[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 65 (Friday, April 7, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E823]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                           MACK GERALD FLEMING

                                 ______


                      HON. G.V. (SONNY) MONTGOMERY

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, April 6, 1995
  Mr. MONTGOMERY. Mr. Speaker, Friday, March 31, 1995, marked the end 
of an extraordinary career in public service. After 26 years on Capitol 
Hill, serving 21 years as chief counsel and 14 as staff director of the 
Committee on Veterans' Affairs, Mack Gerald Fleming retired.
  Superlatives just naturally come to mind when describing Mack. As 
stated in the resolution presented to Mack by Bob Stump and me, his 
service with the committee and the Veterans Administration was 
distinguished by visionary leadership, profound wisdom, sound political 
judgment, and a passion for meeting the needs of America's veterans.
  His was the deep commitment of the true believer tempered by a unique 
practical sense of political possibilities and opportunities. His 
intuitive sense of timing and ability to reach an effective compromise 
resulted in the enactment of far-reaching veterans' legislation. Under 
his guidance, the measure elevating the Veterans' Administration to the 
Department of Veterans' Affairs was signed into law. Additionally, the 
new GI bill, which profoundly improved the ability of the Armed Forces 
to recruit smart, capable young men and women, was nurtured into 
reality by Mack Fleming. I think Mack would also say he is particularly 
proud of his efforts to provide an entitlement to inpatient health care 
for service connected and low-income veterans.
  We all know Mack thrived in and was energized by the rough and tumble 
of politics, and he loved nothing better than a good fight on behalf of 
a cause he championed. He nevertheless was not swallowed up or 
overwhelmed by the sometimes heady Capitol Hill existence. There was 
something in his background or the way he was raised that kept him 
solidly grounded, and that made the difference:
  The difference between a boastful person and one whom people boast of 
knowing;
  The difference between a cynical man and one who only sees the good 
he can do for other people;
  The difference between a man who looks for credit for his 
accomplishments and a man who accomplishes much.
  Mack Fleming is a person who is still filled with wonder and seeks to 
learn new things every day. He has the quintessentially American 
outlook first observed by de Tocqueville that although man is not 
perfect, with a decent amount of effort, he can be improved.
  Mack came from a humble background in Georgia and South Carolina. He 
graduated from Clemson University in 1956 and was commissioned as an 
officer in the U.S. Army. He served on active duty for 2 years with the 
Second Armored Division in Europe. He subsequently returned to South 
Carolina where he was a supervisor in a textile mill for 2 years. After 
coming to Washington in 1960 to serve as administrative assistant to 
William Jennings Bryan Dorn, Mack graduated from the Washington College 
of Law at American University in 1966.
  Mack also met his wife Libby in Washington, whom he married in 1963. 
He has been a devoted husband and a supportive and proud father of 
their children, Katie (Katharine) and John. Mack has long been an 
active member of the Capitol Hill United Methodist Church and regularly 
serves as a volunteer at the soup kitchen sponsored by his church.
  Mack Fleming loved his work. He was as loyal as they come--smart, 
tough, a savvy politician. He particularly admired Speaker Sam Rayburn 
and Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Lyndon Johnson--and one could see 
Mack's respect for these practical politicians reflected in his strong 
character and deep sense of personal honor. Now, I don't want anyone to 
get the idea that Mack was a saint. He was occasionally more passionate 
than logical, and serene is not a word I associate with Mack, but he 
never retreated from the consequences of his conviction.
  Mack brought old-fashioned values with him when he arrived in 
Washington 35 years ago. Through his influence and powers of 
persuasion, those values are integral markers for much of the work 
carried out by the committee and its staff. I often said he was the 
best, and we will certainly miss him.


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