[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 147 (Tuesday, November 29, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: November 29, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
   U.S. REPRESENTATIVE NEAL SMITH: A MAN WHOSE WORD WAS NEVER DOUBTED

                                 ______


                          HON. JAMES A. LEACH

                                of iowa

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 29, 1994

  Mr. LEACH. Mr. Speaker, on this last day of the 103rd Congress I rise 
to express my admiration for--and deep sense of personal loss at the 
departure of--our distinguished colleague, the quintessential gentleman 
from Iowa, Neal Smith.
  Neal was born and raised on a farm in southwest Iowa. He attended the 
University of Missouri University and the Syracuse University Schools 
of Public and Business Administration.
  In his biography provided upon request by his office, it is noted 
with characteristic modesty that Neal ``also served four years in the 
U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II.'' Although he seldom speaks of 
his wartime service, his decorations speak for themselves. They include 
nine Battle Stars, the Air Medal with four Oak Leaf Clusters, and the 
Purple Heart.
  Although he has always maintained his ties with the soil, after the 
war Neal and his wife Bea enrolled and graduated together from Drake 
University Law School and each in their own way have been ornaments of 
the legal profession ever since.
  First elected to the 86th Congress in 1958, today Neal completes his 
18th consecutive term in Congress. He served with distinction as 
Chairman of the House Committee on Small Business and as a cardinal, 
chairing the House Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, 
Health and Human Services, and Education.
  In modern politics, Neal Smith is and always has been a throwback. 
Operating without a press secretary and any sense of need to let the 
world know his opinion on each and every issue of the day, he has 
operated on the assumption that what he does and what he contributes 
will stand as testament enough. Neal, in the classic sense, has been a 
legislating news maker, not a legislative commentator.
  I know of no Member better liked or more trusted by his colleagues. 
Neal has been an individual who has always understood the need to 
balance competing interests in such a way as to make the system work, 
without ideological posturing or partisan rancor.
  Neal has been the author of major legislation in a number of areas, 
including the Wholesome Mean Act; the Farmer-Held Grain Reserve Act; 
the Commodity Futures Trading Commission Act of 1974; the Small 
Business Development Center Act of 1976; the Green Thumb Employment 
Program for the elderly; student loan programs; and emergency health 
services. He has also been the principal congressional sponsor of major 
public works, recreation, and conservation projects in Iowa, including 
Red Rock, Saylorville, the Greenbelt, Botanical Gardens, Walnut Creek 
Wildlife Refuge, and a number projects in Des Moines, including, in 
particular, embellishments to the Drake University Law School.
  No litany of positions held or legislation authored, however, will 
fully capture the stature of Neal Smith. The dean of the Iowa 
delegation when I arrived in January of 1977, he has been a model and 
mentor for me, indeed for all his colleagues. The professionalism and 
long tenure of his staff represent further testimony to the quality of 
Neal's leadership. Led by the incomparable Tom Dawson, they have been 
models and mentors for our staffs as well.
  In conclusion, let me say that the citizens of every State recognize 
the specialness of their backgrounds, and Iowans are no exception. If 
asked what is so special, so good, about Iowans, I can do no better 
than to point to Neal Smith, a man whose word was never doubted. We in 
this body will be left bereft by his departure. I know I speak for 
every Member when I wish him and Bea Godspeed.

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