[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 131 (Monday, September 19, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: September 19, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
               A GRANDFATHER SWIMS ACROSS THE MISSISSIPPI

                                 ______


                         HON. ROBERT H. MICHEL

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 19, 1994

  Mr. MICHEL. Mr. Speaker, every now and then we come across a 
newspaper story that tells us something about the great spirit of our 
senior citizens.
  In August, the Associated Press carried a great story about Max Rowe, 
who, at age 72, swam 1\1/4\ miles across the Mississippi River near his 
hometown in Illinois. The city of Springfield honored his feat by 
having Mayor Ossie Langfelder issue a proclamation praising Mr. Rowe 
and officially proclaiming August 2, 1994, as ``Max Rowe Day.'' I think 
such a story tells us a lot about the grit and the gumption of our 
senior citizens, and I want to share the text of the story and the 
proclamation with our colleagues.
  At this point in the Record, I want to insert ``Grandfather Wins $1 
Bet By Swimming Mississippi,'' from the Champaign-Urbana News Gazette, 
Wednesday, August 3, 1994, and a proclamation of ``Max Rowe Day,'' 
issued by Mayor Ossie Langfelder of Springfield, IL.

         [From the Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette, Aug. 3, 1994]

            Grandfather Wins $1 Bet by Swimming Mississippi

       Dallas City--Max Rowe proved to everyone, including his 14-
     year-old grandson, that 72 years of age does not make a worn-
     out old man.
       The retired Springfield attorney, a native of Dallas City, 
     swam the 1\1/4\ mile-wide Mississippi River near his hometown 
     Monday, battling the current, debris and barges, just like he 
     did in 1965. He made it in just under an hour.
       ``My grandson came from New York and said `You can't do it 
     again' and I said `You want to make a bet?''' Rowe said.
       They did and Rowe, who will be 73 in two weeks, is $1 
     richer.
       Rowe--who earned bachelor of arts and doctor of law degrees 
     from the University of Illinois--grew up swimming in the 
     Mississippi. When he was a boy, he and his cousins would 
     sneak out of the house at night to play in the water. He 
     promised himself then that one day he would swim across the 
     mighty river.
       Rowe did just that at age 44.
       This time, he accepted the challenge on a dare from his 
     grandson, Chris Zea. Chris learned of his grandfather's 
     original river crossing at a family gathering.
       ``I want to show that senior citizens are not really over 
     the hill when it comes to doing things,'' Rowe said. ``When 
     you have determination and work hard, you can do anything.''
       With television cameras recording the event, Rowe began the 
     journey in the strongest current on the Iowa side. He wore 
     the same swimming suit he used 29 years ago.
       As a precaution, Rowe's childhood neighbor and lifelong 
     comrade Glen Roberts followed by boat.
       Before June 15, Rowe had not swum in 15 years.
       He began his training by swimming 240 feet and progressed 
     rapidly to more than two miles--the distance he estimated 
     he'd have to make dodging barge traffic.
       ``If you can swim in three feet of water, you can swim in 
     100 feet,'' he said before the race. ``It's going to be fun. 
     If I hadn't trained to where I could swim 2\1/2\ miles I 
     wouldn't be as confident.''

                              Proclamation


                     City of Springfield, Illinois

       Whereas, a Springfield swimmer has conquered the mighty 
     Mississippi River just one year after the river conquered 
     farm land and towns when it spread from its banks and forced 
     the evacuation of thousands of people from their homes during 
     the Great Flood of 1993; and
       Whereas, Max Rowe, who celebrates his seventy-third 
     birthday on August 14, swam across the river on Monday, 
     August 1, 1994, making the journey for the second time; and
       Whereas, Rowe first swam across the river 29-years ago near 
     his former home of Dallas City, Illinois and decided to 
     repeat the accomplishments after encouragement from his 
     grandson Chris Zea of Astoria, New York; and
       Whereas, fighting currents of eight miles per hour, which 
     were faster than expected, Rowe still managed to make the 
     swim across the one and one-quarter mile channel in just one-
     hour and fifteen-minutes--only a few minutes more than his 
     1965 swim; and
       Whereas, Rowe was welcomed back to his hometown as he 
     stepped ashore at Dallas City following the swim from the 
     Iowa site of the Mississippi River.
       Now therefore, I, Ossie Langfelder, Mayor of the City of 
     Springfield, Illinois, do hereby proclaim August 2, 1994 as 
     Max Rowe Day in the City of Springfield and request citizens 
     of this city to acknowledge this accomplishment of Max Rowe.
       In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused 
     the Official Seal of the City of Springfield to be affixed 
     this 2nd day of August 1994.
                                                 Ossie Langfelder,
     Mayor.

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