[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 38 (Tuesday, April 12, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: April 12, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                   TRIBUTE TO DR. VICTOR PAUL RAYMOND

                                 ______


                      HON. G.V. (SONNY) MONTGOMERY

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 12, 1994

  Mr. MONTGOMERY. Mr. Speaker, on April 1, the VA, the health care 
community and the Nation lost an exceptionally bright, intuitive and 
energetic young man who, in recent years had dedicated his heart and 
soul to improving the delivery of health care to Americans and 
America's veterans in particular.
  Dr. Victor Paul Raymond. His is not a name that most citizens outside 
of the Washington Beltway will recognize, but it is this name and the 
dedication, insight and innovation of its bearer that will forever be 
linked to improved health care for veterans. As a trusted advisor to 
First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton and the President's task force on 
health care reform, Vic played an instrumental role in preparing the 
blueprint for the new era of health care we are about to enter.
  I came to know Vic Raymond in his years as a professional staff 
member and staff director of the Hospitals and Health Care Subcommittee 
on the Veterans' Affairs Committee. He honed his expertise in health 
care in this and professionally related positions with the U.S. Senate, 
the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of 
Veterans Affairs, where he served as assistant secretary of policy and 
planning until his death at age 46. With his background as a combat 
pilot in the Vietnam war, Vic brought to the health care arena a 
necessary sensitivity to the concerns of veterans and their families. 
Through his education and work in such diverse fields as economics, 
public health, and operations research, he brought the necessary 
intellectual tools demanded by such a challenging task as health care 
reform. His skillful use of these tools is convincingly evident in a 
number of public laws and policies that broadened and strengthened the 
delivery of quality health care to veterans.
  A remarkable government career is not unique. Many individuals excel 
at public service. But Vic Raymond stood with few others in his 
motivation, his wisdom, his abilities, his focus, and in his desire to 
make health care a more accessible and less cumbersome process. Perhaps 
his greatest legacy, however, is the circle of family, friends and 
acquaintances who are today something much less because of his absence, 
yet something much better because of his presence.
  He was a talented and gracious gentleman, and he will be missed.

                          ____________________