[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 47 (Tuesday, April 26, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: April 26, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                  ON THE PASSING OF THOMAS S. DUNMIRE

                                 ______


                            HON. RON de LUGO

                         of the virgin islands

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 26, 1994

  Mr. de LUGO. Mr. Speaker, I plan to attend the funeral at Arlington 
National Cemetery later today of someone who symbolized the 
bipartisanship with which this House has generally approached questions 
concerning the insular areas.
  Thomas S. Dunmire, a member of the staff of the Committee on Interior 
and Insular Affairs from 1973 until 1985, died last week in his 
retirement home of Hawaii.
  Tom was the epitome of an objective, knowledgeable, and insightful 
staffer and assisted members of both parties with equal 
professionalism.
  In fact, although he was the Republican consultant on insular issues, 
he was the committee's key adviser on them from 1977 to 1981. His 
expertise and judgment were relied upon greatly by my predecessor as 
chairman of the subcommittee with primary jurisdiction regarding 
insular matters, Phillip Burton.
  Tom had been brought to the committee by his fellow Californian, Don 
Clausen, after more than 20 years in the Army. A West Point graduate, 
Tom rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel, served in Viet Nam, and 
earned the Bronze Star and Legion of Merit, among other commendations.
  For many of his years here, Tom worked under the Insular 
Subcommittee's ranking Republican, Robert J. Lagomarsino. When Tom 
retired, Bob paid a tribute to him in which he said that Tom had 
``provided intelligent and sound counsel enabling Congress to formulate 
effective and successful policies'' regarding the insular areas and 
``played a critical role in the promotion of political, social, and 
economic development'' of these Caribbean and Pacific islands 
associated with the United States.
  He also pointed out that Tom's hard work, sound advice, and friendly 
nature would be missed.
  And Tom was missed to the extent that full committee chairman Mo 
Udall, ranking Republican Don Young, and I formally called him back 
into congressional service for special assistance.
  The assignments were in connection with the committee's consideration 
of the legislation that will enable the world's last remaining trust 
territory--the western Pacific islands of Palau--to become a sovereign 
State in free association with our Nation.
  These assignments were not easy ones.
  In one case, they involved Tom going to Palau to provide an essential 
and visible Federal presence at a time that individuals connected with 
the incumbent administration of the islands were violently intimidating 
critics of that administration's policies--and the Reagan 
administration refused to do anything about it or even admit it even 
though our Government was fully responsible for the governing of the 
territory.
  The assignments also involved Tom investigating matters that proved 
very embarrassing to the powers that were at the time and helping to 
identify the assistance that Palau needed to overcome the very serious 
problems that it then faced.
  Mr. Speaker, Tom took these assignments on in spite of the cause for 
his departure from the staff.
  And there is a message in the story which should be recognized.
  Tom left because some policymakers did not want to face up to the 
flaws in the free association compact that had been negotiated with the 
Marshall Islands and Micronesia.
  Others of us, however, listened to the concerns that Tom raised as 
one who was sincerely interested in the peoples of the islands and 
equally dedicated to good public policy for our Nation. So, we forced 
major improvements of the proposal into the compact legislation which 
was enacted in 1986.
  I have been very gratified in the years since as the wisdom of Tom's 
concerns has been proven in instance after instance, as the problems 
that Tom foresaw in the originally negotiated compact developed.
  The peoples of the islands involved and our Nation were, indeed, 
fortunate that Tom was willing to say what needed to be said although 
it was not politically convenient at the time. Because of what he did, 
measures were taken to address the problems that he identified.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to close by expressing my condolences to Tom's 
widow, Gail, and to his five children: Nancy; Ann; Lisa; Tom, Jr.; and 
Kate.

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