[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 130 (Thursday, September 19, 1996)]
[House]
[Pages H10663-H10671]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



   TRIBUTE TO THE HONORABLE TOM BEVILL AND THE HONORABLE GLEN BROWDER

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. McInnis). Under the Speaker's announced 
policy of May 12, 1995, the gentleman from Alabama [Mr. Callahan] is 
recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.


          WATCH FOR ELECTION-YEAR SPIN IN HOUSE FLOOR SPEECHES

  Mr. CALLAHAN. Mr. Speaker, it must be confusing to the people who are 
watching this, both in the gallery and on C-SPAN, about what we are 
talking about today. During this time of our political careers in 
history, it is an election year. It is like selling Coca-Cola and 
Pepsi-Cola. You have one side that says Pepsi-Cola is better, and one 
side that says Coca-Cola is better. What we do is create spin efforts. 
We try to convince the American people that one side is going to do all 
of these evil things, and the sky is going to fall if indeed a certain 
individual is elected President.
  You hear things about cutting Medicare. There is not a provision 
anywhere in Washington where anybody has introduced or even suggested 
that we cut Medicare. All of this is partisan politics, trying to 
convince you, trying to manipulate you, the audience, into believing 
their side or our side of any particular issue.
  They just talked about the environment. We are not going to destroy 
the environment. Not one individual in this entire body wants to do 
anything to do harm to the environment.
  So as you go through these little periods of speeches on the floor of 
the House, keep in mind that it is that time of year. You are 
intelligent people. You can make your own mind up. Base it on 
character, base it on history, base it upon the future, base it on 
whatever you want. But keep in mind that these are like television ads. 
They are just a few minutes dedicated to the Members of the House to 
come here and express their views, and to try to convince you that the 
future lies in someone else's hands, or the future lies in the hands of 
those that have it today.
  Spin is interesting here in Washington, because, you know, I heard 
the Secretary of Defense went over to Kuwait. I think all of us in the 
House knew, and certainly everybody in television land knew, and 
certainly, Mr. Speaker, you knew, that the Kuwaitis decided they did 
not want us there, even though we sent 500,000 men over there to save 
their country. When we tried to send 3,500 men there, they balked. But 
in any event, the Secretary went over there and he explained it. 
Finally, they let us come in.
  But the spin that came out of it, and I quote the Washington Post, 
Mr.

[[Page H10664]]

Speaker, it said that the Kuwaitis are inviting us over there to 
protect their interests. That is spin.
  But for the next hour, we are not going to be partisan. We are not 
going to be Republicans, we are not going to be Democrats. We are going 
to be telling you some of the things that have taken place during the 
last several sessions of the Congress, and about two or three 
individuals that have been an integral part of that. They are two 
Democrats, and I am a Republican, but there are two Democratic Members 
of the House who are retiring from Congress this year.
  I have requested 1 hour of this time to come in a nonpartisan sense 
to talk about these two individuals, these two Members of Congress that 
have made a tremendous contribution to this country during the time 
that they have served.
  We have not always agreed. We agreed generally only on those things 
that were very beneficial to Alabama, because in the Alabama 
delegation, unlike some of the other delegations in this Congress, we 
work together, whether we are Democrats or Republicans. If we have a 
problem, if we have a need in the State of Alabama, the delegation 
meets on a monthly basis and we discuss with each other the needs, and 
why we need it.
  I had a home port in Mobile that I was trying to get and got it, 
because I brought it to our delegation. I said, I need the help of all 
seven of you. We have things in Huntsville, we had an Army base in 
Anniston that one of our Members had some problems with. We always work 
together.
  Some States do not work together on anything. Some Democrats never 
work with Republicans, and some Republicans never work with Democrats. 
But in Alabama we have been blessed, blessed to have seven members of 
our delegation who do work together; who do not always agree on the 
national issues, who do not always agree on individual bills, but who 
do have a guidance and a direction that moves toward a better America 
and a better Alabama.
  The gentleman from Alabama, Mr. Tom Bevill, from Alabama's Fourth 
Congressional District, married to Lou, has three lovely children; born 
in Townley, AL, the son of a coal miner, he attained the rank of 
captain in the U.S. Army while serving in the European theater during 
World War II.

