[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 144 (Thursday, October 6, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: October 6, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                         TRIBUTE TO ROY ROWLAND

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Georgia [Mr. Gingrich] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. GINGRICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join my colleagues in 
recognizing my friend from Georgia, Roy Rowland.
  It has been a distinct honor and privilege to have served in the 
House of Representatives with Dr. Rowland and to have learned from him 
over the years. He brought a special contribution to every debate, 
particularly the recent health care debate, for which he was so 
qualified. His work to enact a bipartisan health care bill speaks for 
his entire career in the House. He put the best interest of every 
American ahead of partisan politics and did what was right.
  Dr. Rowland can go back to Dublin, GA, proud of the work he has done 
here in Congress, and I know my colleagues from Georgia will continue 
to call on him for advice.
  I wish only the best to both Dr. Rowland and his wife, Luella. He 
will be sorely missed by every Georgian and every Member of this body.
  Mr. STUMP. Mr. Speaker, I rise today before the House of 
Representatives to pay tribute to one of this Chamber's most 
distinguished members, Representative J. Roy Rowland of Dublin, GA, a 
statesman, a great personal friend, a physician, and a tireless 
advocate of America's veterans.
  I have had the distinct pleasure of serving with Dr. Rowland in this 
great body since his first election to Congress in 1982 and for 12 
years as a member of the Veterans Affairs Committee of which I am the 
Ranking Minority Member. Mr. Rowland was elected Chairman of the 
Subcommittee on Hospitals and Health Care of the Veterans Affairs 
Committee in 1992 and has distinguished himself in that position as the 
guiding force in efforts to reform veterans' health care and ensure 
that quality and compassion remain the keystones of the Nation's 
obligation to the men and women who have proudly served this country.
  Dr. Rowland made history as the only physician serving in Congress 
from 1985 through 1988. Born in Wrightsville, Georgia on February 3, 
1926, Roy decided at the age of 12 to follow in the footsteps of his 
great grandfather and great uncle and chose medicine as a career. He 
graduated from the Medical College of Georgia in 1952 and distinguished 
himself in the field of Family Practice Medicine. In 1991 he was 
honored by the American Medical Association as the recipient of the 
Nathan Davis Award in recognition of his national contributions to U.S. 
medicine.
  Dr. Rowland is a remarkable public servant. His love of medicine and 
his role as healer have had an impact far beyond traditional medical 
practice. Roy played a leadership role on controversial AIDS 
legislation. As a member of the Veterans Affairs Committee, he 
introduced legislation calling for the creation of a national AIDS 
advisory commission and was instrumental in the fight to develop a 
national policy on the care and treatment of this deadly disease. His 
prophetic statement that ``the AIDS virus does not stop at state 
boundary lines. It is a national problem and we need a national 
strategy,'' served to redirect and refocus the national debate on AIDS 
and precipitated the coordination and efficient administration of 
programs developed to fight this disease.
  As the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Hospitals and Health Care, Dr. 
Rowland made an incalculable contribution to the improvement of the 
veterans' health care system. He cosponsored legislation to increase 
compensation to VA nurses and to provide disability assistance to 
veterans racked by the mysterious yet debilitating Persian Gulf 
Syndrome. He was also in the forefront of providing disability benefits 
for those veterans suffering from radiation related illnesses. Perhaps, 
Dr. Rowland's most significant contribution is yet to be realized. It 
is his role in steering the VA toward full participation in emerging 
health care markets and as a player in a nationally reformed health 
care system.
  Dr. Rowland's impact on the Nation's medical system can be traced in 
many areas, including women and children, and from the youngest to the 
oldest of our citizens. He served as the vice-chairman of the Sunbelt 
Caucus Task Force on Infant Mortality and on the House Rural Health 
Care Coalition. As a leader of this coalition, he helped to draft and 
co-sponsor a wide range of legislation to improve the delivery of rural 
health care and measures to increase Medicare reimbursements for rural 
hospitals and to establish new incentives to attract health care 
professionals to under served areas. He has introduced legislation to 
help older citizens obtain long-term care insurance and has cosponsored 
several measures to provide prenatal and child health care services to 
high-risk mothers.
