee and Nevora Parker; uncle, Charles Tubbs;
sister-in-laws, Garlindine Jones-Grant (Robert), Collette Jones, Leonette
Jones-Singletary (Theodore), Dottie Jones; brother-in-laws, Robert Still,
Cornelius Jones (Betty); nieces, Lori Rhoane (Rollon), Robin Still, Latesha
Jonnes, Crystal Singletary, Deirdra Singletary and Bernadette Jones;
nephews, Khari Walker (Barissa), Dorian Jones and Theo Singletary; great
nieces, great nephews and a host of extended loving family and many
treasured friends. Her parents Mary and Andrew Tubbs, husband Mervyn L.
Jones, Sr. and sister Mattie Still preceded her in death.
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T4100.005
Honorable Stephanie Tubbs Jones
Public Servant
Educational Honors and Awards: Notre Dame College, South Euclid, Ohio,
``Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters,'' Myers University, Cleveland, Ohio,
``Honorary Doctorate,'' Central State University, ``Honorary Doctorate of
Laws,'' and an ``Honorary Doctorate'' from Cleveland State University.
Congressional Caucus Memberships: Democratic Caucus, Black Caucus, Women's
Caucus, Children's Caucus, Missing and Exploited Children's Caucus, Human
Rights Caucus, Congressional Mental Health Caucus, Steel Caucus,
Alzheimer's Disease Congressional Task Force, Bi-Partisan Pro-Choice
Caucus, Caribbean Caucus, Congressional Biotechnology Caucus, Congressional
Fraternal Caucus, Progressive Caucus, Diabetes Caucus, Congressional Arts
Caucus, Congressional Manufacturing Task Force, Hungarian American Caucus,
Congressional Submarine Caucus, and the Northeastern-Midwest Congressional
Coalition.
Civic: Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated-National Social Action
Commission, Trustee of Bethany Baptist Church, Board of Trustees of the
Community Re-Entry Program, Visiting Committee of the Board of Overseers of
the Franklin Thomas Backus School of Law of Case Western Reserve University
and Leadership Cleveland Alumnae (Board of Trustee, Class of 1984).
Honors and Awards: National Black American Law Student Association,
``Midwest Regional Award,'' Flora Stone Mather College, Case Western
Reserve University ``Centennial Citation Award,'' YWCA, ``Career Women of
Achievement Award,'' Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated, ``Althea
Simmons Awards,'' Collinwood High School, ``Inductee into the Hall of
Fame,'' and Ohio State Bar Association, ``Nettie Crouise Lutes Award,''
Cleveland Life Newspaper, ``Best of Cleveland Award,'' Gradsnet Foundation
of Cleveland, ``Inductee into the Cleveland Educators and Alumni Achievers
Hall of Fame,'' International Black Women's Congress, ``Alma Nomsa John
Inspirational Award,'' Urban League of Cleveland, ``Whitney Young Award,''
``Inducted into the Ohio Women's Hall of Fame,'' NARAL Pro-Choice of Ohio,
Champion of Choice Award,'' Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated,
``Patricia Roberts Harris Award for Public Service,'' Thurgood Marshall
Scholarship Fund, Leadership Award,'' National Bar Association, ``Gertrude
E. Rush Award,'' Human Rights Campaign of Cleveland, Equality Award,
Essence Magazine ``35 Most Remarkable Women,'' Cook County Bar Association,
``J. Ernest Wilkins Award,'' NAACP National Voter Fund, In recognition of
Her Heroic Actions to Protect the Vote of All Ohioans,'' Outstanding
Politician Award, NAACP Freedom Fighter Award, Dominion Strong Men & Women
Series Excellence in Leadership, Rotary Club, ``International Award,'' Rape
Crisis and Essence.
