[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 133 (Wednesday, September 21, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: September 21, 1994]



                       IN TRIBUTE TO JOHN BALDINI

  Ms. MOSELEY-BRAUN. Mr. President, Mr. John L. Baldini, of 
Bloomington, IL, passed away last Monday evening, September 19, 1994. 
His life is one of legend in central Illinois, and it is only right to 
pay tribute to him here in the U.S. Senate.
  After graduating from Trinity High School in 1936, John attended 
Illinois State Normal University. He served in the Army Air Corps in 
World War II from 1941 to 1945, where he met his wife, Virginia Frye, 
and was awarded the Croix de Guerre by the French Government for his 
service. He served on the Illinois State University Alumni Board for 12 
years and, appropriately, recently received the Central Catholic High 
School Distinguished Alumni Award. The life of John Baldini is so much 
more than where he has been and what he has been awarded, however, it 
is about the way he personally touched so many people's lives.
  For more than 50 years, John owned and operated the Lucca Grill, a 
small restaurant on the corner of Market and Main Streets in 
Bloomington. It is in this venerable establishment that he met, spoke, 
and laughed with patrons from around the State of Illinois, and from 
across our country who were looking to share good pizza and a cold 
drink in a warm and friendly atmosphere.
  It is impossible to mention the name of John Baldini without 
mentioning his contributions to the Democratic Party. Indeed, many 
people in central Illinois considered John the ``grand old man'' of the 
Democratic Party, and his strong and steady support for our party 
throughout the years could certainly justify that moniker. He was 
McLean County Democratic Party chairman for 12 years, a Democratic 
precinct committeeman from 1948 to 1992, and served on the Democratic 
State Central Committee for 12 years. He was recently honored for 50 
years service to the McLean County Democratic Party.
  More than anything, John influenced today's young and old politicians 
alike with his wise political advice. Perhaps the best way to 
understand his legacy to the Democratic Party is to ask the men and 
women of central Illinois who are involved in politics whether John 
Baldini influenced their lives or careers in some manner, whether he 
offered them keen insight or served as a role model. I am certain that 
nearly everyone would answer ``yes.''
  As immersed in politics and the Democratic Party as he was, John was 
not partisan man. The people who came to Lucca Grill throughout the 
years knew that they would always be welcome, no matter what their 
political affiliation. When asked about whether Lucca Gill was the 
Democratic bastion of central Illinois, John responded, ``I never 
thought of it as being the Democratic headquarters. I'd look around and 
there'd be two Democrats at the bar and the rest of 'em are 
Republicans.'' He could argue with anyone on a political level, but at 
the same time have great respect for the individual. It is unfortunate 
that this important trait, embodied by John Baldini, is diminishing in 
today's political arena.
  John's involvement in his community and his dedication to his 
family--his wife, Virginia, his son John, his two daughters, Mary Olson 
and Christine Briffs, his foster daughter Elaine McFarlane, and his 10 
grandchildren--is a model for all of us to follow. I am sure his 
family, the patrons and staff at Lucca Grill, and all the rest of us 
who have been touched by John will miss him. However, we can be sure 
that our world is a better place, and that we all are better people, 
for having known him.

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