  Dr. Rowland has made life-long contributions to the betterment of the 
environment, budget reduction, drug abuse, and to addressing the 
problems of community and infrastructure development. He has long 
supported a capital gains tax rate to help the timber and economic 
interests of south Georgia and has worked tirelessly to improve U.S. 
competitiveness with foreign countries through tort reform.
  The Congress and the American people have been enriched through the 
dedicated public service of Dr. Rowland. In the words of Hippocrates, 
the Father of Medicine, ``If I keep this oath faithfully, may I enjoy 
my life and practice my art, respected by all men and in all times.'' 
This is indeed a true reflection of Dr. Rowland, physician, public 
servant, and a man of the people.
  I am proud to have had the opportunity to serve with him and ask my 
colleagues to join with me in thanking him for his great service to his 
country.
  Mrs. FOWLER. Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening to pay tribute to 
someone I admire greatly, my good friend Roy Rowland, who will be 
retiring at the end of this Congress.
  I have had the good fortune to know Congressman Rowland for many 
years because of his close and long-standing relationship with my 
family. He is a fellow Emory graduate, he served with my father in the 
Georgia legislature, and he represented my hometown of Milledgeville 
here in the House with a great deal of hard work and commitment.
  For all these reasons, it has been a special pleasure for me to work 
with Congressman Rowland. But I can honestly say that even if I had 
never met him before coming to Congress, I would still hold him in the 
same high esteem, because he is a true southern gentleman. His kindness 
and good nature are legendary; his word is his bond, and he always 
gives a hundred and one percent to the task at hand.
  As a physician, Congressman Rowland is especially knowledgeable about 
health care, and he has been a leader on issues such as rural health, 
infant mortality and veterans health. He also authored the legislation 
which created the national aids commission. And everyone here is 
familiar with his impressive work on this year's health care debate in 
Congress. However, the Rowland-Bilirakis Health Care Plan is just the 
most recent entry in an impressive ledger of legislative achievement 
which includes work on such diverse issues as defense, transportation 
and the environment.
  Roy Rowland is a man of character, courage and compassion, and I am 
proud to call him my friend. I join his many other friends and admirers 
on both sides of the aisle in wishing him the very best as he moves on 
to his next challenge. He will be greatly missed by everyone here on 
Capitol Hill, and by the people he has served so well.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to take this 
opportunity to pay tribute to the dean of the Georgia delegation, Dr. 
J. Roy Rowland, as he concludes his 12 years of service to the people 
of his district, the State of Georgia, and the Nation.
  On a personal level, I have found many opportunities during my 
freshman term to turn to Dr. Rowland for guidance. As we all know, this 
is a unique institution. My 6 years in the Georgia State Senate were of 
some help as I began to negotiate the intricacies of the legislative 
process, but I often found myself in need of guidance, direction, 
explanation or just plain help. Roy Rowland was many times the person 
who offered that help.
  Last summer, he honored my constituency by holding a field hearing of 
his committee on veterans hospitals and health care in my district. The 
topic of the hearing was the working relationship between the 
Eisenhower Army Medical Center, located at Fort Gordon in Augusta, GA, 
and the Veterans Hospital and the Medical College of Georgia. These 
three facilities are an invaluable medical resource not only for the 
10th district but for the entire southeastern United States, and I want 
to thank Roy again for holding that hearing. I believe it successfully 
highlighted the advancements that have been made in medical care by 
sharing and integrating the resources of each facility with the other 
through technology.
  On a broader level, Dr. Rowland has shown true leadership in the area 
of health care. While partisan interests played to the media and the 
public's fears, Dr. Rowland worked very hard, but quietly, to develop a 
plan to reform our Nation's health care system. He sought a plan that, 
first and foremost, solved the problems of access and equity. He sought 
a plan that could be supported by Members of both parties, a goal too 
often neglected in this House. And he sought a plan that responded to 
the people's desire to see improvements without more Government.
  Though health care reform is dead for this session, we know that many 
Members supported the type of approach Dr. Rowland laid out for the 
process. When the 104th Congress takes up the task of health care 
reform again, they will doubtless build on the good work of Dr. 
