[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 29 (Wednesday, March 6, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E279]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING VICTOR CRAWFORD, 1933-1996

                                 ______


                         HON. MARTIN T. MEEHAN

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, March 5, 1996

  Mr. MEEHAN. Mr. Speaker, I want to take this opportunity to honor 
Victor Crawford, who died March 2, 1996, at Johns Hopkins Hospital in 
Baltimore, MD. Mr. Crawford was a leader and a national spokesman in 
the fight to curb tobacco use.
  Mr. Crawford served in Maryland's State legislature for over 26 
years. After he retired from his legislative career, Mr. Crawford 
became a lobbyist. One of his largest lobbying contracts was with the 
tobacco industry, including the Tobacco Institute, which paid him over 
$20,000 in fees.
  As a tobacco lobbyist, Mr. Crawford used his considerable legislative 
and personal skills to derail a number of State initiatives that would 
have curbed tobacco use in public places and by young people. ``I was 
in it for the money,'' he said, ``and I was never concerned if people 
were dying.''
  Mr. Crawford's views on tobacco radically changed after he was 
diagnosed with cancer, a product of his lifelong smoking addiction. He 
became an eloquent and persuasive speaker on the issue of tobacco. His 
message was clear and sobering, ``It's too late for me, but it's not 
too late for you.''
  By appearing on ``60 Minutes'', Massachusetts' Department of Public 
Health's ``Let's Make Smoking History'' campaign, and a radio address 
with President Clinton, Victor Crawford made a difference in the fight 
against youth tobacco use. His was a credible voice, a man who realized 
he had made a mistake and wanted to make amends.
  Mr. Crawford will be missed not only by his family and friends but 
also by countless children who listened to his message and decided not 
to start smoking. His legacy will include thousands of healthy lives 
that otherwise would have ended prematurely from tobacco related 
illnesses.

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