                              {time}  1545

  He holds an LL.B. degree from the University of Alabama School of 
Law. He was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1966.
  He was chairman for most of this time of the Appropriations 
Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, from 1977 to 1994. As 
chairman, Congressman Bevill encouraged substantial development of 
Alabama's waterways and the Port of Mobile and all the waterways and 
all of the ports of this entire Nation. For example, he was 
instrumental in the development of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway. 
This development allowed the United States to assert its full power in 
international trade. He remains the ranking member of the Subcommittee 
on Energy and Water Development even today.
  The other Member retiring is Glen Browder from the Third 
Congressional District of the State of Alabama, married to Becky. They 
have one daughter, I think a student at Auburn. At least they live near 
Auburn. He holds a Ph.D. in political science from Emory University in 
Atlanta. He served as a political science professor at Jacksonville 
State University, served for 4 years in the Alabana State House of 
Representatives, and was elected to Congress in a special election in 
1989. He serves on the House Committees on Budget and National 
Security. While serving on these committees in the House, Congressman 
Browder has exerted an influential, fiscally responsible philosophy. As 
I have said, we did not always agree on some national issues. But you 
could never, never worry about the integrity of these two individuals, 
or about the word of these two individuals. If they told you they were 
not going to vote for you, you just as well put it in your hat to know 
they were not going to vote for you, not because they disliked you, not 
because I was a Republican, but because they disagreed with me. And 
that is the way this body works. It is made up of 435 individual men 
and women from all walks of life, from all of the States. All of us 
have had some degree of success in our other lives or we would not be 
here today. You do not elect unsuccessful people to Congress. You elect 
people that have been responsible people and leaders in their 
community.
  So while there is bickering between these two on all these partisan 
issues trying to convince you through their statements to vote for 
either Bob Dole or for Bill Clinton or to tell you that there ought to 
be a Republican majority versus a Democratic majority in the House, 
keep in mind that all of that is partisan spin politics. You are the 
people who make that decision, and I trust your decision.
  We have only 1 hour today to talk about these two individuals, these 
two great Americans, and dozens of people have called and dozens have 
asked to come and to share with me this 1 hour that we have to pay 
tribute to these two great American people.
  The first is a friend of mine from Indiana, Congressman John Myers. 
He is going to retire as well, but now he is chairman of the same 
subcommittee that Tom Bevill once chaired.
  Mr. MYERS of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, we thank our friend, the gentleman 
from Alabama, Sonny Callahan, for taking this hour to remember and 
honor 30 years of service of our colleague.
  On November 8, 1966, 72 new Members were elected to Congress, 59 
Republicans and 13 Democrats. Today, there are three of us in that 
class remaining in the House of Representatives, and as has been 
mentioned already, all three of us have chosen this 30th year in 
Congress to retire: Congressman Montgomery from Mississippi; the person 
we are honoring this afternoon, Tom Bevill of Alabama; and I am from 
Indiana.
  That class, there was another Member who went on, had trouble keeping 
a job here, served only 4 years in the House, but I talked with him 
this morning, former Vice President and former President of the United 
States, George Bush, said for me to extend best wishes and 
congratulations to Tom Bevill and Sonny Montgomery for their 30 years 
of service.
  Tom, as I call him, has served 18 years as chairman of the 
subcommittee where we both have served those 18 years, and I served 
those 18 years as his ranking member; and the past 2 years, because of 
the election, I have been given the honor of holding the chairmanship 
and Tom has been the ranking member. But the relationship never 
changed; it is completely, absolutely nonpartisan.
  Tom is a gentleman. Nothing went into a bill unless we both agreed, 
when he was chairman. The last 2 years, with the confrontation of a few 
people, partisanship does not play a role in our subcommittee; it 
continued the same way. The country was more important.
  Tom grew up in Alabama, was born in Alabama. His family had a little 
country store, and Tom worked as a clerk in that country store, growing 
up. It was a coal mining area. He went on to graduate from Walker 
County High School in Alabama, went on to the University of Alabama, 
where he got his law degree, and then served in Europe in World War II.
  He came back and practiced law for 18 years in Jasper, AL, where they 
still claim home. But the thing in Alabama, and I have visited his 
district many, many times, both Democrats and Republicans voted for Tom 
Bevill because they knew they had a person that was fair, and just as 
the gentleman from Alabama [Mr. Callahan] mentioned here, would tell 
you the truth and you knew you were not getting doubletalk. They loved 
Tom Bevill and they still love Tom Bevill.
  So he is going to go back home, I understand, and be an Alabamian 
once again, go back with his wife, Lou. His wife, Lou, my wife, Carol, 
the two couples have been friends for the 30 years we have had the 
honor of serving together in this Congress, but Tom and Lou Bevill are 
true great people. Their three children and their grandchildren, I know 
they are going to enjoy.
  So today I am pleased to be able to join the many friends that Tom 
Bevill has to say thank you, Tom, for your years of service and thank 
you for your courtesy. Thanks for being a gentleman all of those years 
when we served together.

[[Page H10665]]