Rowland. And for that, he deserves our thanks and praise.
  No tribute to Dr. Rowland would be complete without mention of his 
tireless work on behalf of America's veterans. As chairman of the 
Veterans Subcommittee on hospitals and health care, he combined his 
interests in health care and veterans issues. He sponsored numerous 
bills to improve the state of veteran benefits and worked for their 
passage. Just a few examples are: bills to elevate health services for 
women veterans and veterans of the Persian Gulf war; legislation to 
expand agent orange care; measures to expand former POW's and Medal of 
Honor recipients' eligibility for medical care; and a bill to establish 
a veterans health-care pilot program.
  For 12 years Dr. Rowland has served the peopled of his district with 
dignity and caring. He has served the people of this country equally 
well. I am proud to call him my friend. We will miss him, and I wish 
him well in his life after Congress.
  Mr. DEAL. Mr. Speaker, I rise to join with many of my colleagues in 
the House to honor a fellow member of our Georgia delegation who has 
chosen to leave our ranks at the end of this term, the Honorable J. Roy 
Rowland of the Eighth District of Georgia. Many of his contributions 
will be highlighted by those who served here with him the entire length 
of his tenure in this body. I would like to focus on what I as a 
freshman have learned from observing him and studying his 
accomplishments as a legislator in the U.S. House of Representatives.
  When Dr. Rowland left the House in the Georgia General Assembly, I 
was completing my first term in the Georgia Senate. So here we are 
again, but this time, both in the same house. I'm completing my first 
term, but this time, he is retiring from public office. I say retiring 
from public office because most of us have difficulty imagining him and 
Miss Lou Ella sitting on the front porch in rocking chairs.
  A first term legislator spends much of the first few months watching 
how others operate, looking for those who share views, principles, 
goals, to seek out solutions across party lines. I decided early on 
that one of my objectives would be to work on as many bipartisan 
approaches as possible. The bipartisan road, as many of you know, can 
be a very rough one filled with potholes and barricades. The journey is 
slow and tiring.
  However, as our colleague from Georgia has demonstrated these past 
few months, the end product of the bipartisan approach often is the 
wisest choice. However, on the issue of health care, too many realized 
it too late.
  If we look back over the gentleman from Georgia's legislative career 
here, we will probably find that one of the keys to his success in 
passing legislation has been traveling down that arduous bipartisan 
road. Another factor is that he has focused mainly on two areas--one, 
his area of expertise, the medical field, and the other, legislation to 
address the specific needs of his district.
  While it is not uncommon for the Chairmen of committees and 
subcommittees to author major pieces of legislation which become laws, 
it is of note when those who do not hold those positions successfully 
steer the bill they introduce to becoming laws. Our honoree holds quite 
an impressive record in that respect.
  The list includes:
  The Anti-hassle Medicare administration law;
  A wide range of initiatives to improve the delivery of rural health 
care services;
  The law creating the National AIDS Commission to coordinate and 
establish some efficiency among separate programs dealing with the 
disease;
  Banning the prescribing of methaqualone (Quaalude) nationwide, 
attacking directly a serious drug abuse problem;
  Helped write the 1990 Clean Air Act and the 1987 Clean Water Act, 
serving on conference committees for both and authoring key provisions, 
such as those for storm water runoff, the first national standards for 
nonpoint source pollution;
  Author of the health assessment provisions to provide compensation to 
citizens injured by toxic wastes in Superfund law;
  Author of amendments to the 1987 Federal highway aid reauthorization 
bill to enable states to shift Interstate funds to non-Interstate 
projects;
  Author of ``Wayport'' legislation to relieve congestion at the 
country's major airports by building major new airports away from 
metropolitan areas;
  Sponsor of the legislation making the acquisition of the Bond Swamp 
National Wildlife Refuge possible; and
  Author, co-author and co-sponsor of many bills improving benefits for 
our veterans, the one of most note being the ``Atomic Veterans'' bill 
giving long-denied disability benefits to veterans suffering from 
severe illnesses potentially related to radiation exposure in the 
military.