Let the Work I've Done Speak for Me
``Author Unknown''
May
the work I've
done, speak for me. When
I'm resting in my grave, there is
nothing that can be said. May the work
I've done, speak for me. May the life I've
lived speak for me. May the service I gave
speak for me. When I've done the best I can,
and my friends don't understand, may the
service I gave speak for me. The works I've
done seemed so small. Sometimes, they
seemed like nothing at all. But when I
stand before my God, I want to hear
Him say ``Well Done.'' May the
work I've done, speak
for me.
Pallbearers
United States Military
Honorary Pallbearers
Mervyn Jones, II Robert Still Randy Jones
Robert Norton Robert Grant James Berry
Joseph Hewitt Brad Bayless Khari Walker Al Maples
Acknowledgements
The family of the Late Stephanie Tubbs Jones acknowledges
with deepest appreciation your many expressions of
sympathy and love. We are grateful for all acts of
kindness shown during our hour of bereavement. We thank
you most sincerely and pray God's richest blessings upon
each of you.
Governor Ted Strickland. With the passing of Stephanie
Tubbs Jones, Ohio and the Nation have lost a remarkable
human being and a devoted servant of the people.
Today we face a moment of profound sadness, but we
remember a lifetime worthy of great celebration.
Stephanie was a woman whose contagious smile, honed
intellect and boundless vitality truly made her larger
than life.
What some consider the work of politics was, for
Stephanie, a source of joy. A handshake turned into a hug,
a smile into a conversation.
Stephanie was the kind of political leader who needed
hours to go grocery shopping because everyone she saw
wanted a moment of her time, and she willingly gave it.
Because if you met Stephanie, she was your friend.
To Stephanie's son Mervyn and to all her loved ones, I
want to extend my deepest sympathies. The tributes you
hear today are heartfelt, because the life and work of
Stephanie Tubbs Jones touched the people of the 11th
District and far beyond.
In her service as a judge, prosecutor, and Member of
Congress, Stephanie was time and again a first. First
woman. First African American. First African American
woman.
One of the many lessons we can learn from Stephanie's
life and all her firsts is that we need not ever wait for
permission to do what's never been done before.
But having had the privilege of serving in the House
with Stephanie, I know that her purpose was not being a
symbol of progress but a source of progress.
On health care, on education, on economic empowerment,
the House of Representatives had no more tireless advocate
nor stronger voice than Stephanie Tubbs Jones.
Everything I know about Stephanie tells me that even in
our grief she would want us to rejoice for a life well
lived in dedication to family, to community, and to her
church.
The Scripture reminds us: ``Blessed are the dead which
die in the Lord, from henceforth. they may rest from their
labors; and their works do follow them.''
As we say goodbye today, we take comfort because
Stephanie's works will follow her, and they will follow
us. Because the doors she opened will never close.
Senator Barack Obama. I'm here today with Michelle to pay
tribute to an extraordinary American, a devoted public
servant, a mother, a daughter, a sister, a wife, and a
dear friend to so many here in Cleveland and all across
America.
Today, we honor not just Stephanie's intelligence,
grace, spirit, passion, and compassion--but how she used
those gifts to help others.
For Stephanie, it wasn't enough to rise up from modest
circumstances and break so many barriers herself--she
spent her life reaching back and pulling others through
the doors she opened and along the trails she blazed.
For Stephanie, it wasn't enough just to study law and
practice law--she spent her life working to shape our laws
to honor our best instincts and reflect all our voices.
If this work was hard or overwhelming--if she ever felt
any loneliness in so often being first--you never would've
known. Stephanie wasn't a complainer. And self-pity was
never an option as far as Stephanie was concerned.
She just set her sights and steeled her will to the task
at hand. And when it came to her life's work--the work of
fighting for justice and opportunity, the work of tending
to overlooked places and being a friend to those who walk
alone--she was relentless.
And what struck me most about Stephanie was how, even
after a decade in Congress, she was so utterly unaffected
by the ways of Washington. Stephanie couldn't put on airs
if she tried. Whether you were an intern or an ambassador,
you were treated to that same radiant warmth, that same
good-natured ribbing, that same call-it-like-she-saw-it
honesty. No one ever felt like a stranger around
Stephanie.
