[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 95 (Tuesday, June 25, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H6723]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       IN MEMORY OF BILL EMERSON

  (Mr. HALL of Ohio asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. HALL of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, my friend died on Saturday.
  Bill Emerson and I knew each other for many years, traveled together, 
supported one another in our endeavors in Congress--especially in 
humanitarian work.
  We served the Congressional Hunger Center as cochairmen, and Bill's 
support during my fast--and during the startup of this nonprofit 
organization--made a very real, very personal difference to me.
  We got to know each other's families, and my family already feel the 
loss of our good friend. And we all extend our deepest sympathy to his 
family: to Bill's mother, Marie Hahn; to Bill's wife, Jo Ann; and to 
their daughters--Elizabeth, Abigail, Victoria, and Katherine.
  In the Washington Post this weekend, David Broder wrote that ``the 
companionship that once crossed party lines in Congress * * * has been 
replaced by a tone of unremitting enmity.'' That was never true with 
Bill Emerson. He nurtured his relationships with both Democrats and 
Republicans alike.
  Mr. Broder was right in lamenting a political climate that too often 
is hostile. ``It is the personal relationships that determine how much 
the group will get done,'' he said--and he is right. But people like 
Bill Emerson showed us all that we can work together to make a 
difference for the people who send us to Washington--and especially for 
children.
  My friend was a decent, wonderful man. He will be missed by many of 
us, and I will never forget him.

                          ____________________