  Mr. CALLAHAN. Mr. Speaker, the House will lose a true statesman when 
Dr. Roy Rowland retires at the end of this Congress. I join his many 
friends in wishing him and Luella well-deserved rest and relaxation.
  Roy Rowland has been a free spirit in the House, a term I use in the 
most complimentary way. He has rarely been persuaded to take a position 
for party or political reasons and, as such, has often bucked 
conventional wisdom on how he might be expected to act. On most 
occasions, I imagine that Dr. Rowland has been right.
  Dr. Rowland and I had the honor to serve together on the Energy and 
Commerce Committee. We were both lucky enough to arrive there just in 
time to take up the Clean Air Act amendments. We had similar 
constituencies involved in this legislation and our interests were 
alike on many aspects of this complex issue. Dr. Rowland was a tireless 
and effective legislator in this instance, and I think the final law 
was better for his efforts.
  Because of his medical background, Dr. Rowland contriubted greatly to 
the health care reform debate this year. His reasoned approach and 
tireless efforts to reach a bipartisan agreement will serve us well 
even when he is gone. His ideas will certainly continue to be an option 
we will consider when the debate resumes next year.
  It has been my great privilege to know Dr. Roy Rowland. He is a great 
American who has always endeavored to do the right thing. We need more 
individuals in this body with Dr. Rowland's integrity. I and all 
Americans who desire good government will miss him.
  Mr. PICKLE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join my colleagues in paying 
tribute to the Honorable Dr. Roy Rowland, Mr. Rowland is a fine man, a 
country doctor, who served the people for many years in that capacity. 
He is a learned man, with a great deal of practical experience, and 
with an exemplary record as a legislator. I have always been impressed 
with what a caring individual he is, close to the people and close to 
the soil.
  During this body's consideration of health care reform legislation, 
there were none more knowledgeable than he. His recommendations became 
the centerpiece of debate for many in this Congress, and indeed many in 
the entire nation. Throughout that important debate, I held no one's 
opinion in higher regard.
  I have been privileged to serve with him in the House, and to visit 
with him and his family on a social as well as professional basis. I 
have even had the good fortune to travel with him as Representatives of 
our country.
  In my thirty one years in the Congress, I have seldom met a Member 
who was more caring, more compassionate, or more dedicated to the 
service of his district and his country. I am more than proud to stand 
with the rest of the Congress in a farewell tribute to our very 
esteemed colleague, the Honorable Dr. J. Roy Rowland.
  Mr. STENHOLM. Mr. Speaker, it is with mixed feelings that I come to 
the floor this evening to pay tribute to my colleague, Dr. J. Roy 
Rowland. Naturally, I gladly offer my words of congratulations and 
appreciation to my friend from the Eighth District of Georgia. But my 
feelings are mixed because our good wishes are delivered to him as he 
ends his 12 years of service in the House of Representatives, and he 
will be sorely missed.
  I have been privileged to share many efforts and battles with Roy 
over the years. Whether the arena dealt with health care, veterans, or 
a host of other issues taken on by the Conservative Democratic Forum, 
Dr. Rowland never forgot the political ways of his youth, learned from 
his father the judge and his grandfather, a member of the State 
legislature. From them, the legacy of public service was passed along. 
Roy's second career as a thoughtful, concerned, genuine public servant 
would make them proud.
  In an era when politics has become increasingly contentious and 
heated, Dr. Rowland has always managed to maintain the soft voice and 
courteous manner that in past years earned him the nickname ``Marcus 
Welby, M.D.'' His southern ways of hospitality and courtesy will be 
sorely missed in this body next year.
  I have eaten a lot of Roy's peanuts and drunk his cokes. I have sat 
through hours and hours of meetings in his office. I have hosted him in 
the 17th District of Texas and visited him in Georgia. I have taken his 
advice on health issues and tried to convince him to take mine on 
agriculture.
  I have debated, deliberated, diagnosed, discussed, deficit-reduced, 
decreed, developed and depended upon this Democrat from Georgia and now 
I can deduce but one thing: We sure will miss you, Doc!
  Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I join my colleagues from 
Georgia to pay tribute to our friend Congressman Roy Rowland of 
Georgia.