And even as she endured so many losses in her own life,
she never lost her focus on helping others--her heart big
enough, and strong enough, and resilient enough to hold
her own pain and that of so many who needed someone to
ease their load. She was the embodiment of the generosity
that comes with grace--and the fearlessness that comes
from knowing what really matters in life.
And now that she's left us, we've all got some slack to
pick up. We've got some unfinished business to attend to.
The business of shaking things up, and asking the hard
questions, and insisting on the hard truths behind the
official explanations. The business of embracing those who
struggle and making their struggles our own. The business
of refusing to settle for anything less than what's right
and fair and just.
Those were the gifts that Stephanie gave us. That was
the love with which she graced us--love for her son Mervyn
and all her family and friends, love for her native
Cleveland, and love for this great country she served. And
for that, we are all so grateful.
Thank you and God bless you.
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TONGRESS.#15
The Honorable
Stephanie Tubbs Jones
September 10, 1949-August 20, 2008
A reception will be held in the Rayburn Room
immediately following today's memorial service.
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TONGRESS.#15
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T4100.006
A Celebration of the Life of
The Honorable
Stephanie Tubbs Jones
Ohio's 11th District
Chairwoman, Committee on Standards of
Official Conduct
September 10, 1949-August 20, 2008
Statuary Hall
United States Capitol
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
11:00 a.m.
LET THE WORK I'VE DONE SPEAK FOR ME
May the work I've done, speak for me.
When I'm resting in my grave,
there is nothing that can be said.
May the work I've done, speak for me.
May the life I've lived speak for me.
May the service I gave speak for me.
When I've done the best I can,
and my friends don't understand,
may the service I gave speak for me.
The works I've done seemed so small.
Sometimes, they seemed like nothing at all.
But when I stand before my God,
I want to hear Him say ``Well Done.''
May the work I've done, speak for me.
--Author Unknown
P R O G R A M
P r e l u d e
United States Air Force Ceremonial Brass Quintet
W e l c o m e
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
M i s t r e s s o f C e r e m o n i e s
The Honorable Carolyn C. Kilpatrick
United States House of Representatives
I n v o c a t i o n
The Reverend Daniel P. Coughlin
Chaplain of the United States House of Representatives
R e a d i n g
Proverbs 31:8-9
The Honorable Marcy Kaptur
United States House of Representatives
T r i b u t e s
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
The Honorable Steny Hoyer
Majority Leader of the United States House of
Representatives
The Honorable John Boehner
Republican Leader of the United States House of
Representatives
The Honorable James E. Clyburn
Majority Whip of the United States House of
Representatives
The Honorable Rahm Emanuel
Chairman of the House Democratic Caucus
M u s i c a l S e l e c t i o n
``Precious Lord''
R e f l e c t i o n
Mr. Mervyn Jones II
T r i b u t e s
The Honorable Donna M. Christensen
United States House of Representatives
The Honorable Kendrick B. Meek
United States House of Representatives
The Honorable Tim Ryan
United States House of Representatives
B e n e d i c t i o n
The Reverend Daniel P. Coughlin
Chaplain of the United States House of Representatives
Speaker Nancy Pelosi. My, my, my, wouldn't Stephanie have
liked to see this turnout for her birthday party?
When we were in Ohio, I was pleased to take two
planeloads of Members of Congress to Cleveland for her
memorial service. In that auditorium was a former
President of the United States, a former First Lady who is
a Senator and was a candidate for President, a nominee of
the Democratic Party for President of the United States,
her colleagues, her friends, and her family--all gathered
together to celebrate the life and leadership of Stephanie
Tubbs Jones.
I would like to welcome the family and loved ones of
Chairwoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones to Statuary Hall in the
United States Capitol to join her colleagues in
celebrating her life.
