[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 14 (Thursday, February 1, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E141-E142]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   TRIBUTE TO THOMAS FRANCIS CORCORAN

                                 ______


                           HON. JERRY WELLER

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, February 1, 1996

  Mr. WELLER. Mr. Speaker, I want to inform my colleagues in the House 
of Representatives of the recent death of Thomas Francis Corcoran of 
Ottawa, IL, at the age of 86. Through his son, former Illinois 
Congressman Tom Corcoran, I first became acquainted with the late Mr. 
Corcoran many years ago. He was a true man of the land, loved and 
respected by all who knew him. Moreover, he was representative of the 
hard working, honest, good men and women who farm our Nation's fields 
to produce food for our own people and others around the world.
  One of the privileges of serving in Congress is meeting America's 
unsung heroes, either in our congressional district or across this 
great country of ours. Thomas Francis Corcoran was one of those unsung 
heroes.
  Mr. Corcoran's grandson, Evan, worked on the staff of our friend and 
colleague from Virginia, Mr. Wolf, and he served on the staff of the 
House Appropriations Committee before becoming an assistant U.S. 
attorney here in Washington. In the eloquent eulogy which follows, 
given by his grandson, Evan, at the funeral on December 9, 1995, we are 
reminded once again about the everyday greatness of our people and 
therefore the greatness of our country.
  Mr. Speaker, I commend the following Corcoran eulogy to my 
colleagues:

                        Thomas Francis Corcoran

       What better place is there in the world when you are 11 
     years old on a sunny summer afternoon than to be at your 
     grandfather's side, in a field, mending fences? What better 
     place to learn what is valuable in life? My brothers and 
     sisters and I learned many lessons from Thomas Francis 
     Corcoran when we lived on the family farm just outside of 
     Ottawa.
       We learned not by being told--for Grandpa was a man who 
     chose his words carefully, and used them sparingly--but by 
     observing. He taught by example. We saw his quiet dignity, 
     his discipline, his economy, and his honesty. We saw a man at 
     peace with himself and with the world. He gave unqualified 
     love, a love my sister Camilla described yesterday as the 
     purest she had encountered. He left an enduring imprint.
       Thomas Francis Corcoran was a lifelong farmer. He loved the 
     land. He was in concert with the great silent forces that 
     shape the world. His work connected him with his community 
     and with the world. He came from a time when you would call 
     your neighbors in the evening and say, ``The crops are in, be 
     here early.'' And the men would come and work in the fields 
     until lunch. There would be two tables set up outside, and 
     after washing at the pump, they would try to sit down at the 
     first table, because there were some great eaters in that 
     crowd and you could not be sure that the food would hold out. 
     At the end of the day no money would change hands.
       He took pride in the visible return that the earth makes 
     for labor. He took pride in passing the land on to the next 
     generation, when his son returned to farm. At the end of each 
     season, he had increased the stock and store of the world. 
     And today, at the close of his final season, he has added to 
     the storehouse of memories of each of us.
       Grandpa was a strong man, who did hard physical labor all 
     his life. In recent years the time had taken a toll. One of 
     his great loves was training and racing horses. Remember that 
     in a race the horse and jockey do not stop when they reach 
     the line: there is a little canter before reaching a 
     standstill. It is then that the jockey hears the cheers of 
     the crowd, and thinks back on the race just run. I like to 
     think that Grandpa was in a canter these last years: and 
     special thanks is due to those who on a daily basis cared for 
     him and gave him cheer.
       Thomas Francis Corcoran was not a man of sorrow, he was a 
     man of great humor. He never spoke a harsh word to anyone, 
     and never lost his smile. He would not think it inappropriate 
     to have humor at a funeral. His humor gave him strength and 
     stability to meet the challenges life presents. A story 
     illustrates the point.
       One day in late summer when I was 11 and my brother Phil 
     10, we worked an afternoon with Grandpa and there came a time 
     when we needed to return a small tractor to a shed, some 
     distance away. Always encouraging us, Grandpa asked Phil if 
     he knew how to drive the tractor. Phil, always eager to 
     please his grandfather, said ``Yes.'' Well we started off 
     down the narrow lane with Phil on the tractor and Grandpa and 
     me in the truck behind. I watched first with amusement, then 
     with concern, as the tractor began to pick up speed. It began 
     to go faster and faster, and as it did it moved from one side 
     of the lane, bounded by a field of corn, to the other, 
     bounded by a fence, and back and forth again. Well eventually 
     the tractor took out a couple of rows of corn for a distance 
     and then came to rest against the fence. We stopped and 
     Grandpa walked over to Phil. With not a hint of anger in his 
     voice, he said, ``I thought you said you knew how 

[[Page E142]]
     to drive it.'' Phil replied, ``I know how to drive it Grandpa. I just 
     don't know how to stop.'' Well, Grandpa just loved that. He 
     would appreciate the humor in life.
       Grandpa was a man who, in his own humble way, walked with 
     God. When he drove a combine into a new field, he would make 
     the sign of the cross. He is with God now. The monument to 
     Thomas Francis Corcoran is his contribution to our collective 
     spirit, his place in the hearts and minds of the family and 
     friends and neighbors gathered here in prayer. In a world 
     where so many forces work to keep us all apart, memories of 
     him bind us together. What greater legacy from a decent and a 
     fine man.
                                                 M. Evan Corcoran,
     Ottawa, IL.

                          ____________________