  Prior to joining this body, I heard many favorable comments about Roy 
Rowland, many of those comments from a mutual friend, Bill Jones, who 
resides in Jackson, GA. Mr. Jones was a member of the Georgia House of 
representatives and was Roy's seat-mate during his tenure in the 
Georgia General Assembly.
  My first personal contact with Roy was during the long hours of 
waiting for the 1992 State legislature to finalize the redrawing of the 
11 congressional districts prior to the 1992 campaigns. I could see and 
feel the respect the members of the conference committee had for 
Congressman Rowland.
  When I arrived on the scene here in Washington, Congressman Rowland 
was one of the first to greet and welcome me to the House of 
Representatives. His greeting was sincere and respectful.
  I know Roy could tell I was anxious to learn the ropes in my new job. 
Drawing on his many years of experience, he began to involve and 
introduce me to other Members. He helped familiarize me with the 
workings of the world's greatest deliberative body, and for that I am 
grateful.
  Roy invited me to participate in a hearing at the V.A. Hospital in 
his home town of Dublin, GA. Roy wanted me to become familiar with and 
hear first hand the concerns of our brave veterans. By listening to his 
questions and remarks, it was evident to me that the veterans were 
Roy's top priority and that their issues were the ones near and dear to 
his heart.
  Congressman Rowland accepted invitations from me to participate in 
health care forums throughout the Third District to listen and to 
answer questions from my constituents about the direction of health 
care reform.
  I have appreciated Roy Rowland's generosity and his guidance. He is a 
man who sees beyond partisan politics and thinks only of the good of 
the people he represents. I can think of no greater compliment to pay a 
Representative of the people.
  Mr. Speaker, this House of Representatives will lose a valuable and 
dedicated Member when this 103d Congress adjourns, and the people of 
Georgia will lose a valuable and dedicated representative.
  On the other hand, Mr. Speaker, I imagine Mrs. Rowland and her family 
will welcome the full-time return of a valuable and dedicated husband, 
father, and grandfather.
  I appreciate this opportunity to commend Roy Rowland for is many 
years of service and we should not forget to thank our Lord and the 
family of Congressman Roy Rowland for sharing this astute gentleman and 
statesman with us and with the country. We are deeply grateful.
  God bless Congressman and Mrs. Roy Rowland. God bless the United 
States of America.
  Mr. BEVILL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to my good 
friend and colleague, Roy Rowland, who is retiring from Congress after 
12 outstanding years of service.
  ``Doc'' Rowland, as we fondly call him, came to Congress in 1983 and 
for many years was the only physician serving in the House. All of us 
have considered him an expert on health issues and he certainly has 
used his expertise wisely and to a good purpose.
  He has pushed for health benefits for the unemployed and he has been 
active in the drive to prevent infant mortality.
  He has taken a hard line on drug abuse and was instrumental in 
passing legislation to make the drug Quaalude illegal and to bar 
physicians from using heroin to treat cancer patients.
  ``Doc'' Rowland cared a great deal about veterans and worked hard 
over the years to ensure that veterans receive proper health care 
benefits and treatment.
  The people of Georgia and the people of this Nation have been well-
served by ``Doc'' Rowland. He is one of the finest, most highly-
respected Members to ever serve in Congress.
  I have enjoyed serving with him and I will be among his many friends 
and colleagues who will miss him greatly. His contributions to the 
well-being of people everywhere will long be remembered.
  Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to our favorite 
doctor in the House, Congressman Dr. J. Roy Rowland of Georgia. 
Congressman Rowland is known for his colorful personality and honest 
character. His small town background and common sense approach lends 
itself to his approachable and effective manner in the House of 
Representatives.
  Representative Rowland's public service career began as he created an 
organization to help inform Georgia physicians about medical issues. 
This involvement reinforced the Congressman's belief that more 
physicians should participate in the political process. Pursuing his 
desire to become more politically active, he sought office in the 
Georgia House of Representatives. After serving 6 years, he ran for the 
U.S. House of Representatives, where he was elected and has served 
diligently since 1983.
  Being only one of two physicians in the House, Representative Rowland 
was asked to bring his specific knowledge and authority to the table as 
he argued that the AIDS virus is a national problem. Representative 
Rowland championed passage of legislation creating the National AIDS 
Commission. The Commission is responsible for establishing better 
coordination and efficiency in administering the many programs dealing 
with the disease.
