[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 6 (Tuesday, February 1, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: February 1, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                  TRIBUTE TO THOMAS P. ``TIP'' O'NEILL

                                 ______


                               speech of

                            HON. TOM BEVILL

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 25, 1994

  Mr. BEVILL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to my long-time 
friend and very outstanding former colleague, Thomas P. ``Tip'' 
O'Neill.
  Tip and I served together for many years in the House Democratic Whip 
Organization and I supported him for majority leader and Speaker. I 
always enjoyed his friendship and I miss him very much. As you know, 
Tip had thousands of friends, but he always made you feel like you were 
a close friend and very important to him.
  Tip O'Neill was a true man of the people. He loved people and people 
loved him. He was particularly close to those he represented in his 
district in Massachusetts. My wife Lou and I once went to a restaurant 
in Boston that Tip had recommended. When I told the waiter that Tip 
O'Neill had sent us, the manager came out to meet us. They showered us 
with attention because we were Tip's friends. They just couldn't do 
enough for us. I'll never forget that.
  Tip O'Neill was a master at sizing people up and understanding what 
they were capable of. I think this insight contributed a great deal to 
his success in politics. He was equally at home with heads of state and 
with the man on the street. He did a great job when it came to dealing 
with dignitaries and he rubbed shoulders with the most important people 
in the world. But, to Tip, the most important people in the world--
besides his family members--were average Americans. He really cared 
about them.
  One of my young constituents who uses crutches to walk tells a story 
about meeting Tip O'Neill one day at the U.S. Capitol. Tip came up 
behind my friend and asked him if he needed any help getting up the 
steps. He didn't just walk on past as many people would have done. He 
walked down the hall with my constituent and they talked about some of 
the topics of the day. This chance encounter made a lasting impression 
on that young man from my district. He realized that Tip O'Neill saw 
him as a person.
  We all have so many stories about Tip O'Neill--telling them all would 
take many hours and fill many volumes. He was simply larger than life 
and we loved him for it.
  Suffice it to say that Thomas P. ``Tip'' O'Neill did an outstanding 
job representing his district and an outstanding job representing our 
Nation.
  He was a great ambassador and above all, a great American. Our lives 
are better for having known him.

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