[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 25 (Wednesday, February 28, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E234]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               IN MEMORY OF THE HONORABLE WILLARD CURTIN

                                 ______


                        HON. JAMES C. GREENWOOD

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 28, 1996

  Mr. GREENWOOD. Mr. Speaker, Henry David Thoreau wrote in 1849:

       Even the death of friends will inspire us as much as their 
     lives. . . . Their memories will be encrusted over with 
     sublime and pleasing thoughts, as monuments of other men are 
     overgrown with moss, for our friends have no place in the 
     graveyard.

  I am here today to honor the memory of Willard Curtin, who served in 
this esteemed body as the Representative from my district from 1957 
until his retirement in 1967.
  Mr. Curtin's life was dedicated to public service and his memory 
should inspire us all.
  Before running for Congress, Mr. Curtin served as Bucks County's 
district attorney from 1949 to 1953. Prior to that, he was Bucks 
County's first assistant district attorney.
  He ran for Congress in 1956 to succeed retiring Representative Karl 
C. King. His campaign theme was based on his belief that President 
Eisenhower's policies were sound and should be continued. He served 
Bucks and Lehigh Counties during the Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson 
administrations.
  Mr. Curtin retired to Florida where he continued to lead an active 
life. His grandson will always remember him as the energetic, active, 
sharp minded man that he was, even to the end of his life. He also will 
share with his grandchildren this story: One of Mr. Curtin's most 
prized possessions was his grandfather clock. When he would go away, 
Mr. Curtin would stop the clock's pendulum so it would not disturb the 
other residents in his building. Even though he had not traveled in a 
long time, the clock was stopped 6 minutes after 1 o'clock. The coroner 
later estimated the time of his death to be at 1:10 a.m.
  I ask you all to join me in remembering the hard work and dedication 
that Mr. Curtin gave to this country so generously.

                          ____________________