[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 136 (Monday, September 26, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


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

 
                      TRIBUTE TO JAMES ROSS MacKAY

                                 ______


                           HON. SAM GEJDENSON

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 26, 1994

  Mr. GEJDENSON. Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness that I note the 
death of James Ross MacKay on September 9, 1994. At the time of his 
death, at the all too early age of 50, Mr. MacKay was Chief of the 
Program Coordination Branch in the Program Development and Coordination 
Division of the Federal Emergency Management Agency in Washington, DC.
  In a day and age where it has become popular to be overly critical of 
those who serve in Government, it is an honor to call to the attention 
of the Congress the unselfish and dedicated public service of Ross 
MacKay.
  His was a 20-year dedication to the National Flood Insurance Program, 
working to help communities understand and comply with the sometimes 
confusing and complex laws and regulations which govern this program. 
Most recently he had a leading role working with the insurance industry 
on an innovative program to reduce flood insurance rates in those 
communities which exceeded the standards set by the National Flood 
Insurance Program.
  Ross MacKay understood the promise for a better future inherent in 
good public policy. Thus, he was drawn to this challenging area of work 
because he believed things could be better. As a key member of the 
Interagency flood plain management task force, he participated in 
producing the first major national assessment of flood plain management 
in the United States in 1992. He reached a capstone of his career with 
the development of the Unified National Program for Flood Plain 
Management. These achievements involved working with hundreds of 
Federal, State, and local officials, known for voicing different and 
often conflicting views. Perhaps no greater compliment can be paid than 
that voiced by a colleague who said, ``Ross, always a careful listener, 
sought the common ground in all that he heard. When he spoke, his was 
the voice of reason that prevailed.'' He was good at his craft and 
artfully assembled disparate views into meaningful national policy.
  He knew what mattered most in life. He was devoted to and immensely 
proud of his wife, Kathleen, a judge of the Fairfax County Juvenile and 
Domestic Relations Court and his two sons, Gideon and Patrick. He 
cherished his relationship with his two brothers, John and David. He 
will be remembered also by what he gave to the youth of his 
neighborhood in Fairfax, VA. He spent endless hours on the soccer field 
coaching, motivating, and inspiring young boys, including his own sons, 
in a sport that only recently became popular in this country.
  Service was a lifestyle for Ross MacKay. He quietly went about caring 
for the needs of others in all that he did whether it be in the home, 
community, or workplace. He was generous of spirit and heart. It is 
this giving of himself that will endure and be long remembered by his 
family, friends, and colleagues.

                          ____________________