  Mr. CALLAHAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Mississippi, 
Sonny Montgomery, another gentleman that is retiring this year, who was 
just mentioned by the gentleman from Indiana [Mr. Myers].
  Mr. MONTGOMERY. I thank the gentleman from Alabama [Mr. Callahan] for 
giving me this opportunity, and I would like to pay tribute to both Tom 
Bevill and Glen Browder on their retirements.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to speak today about our longtime friend, 
Tom Bevill. Tom and I both, as mentioned by John Myers, started as 
freshmen together. We have been friends ever since. That was 30 years 
ago. During that time, I have to say that there has never been a better 
representative for Alabama or for this Nation than Tom Bevill.
  Mr. Speaker, he served in the European theater during World War II 
and attained the rank of captain. We three, Tom Bevill, John Myers and 
I, all three served in the European theater. We did not serve together, 
but we were there at the same time. So coming to Washington for Tom 
Bevill was not a tough, big problem; because he had been in the war, he 
knew that he could handle the job.
  His constituents are very proud of him. He has had an excellent 
record with the people of his State and his congressional district. Mr. 
Speaker, he might have had a tough race the first time he ran, the 
first 2 years, but after that, he has been elected without opposition 
and really has had no problems coming to the Congress again.
  As has been mentioned, he is the senior member of the House Committee 
on Appropriations and served as chairman of the Subcommittee on Energy 
and Water Development from 1977 to 1994. He is now the ranking member, 
as we all know, and he and John Myers worked together so well. He did 
have a lot to do with the Tenn-Tom waterway system which goes between 
our two States, Alabama and Mississippi.
  Mr. Speaker, on the Tenn-Tom, there is a lock and dam that bears the 
name of Tom Bevill Lock and Dam. And our congressional districts adjoin 
each other. But the biggest sign in my congressional district is Tom 
Bevill Lock and Dam and the sign points that way. I tease him a lot 
about that, but it is the biggest sign in my congressional district.
  I have enjoyed having Tom Bevill be a part of the prayer breakfast 
group, and Pete Geren of Texas asked that I would mention about Tom 
Bevill, he is known as the assistant to the assistant chaplain at our 
prayer breakfast. He does not get to act much, but he does come a lot, 
and we have enjoyed very much working together.
  So about Tom, Lou has been wonderful. He has got three wonderful 
children. I wish him the best.
  Moving to Glen Browder, we are very proud of Glen and what he has 
done since he has been in the Congress. I serve with him on the 
Committee on National Security, and he has performed his duties as well 
as any Member I know. Fort McClellan, AL, is in his congressional 
district. He has actually himself, with help from the other Members of 
the Alabama delegation, saved Fort McClellan, AL, from being closed. 
Fort McClellan has been on the base closure list for a number of years. 
I know for sure he has saved it for 2 years in a row.
  We wish Glen, his wife, Becky, and their daughter, Jenny Rebecca, the 
best in the future. Glen, Washington and the House of Representatives 
will miss you.
  Mr. CALLAHAN. Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield just a few minutes 
to one of the individuals we are retiring. To show you what kind of 
individual he is, he is here to give praise to the other Member we are 
talking about, Congressman Tom Bevill of Alabama.
  Mr. BEVILL. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend and colleague, 
Congressman Callahan.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to my good friend and 
colleague from Alabama, Congressman Glen Browder.
  Glen is leaving office with a fine record of service to Alabama's 
Third Congressional District since 1989. As you know, Glen was elected 
after the death of our long-time colleague Bill Nichols.
  While no one could replace Bill Nichols, Glen certainly has done an 
outstanding job picking up where Congressman Nichols left off. He has 
made a name for himself as a quietly determined, highly intelligent and 
well-focused Member of Congress.
  Like Bill Nichols, Glen Browder won a seat on the House National 
Security Committee where he has become a very effective advocate on a 
wide range of military issues. He fought to keep Fort McClellan off the 
base closure list and developed broad expertise on the use and storage 
of chemical weapons.
  He has worked diligently on behalf of Persian Gulf veterans who have 
suffered strange symptoms since returning from the conflict with Iraq. 
Glen has pushed the Pentagon to provide more information on their 
potential exposure to chemical agents.
  Glen Browder has always been fiscally conservative and has provided 
outstanding leadership on campaign reform issues and budget matters.
  I have thoroughly enjoyed working with Glen Browder, especially on 
projects of concern to Alabama. He has always been very dedicated, not 
only to his district, but also to our entire State of Alabama and our 
Nation.
  Whatever course Glen Browder chooses to pursue, I am confident he 
will be highly successful. Meanwhile, his accomplishments here in the 
Congress will always be remembered and appreciated.
  Glen, I wish you and your lovely wife Becky all the best in your 
future endeavors.
  Mr. CALLAHAN. Mr. Speaker, at this time I would like to recognize, he 
has a conference he must attend, a little bit out of order but 
nevertheless not out of order with respect to his vitality to this 
conversation, Mr. Alan Mollohan of West Virginia.
  Mr. MOLLOHAN. I thank the distinguished gentleman and chairman. I 
appreciate very much his making possible this special order.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank you for allowing me to take the floor today for 
this fitting tribute to our distinguished colleagues from Alabama, Tom 
Bevill and Glen Browder. I am pleased to add my personal words of 
appreciation for their contributions to this House and to offer my best 
wishes to each of them as their terms come to a close and as they look 
to their future.
  I had the great pleasure of serving with Glen on the Committee on the 
Budget. He is particularly distinguished, bright, makes a wonderful 
contribution to that committee and brings a lot of common sense to the 
process. I know that he will prosper as he leaves the House and I 
certainly wish him well.
  Naturally as a member of the Committee on Appropriations, I will 
acutely feel the absence of the gentleman from Alabama [Mr. Bevill] and 
the leadership that he has provided to that committee as chairman and 
the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development.