All of us in this room loved Stephanie Tubbs Jones--
though this room or even this building could not hold all
those who counted themselves among her friends.
I would like to offer a particularly warm welcome to two
members of Stephanie Tubbs Jones' family: her son, Mervyn
Jones II, and her sister, Barbara Walker.
Mervyn is named for his father, Stephanie's beloved
husband of almost 30 years whom we lost a few years ago.
With Mervyn here today, we also feel the presence of his
loving father. We proudly welcome you to the Capitol,
Mervyn. We are your family. Barbara, we welcome you too.
It was once written that the simple act of going to the
grocery store could take Stephanie Tubbs Jones 2\1/2\
hours--because as she crossed items off her list, she
added the names and numbers of her constituents in need.
Stephanie Tubbs Jones was a beloved figure in her
hometown of Cleveland, and she loved and served her
constituents in return. Their problems were her problems.
Their story was her story--an American story--she was
the daughter of a factory worker and a skycap at the
Cleveland Airport who went on to chair one of the most
powerful committees in Congress.
Her work in Congress was informed by all the greatest
things about our Nation: Stephanie Tubbs Jones was a
tireless force for justice, equality, and opportunity. She
fought to ensure that every American voter can vote. She
passed bills to invest in the health of the American
people, and to protect children from abuse and neglect.
And in January of last year, she became chair of the
House Ethics Committee. There, Stephanie Tubbs Jones ably
and conscientiously enforced the rules of the House in an
evenhanded and nonpartisan fashion.
Though her accomplishments were many, Stephanie Tubbs
Jones had a simple wish. As she said: ``I hope I made you
proud.''
I was proud to be able to appoint Stephanie Tubbs Jones,
the first African American woman in history, to the
powerful House Ways and Means Committee.
I was proud to appoint Stephanie Tubbs Jones as
chairwoman of the Ethics Committee.
I know that every person in this room, especially
Stephanie's family and certainly her colleagues in the
Congress, can say to Stephanie on her birthday: as a
chairwoman, as a Congresswoman, as a Representative of
Cleveland who loved her district and constituents, and
most of all, who loved her family--you made everyone who
cared about you or knew about you, very, very proud. We'll
miss you, darling.
Reverend Daniel P. Coughlin. God of blessings, Source of
all goodness,
Today, feeling already the absence of Congresswoman
Stephanie Tubbs Jones, the House of Representatives
gathers to remember, pay tribute, and thank You, Lord, for
the gift of her life and presence in our midst.
May the grace of her radiant smile, strong yet gracious
advocacy, and ready expressions of faith and love live on
in all who knew her and honor her memory.
Grant her just reward and eternal joy for she seized
every opportunity to make a difference to bring about Your
kingdom of uplifting light and prevailing justice.
We ask this, calling upon You as our Lord and Savior,
now and forever.
Amen.
Majority Leader Steny Hoyer. Stephanie Tubbs Jones once
told a reporter: ``I have no illusions about myself. It
could all go up in a puff of smoke. I'll never lose sight
of that.''
Few of us can claim to have sight as clear as that. We
hear word of a death like Stephanie's--a death too sudden
to leave time for settling up, for saying goodbye--and our
first thought says: ``It wasn't her time yet.''
But if we are blessed with some of the wisdom Stephanie
had, maybe that first thought gives way to a second. Maybe
the second thought asks: ``Who are we to name the right
time, for her, or for any of us?''
We are legislators, and by nature we are good at
waiting. We wait for a favorite bill to come to the floor;
we wait for a consensus to form; we can wait for years for
our chance in the majority. In so many ways, this place
runs on patience. But when we lose a friend like
Stephanie, when we lose her like this, we are reminded
that none of us gets to wait forever. There is a time for
patience, and there is a time for urgency.
