[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 182 (Thursday, November 16, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2199]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO JAMES MUNROE OLIVER

                                 ______


                      HON. JAMES A. TRAFICANT, JR.

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 16, 1995

  Mr. TRAFICANT. Mr. Speaker, I rise on behalf of the 17th 
Congressional District in Ohio to honor James Munroe Oliver--a man of 
unimpeachable character, considerable talents, and boundless 
compassion.
  Last weekend, the Lord suddenly took Jim from us, but not before he 
left an indelible impression upon all who came in contact with him. 
Through his work with countless organizations--from the Youngstown Area 
Action Council to the National Urban League to the Center for Urban 
Studies at Youngstown State University--Jim reached out to those who 
needed him most and gave them everything he had.
  Without Jim in their life, who knows where thousands of young people, 
desperately lacking parental guidance, would be? Who knows how hundreds 
of families, facing cold, northeast Ohio winters without heat, would 
have survived? Because Jim came into their lives, they not only had a 
second chance, but renewed hope to overcome the odds.
  It was blessed to know Jim when I was a teenager participating in 
programs offered through the Hagstrom House, a neighborhood center in 
Youngstown. Jim's leadership as the center's director had a profound 
impact on me. Through him I learned to value each and every member of 
my community. Most importantly, I learned to selflessly give my talents 
and time to the neediest in our society--to those with nowhere else to 
turn.
  It was Jim who recruited me into public service, serving as my mentor 
and friend at the action council. Many years later, it was Jim, a one-
time parachuter in the U.S. Army, who encouraged me to run for office, 
to take my place in the great halls of the Capitol. Jim has loyally sat 
through my cold football games at the University of Pittsburgh, offered 
sage counsel and advice as I served in Congress and consoled me when my 
father passed away. Other than my father, Jim and John Hudzik, my coach 
at Cardinal Mooney High School, were the two most influential people in 
my life.
  Jim recently returned to the Mahoning Valley to help youth living in 
public housing resist the temptation of drugs and crime. Together with 
Dr. Gil Peterson, one of the truly gifted members of our community, Jim 
made extraordinary progress in the short time he was here. The 
community will sorely miss his presence, but his energy and spirit will 
continue to live in us all.
  I join his beautiful wife Stella and son Zagery in honoring this 
veteran, father, husband and friend.

                          ____________________