  Congressman Rowland's talents have also been utilized in other areas 
of health care. He authored and sought passage of legislation to reduce 
unnecessary red tape in the administration of Medicare, called the 
``anti-hassle'' bill. This bill eliminated additional Medicare 
regulations passed as part of comprehensive legislation. As a leader in 
the House Rural Health Care Coalition, Rep. Rowland also helped draft 
and co-sponsor a wide range of legislation to improve the delivery of 
rural health care. This includes legislation to increase Medicare 
reimbursements for rural hospitals and the establishment of new 
incentives to attract health care professionals to underserved areas.
  Representative Rowland's medical background has strengthened his 
ability to communicate authoritatively with his constituents and 
colleagues while serving in the House of Representatives. It has been 
an honor to serve with Representative Rowland and I wish him every 
future success.
  Mr. BALLENGER. Mr. Speaker, I am happy to join in a farewell tribute 
to my good friend Roy Rowland.
  We enjoyed an occasional golf game and Roy always managed to play a 
competitive game and ``hit the ball long and straight''--something that 
I intend to continue to work on with the help of ``Boom Boom''!
  In my considered opinion, Roy was one of the most reasonable and fair 
Democrats in the House! He will surely be missed next year--
particularly in the health care debate. As one of the few physicians in 
the Congress, Roy put together a thoughtful and bipartisan health care 
bill. The bill he introduced with Mike Bilirakis included reforms that 
had wide support and would have greatly improved health care benefits 
for more Americans without disrupting the current system. It had the 
support of many in the House and could have and should have been passed 
by Congress this year.
  Roy, thanks for your years of dedicated service--you will be missed. 
Enjoy your retirement and come back and visit every now and then.
  Mr. OXLEY. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to add to this tribute to 
Representative Roy Rowland, who will be concluding his service to the 
8th District of Georgia at the end of this Congress.
  He is perhaps best known as being the only physician currently 
serving in the House or the Senate. While he holds that public 
distinction, those of us who have been fortunate to serve with him know 
him to be a caring legislator and good friend. Roy Rowland has used his 
medical credentials in his work on health care, the prevention and cure 
of AIDS, and responsible use of prescription drugs. He took a 
particular interest in the Nation's health care system for veterans. I 
remember early in my career I held a meeting about some of the problems 
of rural hospitals, and the first Member to show up was Roy Rowland. 
His medical experience made him a particularly valuable resource for 
other Members on all of these issues that hold such importance for 
everyone in this country.
  Congratulations to Dr. Rowland for his productive contributions to 
this legislative body. Best wishes to him and his family for a happy 
and productive retirement.
  Mr. DARDEN. Mr. Speaker, the House of Representatives is losing a 
great statesman, patriot, physician, and American with the retirement 
of my good personal friend, Dr. J. Roy Rowland.
  Dr. Rowland came to Congress in 1983 after a distinguished career in 
Georgia politics. He began his public service to Georgians in 1974 when 
he created an organization to ensure that Georgia's physicians were 
informed about the pending political issues of concern.
  He then ran successfully for the Georgia House of Representatives in 
1976 and was subsequently reelected twice without opposition. I first 
became friends with Dr. Rowland while we were both serving in the State 
House. Although he represented a rural area, and I represented a 
suburban district, I looked to him for guidance and wisdom, just as I 
have since I joined him in the United States House of Representatives.
  Many people seek a position in Congress for the prestige or for the 
glamor and lifestyle. Not J. Roy. He came to Congress because he had a 
burning need to further serve his friends and fellow Georgians. I am 
sure he will tell you that, deep down, he really longed for his days of 
service to rural Georgians as their family physician. This is where his 
heart is, with medicine and helping everyday folks to stay healthy.
  But, when he saw that big government was complicating people's lives, 
making it more difficult for them to receive good competent health care 
through more and more regulations, he knew that personal sacrifice was 
in order. So, unlike some opportunists who run for Congress, Dr. 