Stephanie lived a life of urgency. It was behind her
passion for Southern cooking and for sailing the
Chesapeake. It was behind her unshakeable friendships and
her unbeatable smile. It was behind her unstoppable work
for voters shut out, for children abused, for families
denied a doctor's care.
Behind all of it were the simple questions: ``If not
now, when? If not me, who?''
Here in this room, where Presidents and Statesmen sat,
where these statues stand in for so many of our heroes, we
honor the daughter of a skycap and a factory worker, who
rose to be a judge, a leader, a breaker of so many
barriers--all on the strength of her conviction that she
had no time to lose.
We mourn our friend--and we give thanks for the 58 years
that Stephanie Tubbs Jones lived so well.
Representative Donna M. Christensen. ``Sorry we didn't get
a chance to hang out. Safe flight,'' was the last I
heard--via Blackberry--from our dear friend, sister, and
colleague as I boarded my second plane on the way home
from Tunica.
And if any of us had not ever known true friendship
before--we found it in Stephanie. I know no one who was
more giving than she--and it was that giving to others,
being that special girlfriend, that gave her the most joy.
Whether it was the annual basketball game for the
homeless, something for her Deltas, or reaching back and
helping a young person or a newcomer, giving was what she
thrived on.
She came to Congress after me but we shared a very
special bond because we both began the 106th Congress
honored to be political heirs of Congressman Louis
Stokes--she of the district and I of the braintrust.
She took the Congress by storm, same way she did
everything else--freshman class president, member of
Steering Committee; and on the Small Business Committee--
something else we shared. There was no shutting up or
shutting down members if she or anyone else had something
to say or an issue to fight for.
Her bucking the system could turn into a full scale
revolution on our side of the committee, because when she
got her dander up it was always for the right reasons.
That extended to the Subcommittee on Health, a seat she
sought and won after developing a fire-hot passion for the
elimination of health disparities--a natural because her
whole life was about breaking down barriers and
eliminating disparities. There were no special interests
for Stephanie except that of people of color, the poor,
disabled, and elderly, and those in any way
disenfranchised. No one in this country was going to be
shortchanged if she could do anything about it--and she
was determined that she could and would!
The committee and subcommittee got a real shakeup when
she came on board, and if there is anyone thinking that we
are going to let things slide back to normal. Think again.
D.A., judge, Congresswoman, chair, mother, sister,
girlfriend didn't come this way for nothing, and she left
no void behind. So if you see us a little more bubbly, if
our smile is a little bigger, if you see a bit more
passion in our work, less tolerance for anything unfair or
unjust and a firmer faith in God's omnipotence and love;
if you see us grow more strident in our advocacy for those
who are always left behind, and if we somehow seem to have
more gusto for work and life and love--it's just because
we were a part of Stephanie's circle of friends and she
didn't just up and leave us--she left some of her special
gifts with each of us. And if you know Stephanie, and I
know you did, we better not be messing around. We had
better be getting busy!
Man-child Mervyn, and big sis Barbara, she also left you
a big family who will always be here for you. We love you
as we continue to love her.
She did more than anyone could ask in her too short
life. We, her sisters and brothers in the CBC will finish
the rest!
Reverend Daniel P. Coughlin. Trusting in God's eternal
wisdom and mercy, we have prayed together for Stephanie
Tubbs Jones. There is sadness in taking leave from one
another. Yet, we take comfort in the Word of God and what
we have shared. We walk in the sure and certain hope that
we will all meet again on the last day when God is all in
all.
We give thanks to You, Lord, God Almighty, for all the
blessings which You graciously bestowed upon Stephanie,
Your servant and public witness to faith and justice in
this life.
We now commend Stephanie into Your loving hands, Eternal
and living Shepherd of souls. Delivered now from all human
weakness, bring her to eternal joy and the lasting peace
for which she tirelessly worked and longed for all her
days. In You and through You she moved, acted, and had her
very being, so to You now be all glory and praise forever
and ever.
Amen.