[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 1 (Wednesday, January 4, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H3]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


  [[Page H3]] (Applause, the Members rising.)


              TRIBUTE TO THE HONORABLE DONNALD K. ANDERSON

  (Mr. BOEHNER asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Clerk, before we proceed with the nominations for 
Speaker of the House, on behalf of Republican Members of the House, we 
want to thank you for your 35 years of service to this institution, and 
your 35 years of service to the American people. You have done your job 
ably on behalf of all Members on both sides of the aisle.
  And to the other officers of the House, who have served the House so 
ably and the American people so ably, we want to thank them as well for 
their service in this House.
  Farewell, and best wishes from all of us.
  Mr. FAZIO. Will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. BOEHNER. I yield to my friend, the gentleman from California [Mr. 
Fazio].
  Mr. FAZIO. I appreciate my friend yielding.
  I, too, would like to add a few words of tribute to our friend.
  When the 103d Congress came to an official close on noon Tuesday, the 
House literally lived on for the next 24 hours in the person of the 
gentleman from Sacramento, CA, the Clerk of the House, Donnald K. 
Anderson. In serving as the first presiding officer for the purpose of 
organizing the 104th Congress, he fulfilled his last ministerial duty 
to this institution. After four successive terms as Clerk and a career 
with the House that began as a Page when Dwight Eisenhower was 
President and Sam Rayburn sat in the Speaker's chair, Donn Anderson now 
leaves a distinguished career of public service.
  On a personal level for many of us in this Chamber, it was only 
natural for Donn Anderson to have been the thread of continuity from 
one Congress to the next. For over 30 years, Donn has embodied every 
good virtue of this House. He has been its memory, its defender, its 
champion and often its conscience. He understood perhaps better than 
anyone here the meaning of the word ``bipartisanship'' and he lived it 
daily in his work with the Members. In his 8 years as the second 
highest ranking officer of the House, he worked tirelessly to move the 
House into the information age and so greatly benefited our 
constituents, the American people.
  As chairman of the Subcommittee on Legislative Appropriations, I 
looked forward to our annual ritual of hearings knowing that I could 
always count on the Clerk for the most splendid testimony. Although 
Donn himself admitted to his preference for Victorian manners, there 
was nothing old-fashioned about the direction of his office. He was 
thoroughly modern in his vision for the future of the House, and he 
fought hard to keep us current with the times. Just as Donn could 
explain the artistic nuances of paintings in the Rotunda, he could just 
as easily give you the technical lowdown of cameras in this Chamber and 
on this floor. As the House moves forward today with the institutional 
reforms and the reorganization, we do so with the solid foundation left 
behind by Donn Anderson.
  Perhaps in parting we can borrow a phrase from our late and great 
Speaker Tip O'Neill. He simply said on so many occasions, ``So long, 
old pal.''
  Thank you, Donn Anderson.
  

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