Rowland sacrificed his medical practice, his true love, in order to 
come to Washington and serve his friends and associates in rural 
Georgia.
  And, the citizens of Georgia have appreciated his sacrifice. He has 
made the hard vote when the political consequences could have 
disastrous. He has taken the road less travelled and followed the 
hearts of this fellow Georgians.
  Mr. Speaker, many of us believe J. Roy should remain in Congress to 
finish the health care debate. Many of us believe he has many more 
years of leadership left. And, there is no question to anyone in this 
body that we will suffer without his guidance on any upcoming health 
care initiatives. But, like the ballplayer who wants to retire in his 
prime, before the blemishes of time have worked their course, Dr. 
Rowland has elected to retire. Every member in this body regrets his 
decision. Every Member in this body knows there can be no replacement 
for Dr. Rowland.
  And, J. Roy's wife, Louella, is equally important to this body. She 
has shown each of our spouses the dignity that is incumbent and 
demanded of a Congressional spouse. Together, J. Roy's and Louella's 
friendship is cherised by Lillian and me and we look forward to many 
future years.
  In closing, J. Roy, we all wish you the best and I hope we will 
conduct this body in a way that will honor your service. You have been 
an inspiration to us all and we will miss you. I personally thank you 
for your service, the citizens of Georgia thank you for your service, 
and all Americans are better because you have been a Member of 
Congress. God bless you.
  Mr. THOMAS of California. Mr. Speaker, a quiet achiever--that is what 
Roy Rowland has been during his service in Congress, and throughout his 
life for that matter.
  Whether it was helping his fellow infantrymen during World War II, 
where Roy earned the Bronze Star by risking his life to help rescue 
U.S. troops, or in decades-long service to his fellow physicians, 
earning Roy the American Medical Association's Nathan Davis award for 
national contributions to Medicine, he has demonstrated a strong sense 
of service to his fellow man.
  I personally experienced Roy's reputation during our work together on 
the Bi-partisan Working Group on Health Care Reform. Throughout the 
months-long process of negotiation and compromise, Roy helped keep the 
group focused on the goal of producing an honest bi-partisan health 
care reform bill.
  And I am happy to say that we did meet our goal. As a tribute to Roy 
and the whole group, I hope this bi-partisan process can serve as a 
model of how Congress should proceed next session. We demonstrated that 
we could achieve an increase in coverage--92 percent; reduce our 
Federal deficit--$65 billion; and do it without new taxes or job-
killing mandates. Through his leadership we showed that Republicans and 
Democrats can cooperate to achieve an end. This is a fine legacy.
  But this is not the only area Roy helped provide leadership. He has 
also played a major role in efforts to address a wide range of other 
issues including deficit reduction, the environment, economic 
development, drug abuse, crime and upgrading the country's 
infrastructure.
  Roy Rowland can go back to Georgia sure that he will be missed and 
certain that his good works will not be forgotten. However, I cannot 
end without asking a couple questions. Roy, what exactly is Fruitopia 
and why do you have cases of it stacked in your closet?
  Mr. HUGHES. Mr. Speaker, I rise to join in paying tribute this 
evening to a good friend and colleague, Roy Rowland, who like me, will 
be retiring from Congress at the end of this session.
  It has been a real privilege for me to serve in the Congress with Roy 
these past 12 years. I have come to know him as a man of great honesty 
and integrity, who represents the very best in public service.
  He is also one of the hardest working and most effective Members of 
Congress. He has made a lasting impression in the fields of health 
care, the environment, and veterans affairs.
  From his first day in office, Roy brought with him a sense of 
compassion which too often is missing in government. I suppose that was 
simply the doctor in him coming out. Whatever it was, it helped Roy 
form a special bond with his constituents, and enabled him to be both 
an effective Congressman and highly respected figure throughout his 
district.
  From his position as vice chairman of the National Commission To 
Prevent Infant Mortality, to his diligent efforts to clean up the air 
and water, Roy always did his best to cure our Nation's ills, and to 
make his district and our country a better place to live.
  With Roy Rowland's retirement, the Eighth District of Georgia is 
losing a fine Congressman, but at least they are regaining a wonderful 
doctor. He will truly be missed here in Washington.

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