                              {time}  1600

  He is one of the most respected members of our Committee on 
Appropriations and the entire U.S. House of Representatives, and it 
saddens me greatly to see him go.
  For a long number of years, my father, who served in this body, 
served with Tom Bevill, and dad always considered him to be as close as 
you could come to the ideal of a Member of Congress.
  Since taking up the responsibilities of representing the First 
Congressional District here, I have found that dad is absolutely right. 
Tom Bevill is bright, he is disciplined, he is full of integrity, and 
not only courteous but he is kind. These are the qualities that have 
made him an effective, popular Representative of the people of 
Alabama's Fourth Congressional District. They are the same qualities 
that have made him a widely admired Member of the House.
  Of course, he has made his mark through his years of leadership of 
the Energy and Water Development Subcommittee. That can be a tough job. 
There are so many worthy projects brought to the attention of this 
subcommittee, real needs, urgent needs in communities all across the 
Nation, yet even in the best of times there are simply not enough 
resources to go around.
  Being able to take up as many of them as possible and blend them into 
a thoughtful national policy, well, that is a real legislative art, and 
Tom Bevill is the master of it.

[[Page H10666]]

  Mr. Speaker, I doubt there is a district anywhere that has not 
benefited in some measure from Tom Bevill's commitment to meeting 
America's energy and water development needs. His good work will be 
remembered long after he leaves this body. So, too, will his gracious 
manner and the good will he has consistently shown to Members on both 
sides of the aisle.
  That is a real hallmark of his service. In fact, he has worked hand 
in hand in a real bipartisan spirit with another very distinguished and 
retiring Member of this House and of this committee, the gentleman from 
Indiana, John Myers.
  John Myers has been equally an outstanding servant of the people. 
They are both wonderful men and a powerful legislative team.
  Tom Bevill is a true gentleman, as well as a distinguished 
legislator, and he will be missed sorely. Thank you, Mr. Bevill, and 
thank you, too, Mr. Browder, for your faithful service to this House 
and to the people of West Virginia, and my best personal best wishes go 
with you.
  I also want to share with you the great expression of appreciation 
from the constituents of the First Congressional District of West 
Virginia for all your consideration of their needs over these many 
years. God bless.
  Mr. CALLAHAN. Mr. Speaker, at this time I would like to recognize one 
of the gentlemen we are talking about today so he can pay honor to the 
other gentleman we are talking about today. I am talking about Mr. 
Browder of Alabama.
  (Mr. BROWDER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. BROWDER. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Sonny Callahan, my good 
friend and fellow Alabamian, for arranging this special order and for 
all who are participating here.
  I was in the gallery with my wife, Mr. Speaker, and I heard Tom 
Bevill speaking about me and now it is my turn to speak about him.
  For the past 30 years, Tom Bevill has been representing our State and 
our country with distinction and dedication. His sincere interest in 
the betterment of this great land of ours has meant a great deal to 
many of our districts.
  In my own district of east Alabama, for example, Tom Bevill has 
exercised his leadership to help Alabama, Georgia, and Florida avoid a 
nasty scrap over the water resources we share. Because of the work and 
studies he sponsored, we seem to be moving toward a regional 
understanding on this vital issue.
  Tom served 18 years as chairman of the House Appropriations 
Committee's Subcommittee on Energy and Water Resources. There is not a 
State in this country that is not a better place because of Tom 
Bevill's work and his knowledge. Without a doubt he will leave an 
indelible imprint on our country that cannot be erased and will not be 
duplicated.
  Tom has always been a special friend. He introduced me to the House 
when I was sworn in as a Member after a special election in 1989. At a 
time like that, it is nice to have a man of his stature speaking for 
you.
  Tom has the respect of Members on both sides of the aisle. He has 
earned this respect by his hard work, his attention to detail, and his 
willingness to help another Member, even when there is no political 
gain for himself.
  On this occasion I also want to mention Tom's lovely wife, Lou, who 
is as strong and caring a person as Tom. I wish them both the best for 
all they have done for Alabama and the rest of the country.
  Mr. CALLAHAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Browder for his kind words and 
for his service.
  I want to now introduce my next-door neighbor, the man who represents 
the congressional district next to mine, Congressman Terry Everett, of 
Alabama.
  Mr. EVERETT. Mr. Speaker, I would like to first thank my colleague, 
Sonny Callahan, for giving me and the rest of us this opportunity to 
offer a personal tribute to two of my colleagues who leave this House 
having earned very distinguished records of service. Tom Bevill, the 
Fourth District of Alabama, and Glen Browder, of the Third District, 
are well-known to the people of Alabama for their active leadership to 
Alabama and the Nation.
  Tom Bevill is the dean of the Alabama delegation here in Washington, 
having been elected to this body 30 years ago. Tom's gentlemanly 
manner, his character, and his great legislative skills have earned him 
the respect of his peers.
  Having served as a long-time chairman of the House Appropriations 
Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, Tom's influence has, as 
has already been noted here, today has been felt over the entire Nation 
for decades in major energy research development and public works 
projects from coast to coast.
  At home in Alabama, Chairman Bevill led the drive to build the 
Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway. We heard Mr. Montgomery talk about signs 
in his district, in Mississippi, naming something after Mr. Bevill. 
There is a joke that you cannot travel through a single town in Mr. 
Bevill's district in north Alabama without seeing the Bevill name on a 
building somewhere. And while that may be true, let it also be known 
that there is a Bevill building on the campus of Sparks State Technical 
College in Eufaula, AL, down in my district in southeast Alabama.
  Tom and his wife, Lou, will be missed here in Washington after 
January, but they certainly deserve a much earned rest back home in 
Jasper. I wish them both the very best, and I know that Tom will have 
more opportunities to meet with my good friend, our mutual friend, Doug 
Pearson, for coffee more often.
   Mr. Speaker, I also want to speak about another departing colleague, 
Glen Browder of Alabama of the Third District. Glen Browder came to 
Congress in a special election in 1989 to fill the unexpired term of 
the late Congressman Bill Nichols.
  Glen, who sits with me on the House Committee on National Security, 
quickly proved his mettle in successfully blocking three out of four 
Base Closure Commission attempts to close Anniston's Fort McClellan 
Army base.
  Glen also made a name for himself as a budget hawk by gaining a seat 
on the House Committee on the Budget and adding focus to the 
congressional effort to reach a balanced budget. Glen's fiscal 
conservatism and hard work in support of our Nation's military and 
veterans will be very, very much missed.
  I wish him and his wife, Becky, the very best as they return to 
Jacksonville, AL.
   Mr. Speaker, both these gentlemen have given great service to 
Alabama and to the Nation and have extended great courtesy to me 
personally and I thank them. God go with them.
  Mr. CALLAHAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Alabama, and at 
this time we are going to go outside the State of Alabama, Mr. Speaker. 
I yield time to the gentlewoman from Arkansas, Mrs. Blanche Lincoln.
  Mrs. LINCOLN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Alabama for 
yielding. I, too, Mr. Speaker, rise today to pay tribute to two fine 
gentlemen from the State of Alabama. I am also proud to be here among 
the other folks that are here paying tribute. I find myself in 
excellent company.
  I have had the privilege of serving with these two gentlemen for my 
tenure here in the Congress. I feel like it has been a real honor to be 
along their side.
  Congressman Tom Bevill has served the Fourth District of Alabama with 
distinction since 1966, but in many ways he has served all of our 
districts at one time or another. As chairman of the Energy and Water 
Appropriations Subcommittee from 1977 to 1994, Congressman Bevill has 
probably been more instrumental than any Member in protecting, 
preserving, and managing America's water resources.
  His charge has not been an easy one in distributing an ever-shrinking 
amount of funds to an ever-increasing number of worthy projects from 
around the Nation. Yet he has always been fair and nonpartisan in his 
work, and his word is ironclad.
  When I first came to Congress 4 years ago, the appropriations process 
was an unintelligible maze to me. In an effort to understand the 
process better and to serve my district, I went to Tom Bevill for 
advice. It could have been a very intimidating experience, a young 
woman, new on Capitol Hill, visiting a

