[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 22 (Thursday, March 3, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: March 3, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
          FURTHER TRIBUTE TO THE HONORABLE WILLIAM H. NATCHER

  (Mr. MAZZOLI asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. MAZZOLI. Mr. Speaker, I can add very little to what our Speaker 
has said a moment ago about our colleague and friend, Bill Natcher. But 
to put it in perspective, I have had the honor and rare privilege of 
serving with him for the past 24 years. It has been from my observation 
of him as a person and as a professional that when we think of Bill 
Natcher, we think of the term estimable, we think of the terms devoted, 
dedicated, all these terms we know are part and parcel of public 
service.
  Congressman Natcher, my good friend from the Second District, has 
exemplified all of those cardinal virtues of public service throughout 
his entire career here in the House.
  As the Speaker has said, this marks a day in which for the first time 
in those 40-plus years the chairman has been unable to cast a vote.

                              {time}  1140

  It does not mark the end of his service, however. It does mean that 
he is taking a momentary pause to try to recover his health at Bethesda 
Hospital, and we do join the Speaker and the minority side, all the 
sides, in extending our prayers to him for a full and a swift recovery.
  Mr. Speaker, I think that while we will cast many votes in our 
careers and while we will represent our communities in the best way we 
can see fit to do, that there will be very few among us who will reach 
that pinnacle, who will become a true icon of public service, and I 
think that is exactly how the gentleman from Kentucky [Mr. Natcher] has 
proceeded, to become an icon of this place.
  So, Mr. Speaker, all of us in the Kentucky delegation join in 
extending our best wishes to Bill in the hopes that he take a good rest 
and recover his strength.
  Mr. BROOKS. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. MAZZOLI. I yield to the gentleman from Texas.
  Mr. BROOKS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to say just briefly that I was 
here when the gentleman from Kentucky [Mr. Natcher] came, when he was 
sworn in, and he has been a gracious and distinguished Member since 
that very day, been courteous to everybody, fair to everybody, and well 
respected by spouses. In fact, Mr. Speaker, my wife said this morning 
that she wanted me, if I saw Bill Natcher, to tell him that we still 
loved him.
  Now that is the kind of impact he made on people.
  Now I want to give my colleagues one bit of other information:
  While he was probably the most distinguished Presiding Officer that 
we had, other than our elected Speakers, he did confide in me one day 
that having a perfect record was probably the worst mistake he ever 
made, and I fully agree because I do not have a perfect voting record. 
I have missed several quorums, four or five Journal votes, and every 
now and then I believe I missed other votes that were not critical.
  So I just want to say to my colleagues, ``I warn you. Don't think you 
can emulate this because it's not a good deal, and he would have told 
you, and probably would still tell you, that trying to have a perfect 
record is almost impossible and a tremendous burden on yourself.''
  Mr. BARLOW. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. MAZZOLI. Mr. Speaker, I would appreciate being able to yield a 
brief moment to my friend from the First District, the gentleman from 
Kentucky [Mr. Barlow].
  Mr. BARLOW. Mr. Speaker, it is an honor and a privilege to be in the 
House working with the gentleman from Kentucky [Mr. Natcher]. He has 
just missed one vote. He has other votes ahead of him. He is a fighter. 
We Kentuckians are fighters. He is fighting to restore his health.
  Across America, Mr. Speaker, prayers are with him. I do believe the 
Lord has prepared the gentleman from Kentucky [Mr. Natcher] to lead us 
as a House on both sides of the aisle as we come into this period when 
we are restoring financial strength to our Nation. God bless him. Our 
prayers are with him.
  Mr. BAESLER. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. MAZZOLI. I yield to the gentleman from Kentucky [Mr. Baesler], my 
colleague.
  Mr. BAESLER. Mr. Speaker, for those of us from Kentucky and, I think, 
throughout the country, the gentleman from Kentucky [Mr. Natcher] sets 
a standard for service to this House, as was said by the Speaker.
  He sets a standard for grace and charm for all of us who might be in 
public life, and I think he sets a standard, and will continue to set a 
standard, for those of us who care about those we serve, our 
constituents, and all we can do is strive toward that standard, but we 
can never equal it. Mr. Speaker, it will always be a goal we will try 
to strive for.
  Mr. MONTGOMERY. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. MAZZOLI. I yield to the gentleman from Mississippi [Mr. 
Montgomery].
  Mr. MONTGOMERY. Mr. Speaker, I, like many in this body today, feel 
very close to the gentleman from Kentucky [Mr. Natcher]. In fact, Mr. 
Speaker, this Member knows him well.
  For the last 20 years, Mr. Speaker, when we have been in session, we 
have had breakfast together, and I would like to say, ``God bless you, 
Bill Natcher. We look forward to seeing you back at breakfast, and it's 
your time to buy.''

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