[[Page H10667]]

powerful chairman, but it was not. Tom Bevill welcomed me as an equal 
and treated me with the utmost of respect. He helped me learn more 
about the process and was instrumental in guiding several landmark 
Arkansas water projects through the Congress, one on behalf of the 
people of the First District of Arkansas. I want to thank him for his 
hard work on our behalf.
  I know that Mr. Bevill's best days are ahead of him as he leaves 
Congress to return to his life of a private citizen. I want to wish him 
and his wife Lou the best.
  There is one story I think that I must share with the rest of my 
colleagues, and I think it says a little bit about Mr. Bevill that we 
all really know.
  Not only has he served the people of this country and of Alabama and 
all of our other districts well, he has done so in a very wise and 
gentlemanly way, but he has not forgotten the important things in life. 
One day as we sat on the floor here, Mr. Bevill and I were visiting, 
and I had on a red jacket. And he looked at me and he said: I see you 
in that red jacket and, he said, I am reminded. My wife was wearing a 
red jacket the day that we first had our--I think it was the day you 
proposed to her, perhaps? Or maybe it was your first date.
  Tom Bevill does not forget, and he does not forget the most important 
things in life. He has served us all very well in this institution. He 
served our Nation and the folks of Alabama. We would all do well to 
follow the example of his career, commitment, fairness, grace, and 
humility. Tom Bevill is the kind of Member and person that we all 
strive to be, and I am proud to have served here with him and to have 
learned so much.
  Mr. Speaker, I also want to say a word about my fellow Congressman, 
Glen Browder, from Alabama's Third District. I have had the true honor 
of serving as a blue dog with Glen during the 104th Congress. Glen, 
like myself, is a founding member of this notorious band of independent 
Democrats. We have worked hard for that name and have had a great deal 
of fun with it.
  The blue dog mission, however, has been about meeting two principal 
goals: balancing the budget in a fiscally responsible as well as a fair 
way, and bringing commonsense solutions to Washington, DC.
  Since coming to Congress in 1989, Glen has never swayed from those 
goals. He was instrumental in crafting the blue dogs' balanced budget 
and had an active voice in all of our policy decisions.
  I am not sure what Glen's plans are for the future, but I certainly 
know he will bring the same dedications and honor to his new endeavors 
as he has to his work here in Congress. I join my colleagues in 
honoring these two gentlemen, and I wish them Godspeed in the future 
ahead for both of them.
  Mr. CALLAHAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Arkansas, and 
I now recognize the gentleman from north Alabama, Mr. Cramer.
  Mr. CRAMER. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Alabama. I, of 
course, want to stand here today to pay tribute to two of my best 
friends, Tom Bevill and Glen Browder. I joined this Alabama team in 
1991, so I have been here for 6 years. During that time the entire 
Alabama delegation taught me that Alabama has a notorious reputation 
for sticking together. We put Alabama's issues first, we put our party 
labels second.

                              {time}  1615

  And they demonstrated that all of the time that I was here. Of 
course, Tom Bevill and I represent all of north Alabama. I have many 
industries in north Alabama that are dependent for their jobs on 
Federal budgets, like the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center and the 
Army presence at Redstone Arsenal. I have the Tennessee Valley 
Authority in north Alabama, as well.
  We have so many connections to the Federal budget that if any part of 
it is squeezed, we feel part of the pain from that squeeze. Tom Bevill 
jumped from the get-go when I got here to make sure that I had 
available to me his position of power, as I would put it, not as he 
would put it, there on the Subcommittee on Energy and Water and on the 
Committee on Appropriations, as well.
  Whenever I needed to fight a battle, I could fight that battle with 
the presence of Tom Bevill, literally. Tom and his wife Lou, his 
daughters Patty and Susan, and his son Don, are like family members to 
me, so it is very difficult for me to think of losing Tom Bevill to 
this institution, much less as part of my professional life here in the 
Congress.
  But as I stand here today in the presence of John Myers, and Sonny 
Montgomery who left here, and listen to them talk, as I have both today 
and days before today, about their experiences here together and 
separately in this Congress, it makes me think that they just do not 
make people like that much anymore. They are all three illustrations to 
those of us here now that the behavior that we sometimes fall into does 
not have to be fallen into.
  These are men who work well together. They put their partisan 
politics to the side. There is an appropriate place for that, but they 
bring into this institution daily a professionalism that would be hard 
to match this day and time. We are going to miss all three of them.
  My colleague, Glen Browder, was slightly behind me in his tenure 
here. I should say ahead of me; he came here slightly before I came 
here. And Glen was, as well, an Alabama team member available to me 
when I got here; from Jacksonville State University, where he served on 
the faculty at that fine Alabama educational institution. He served 
also in the Alabama State House. He was Alabama Secretary of State as 
well. He brought that Alabama background to our Alabama team.
  Of course, when you come to Congress you do not get to be on every 
committee you want to be on. Glen was on the Armed Services Committee 
and, as I said, with our presence in north Alabama at the Redstone 
Arsenal, with the jobs that we had there, often I had to go to Glen and 
say, ``We in the Fifth District need your help.'' And he was available 
to me just as the rest of the Alabama team was available to me. And 
because I have the kind of district that I have, I was often turning to 
Glen for advice about how do I get ready to fight NASA's battles on the 
floor or how do I help my district with the weather service issues that 
we constantly have there? And he was always available to help me, 
whether that meant meeting with constituents there or whether it was 
joining with me to lobby on the floor to win the victories that we 
needed to win.
  Glen, to you and your wife Becky, and daughter, I will lose you as 
family members, as well. I have enjoyed your presence and your moral 
support here in Congress. You, as well as Tom Bevill, represent the 
kind of personality and professionalism that I want to be a part of 
while I am here. We will miss you, but we will look forward to seeing 
you and working with you in different ways. Tom Bevill, Glen Browder, 
we will miss you. Alabama thanks you, as we should.
  Mr. CALLAHAN. Mr. Speaker, I now yield time to the gentleman from 
Kentucky [Mr. Rogers].
  Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding and for 
taking out this special order to honor two of the very distinguished 
Members of this body who happen to be from the great State of Alabama.
  Glen Browder, whom we have known since he came here, one of the great 
and distinguished Members of this body who has served our country so 
very, very well in his tenure. And Glen, we wish for you the best in 
your future endeavors, and we are going to miss your service around 
here. We hope we do not miss your company. We hope you will come back 
and be with us all the time that you can.
  Of course, the other Member who is being honored here today, Tom 
Bevill, whom I have had the pleasure of serving with not only in this 
body but in the committee and on his subcommittee of recent years, I do 
not know how I can summarize this man's life in Congress in 2 or 3 
minutes. In fact, I do not think I can. But I am reminded of something 
that was written some years ago that I think applies to Tom Bevill as 
well as anything that I could say, and I am just going to quote it.
  The writing was, ``Real generosity is doing something nice for 
someone who will never find it out.''
  And, Mr. Speaker, there are thousands of people in my district and in 
every district in this country who

[[Page H10668]]

would not know Tom Bevill's name and yet who have benefited 
magnificently from his work here in this body. He has been so many 
things to so many people, touching the lives of millions of people who 
would not know his name if they heard it and likely never will.
  And that is the nature of the labors of Tom Bevill. To his 
colleagues, he is both the quiet, genteel, gentle man who served as 
chairman of a very powerful subcommittee of this body, and he is a very 
caring southern gentleman in the corridors of this Capitol.
  To his constituents back home, he was and is a man and leader who 
rose to one of the most powerful positions in the Federal Government 
and yet never forgot where he came from, where he lives, who he is, who 
sent him here, and what he could do for his district and his Nation.
  And as has been said, the evidence of his devotion to his people back 
home is evident in every corner of his district in Alabama. And not 
just in his home district, as Terry has said, but throughout the State 
of Alabama and certainly throughout the Nation.
  His support for higher education is symbolized by the tremendous 
assistance he has been to the University of Alabama. His appreciation 
for his State's lands and rivers. I mentioned the Little River Canyon 
National Preserve as one star in his crown. And, of course, as has been 
mentioned, the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway. I will not forget going 
down to the dedication of that great economic boost to the entirety of 
the Southeast United States, and being so proud to stand there as Tom 
Bevill was lauded by the people of his home region and the rest of this 
country for that signal improvement to the Southeast.
  And of course I have been a very close friend with Tom over the years 
on so many fronts, but one comes to mind immediately, and that is his 
tremendous work on behalf of the Appalachian Regional Commission, a 
region that we share, and the ARC would not exist today had it not been 
for the work of Tom Bevill. It would have been done away with years 
ago; certainly the funding would have been sliced to a negligible 
amount.
  The same can be said of the Tennessee Valley Authority, which has 
meant so much to the economic growth of the entire South. And since Tom 
Bevill has been here, the TVA has had no bigger and better or more 
effective supporter and promoter than Tom Bevill.
  We could talk about the silent work that he has done for which there 
is no notoriety or credit, even dating back to his very first days in 
the Congress, on this committee responsible, among other things, for 
the Nation's nuclear capability. It is this subcommittee that Tom 
Bevill chaired for so many years that funded the Nation's nuclear 
weaponry, and of course that had to be done in supersecrecy.
  And I know personally of the long hours that Tom Bevill has sat and 
worked with the most powerful weaponry known to mankind, being sure 
that this Nation was prepared in the eventuality of that awful event of 
Armageddon. And through most of the cold war era it was Tom Bevill who 
sat in the hall and decided how much money would be spent and for what 
in the Nation's preparation for our nuclear protection. That is a 
thankless job that Tom Bevill did with great effectiveness and pride.
  But my personal point of view, my district's point of view, there are 
literally thousands of people today in my district who are now 
protected from the ravages of nature, flooding, that Tom Bevill saw to. 
And I suspect a great many Members of this body can say exactly the 
same thing, but I can say it with feeling, as can they, that Tom, our 
people thank you for your dedication to their well-being; people who 
never saw, people probably that would not recognize your name, except 
when I tell them who did it, that are now protected from these almost 
annual ravages of having their homes washed away, their family Bibles 
destroyed, their family pictures washed away. Everything they have 
would be gone. Today they can say they are safe because of your service 
to your country and to them in this great body. The infrastructure of 
our country has done well because of your tenure.
  I am reminded of two stonecutters who were asked the same question, 
and I say this because Tom Bevill kept in mind why he was here all the 
while. He did not waiver. He did not wander, he was always there. Two 
stonecutters were asked the same question: What are you doing? The 
first one said, ``I am cutting this block into two pieces.'' The second 
one, though, said, ``I am on a team and we are building a cathedral.''
  Tom has been on the team, and he has been building not a cathedral 
but a much, much better America, and for that we are eternally thankful 
to him.
  I have to say this in closing, too. His wife, Lou, was one of my and 
my late wife Shirley's best friends. These two people, as his close 
friends and even distant friends know, are two of the best people that 
God ever created. Lou, an accomplished musician among other things in 
her life, is a true American and a great American, and someone that we 
are going to miss almost as much as Tom, if not more so. But we are 
going to miss the service of a gentle man. He was gentle, and yet when 
it came to the things that he believed in, a better America, he was 
tenacious and he persevered and at times was even ferocious in his 
defense of these things so important to him, his district, and our 
people across the country.
  I know that Tom and Lou are going to enjoy the next phase of their 
life. We hope for the very, very best. We hope that they will at least 
come back and honor us with their presence, because we are going to 
sorely miss their personal friendship in their absence from us for what 
time they are absent.
  So, Tom, in your next phase of your life, we wish you Godspeed.
  Mr. CALLAHAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Kentucky. And I 
now recognize the gentleman from Alabama [Mr. Bachus].
  Mr. BACHUS. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Callahan.
  Mr. Cramer mentioned the Alabama delegation and what a special group 
I think we are. I think he said it better than I would have said it 
when he said that party labels come second. We put the interest of the 
State first.
  We have not had the partisan wrangling that we have sort of seen in 
this Congress in our delegation. We really like each other, we work 
well together, we cooperate together. It is the sort of bipartisanship 
that this country needs, and you see it in the Alabama delegation. And 
I think that the two gentleman we are here to give tribute to today are 
two of the big reasons for that.
  Glen Browder and Tom Bevill, you all were here before I came. You 
worked well together. You worked well with Sonny Callahan and Bill 
Dickenson, and you sort of established that tradition in the Alabama 
delegation, something that I benefited from, something that the State 
of Alabama has benefited from, our delegation, working together for the 
good of the State and for the Nation. And, first of all, I think that 
is a legacy that you all will leave with those who stay behind, that we 
will continue as an Alabama delegation to put aside petty politics and 
party labels for the best interests of our State.

                              {time}  1630

  So I compliment you first for that.
  Second, I compliment you for the fact that you have been a good 
example to me, both of you. When I came here, I came into a Congress 
where I was a Member of a minority party. And probably the first month 
I was here, the first legislation that I decided to sponsor, a little 
piece of legislation, saved a little bit of money in the total picture, 
but I went to Tom Bevill. I am not sure at that time I appreciated that 
he was a powerful cardinal on appropriations. I probably did not even 
know that I was not supposed to be approaching him at the time, but I 
approached him and I asked him to cosponsor my bill with me.
  He could have said, I am not going to cosponsor a bill with you. You 
are a little Republican freshman and I am not going to give you the 
benefit of my reputation. It is too small a bill. It is just too 
inconsequential. I am working on important issues that affect this 
country every day. I do not want to give a young Republican Congressman 
anything that might give him an advantage.
  But, no, Mr. Speaker, he put all of that aside. He saw that it was 
good legislation, and he cosponsored it with

[[Page H10669]]

me. I was able to get Members on both sides of the aisle to join with 
me in that legislation because Tom Bevill's name was on that 
legislation.
  I will never forget that, Tom. Mr. Rogers from Kentucky, his district 
and your district are very much alike. One is in Kentucky; one is in 
Alabama. But they are Appalachia. They are hard-working people. They 
are God-fearing people. And he much better than I could describe, he 
served with you here longer. He has known you and Lou, he and his late 
wife Shirley. You all were good friends. He knows you man to man. He 
can much better talk about your legacy than I can. I enjoyed listening 
to that. I can simply say that I second everything that he said in that 
regard. He certainly gave a wonderful tribute to you.
  I would only add to that by saying that I have been so impressed with 
your wife, Lou Bevill. She sort of, I guess if you pick out someone 
that you want your wife to sort of use as a role model, because she is 
here, she is up here and she, as my wife is, they are both here with us 
during the week. I am so impressed with her, her and Mike Heflin. It is 
hard to talk about Glen Browder and Tom Bevill without thinking about 
Senator Heflin because that is sort of a dynamic trio that we are going 
to be without. I am going to miss you; I am going to miss Lou. I am 
going to miss Senator Heflin, and I am going to miss Mike. It is hard 
to think of you without thinking of Lou. It is hard to think about 
Senator Heflin without thinking about Mike. I wanted to tell you how 
much I appreciated her and her example.
  Mr. Everett mentioned the joke about every building in north Alabama 
having a Bevill center. I told you about a year ago at a reception that 
we had, I was actually trying to describe a town in your district to 
someone. And I described it as having a railroad that ran through it 
and about two traffic lights. It was on Highway 78. That really did not 
give them much of an indication.
  I remembered that there was a building in the town that said the 
Bevill Building. I said, it has a building named after Tom Bevill. And 
actually this person's remark back to me was, You have not eliminated 
one town on Highway 78 by saying it had a Bevill Building in it.
  So you have left behind in your district a better place and something 
that you can be proud of.
  They mentioned the University of Alabama. You have been committed 
also to our community colleges in Alabama. Even as a member of the 
State legislature, Glen and I preceded you several years later, but you 
were one of the first in Alabama to recognize that not everybody could 
go to the University of Alabama; not everybody could go 120 miles to 
Auburn University. So some people had to go in their communities. If 
they had to travel over 20 or 30 or 40 miles, they simply would not get 
an education. And you were one of the people in Alabama who led the 
fight for community colleges. Thousands and literally millions of 
Alabamians owe that part of their education to your insight and your 
wisdom and your participation in that.
  Glen Browder, I will tell you a tribute, once a man asked me if I 
would recommend him for a job. I said that I would recommend him 
because he had coached my little boy in Little League and he had done a 
good job. You learn something about somebody when they coach your son 
in Little League baseball. You get a real insight into them. And I 
remember that when I came up here and Glen Browder and I were going to 
serve together, I knew Glen, as we had been in the State legislature 
together. You had been a constitutional officer in the State. I had 
been. But I knew you as capable. I knew you as articulate. I knew you 
as a good man. But Randy Dempsey, one of my law partners, he had been 
in your class. You taught him at Jacksonville State. And you had 
evidently been a mentor to him and you had encouraged him.
  He shared with me what a fine teacher you were and how you really 
cared about your students and how your students really enjoyed your 
classes. You did a good job and you really cared about the students. 
Glen, that has always impressed me, that someone who was there in your 
classroom had such a wonderful opinion of you.
  Becky, your wife, people like Becky, people are impressed with Becky. 
There, again, both of you, you all have several similarities. One is 
that you are committed to your family. You are committed to your 
marriages. I commend you. You are a good example in that regard.
  Glen, you are going to leave a legacy to our gulf war veterans. That 
is something that I came about 25 minutes ago and I had not heard 
anybody mention. But I am not sure if you are not the first person to 
go over to the Pentagon and say, we have got people that have returned 
from the gulf war. They are sick.
  Mr. CALLAHAN. Mr. Speaker, I hate to interrupt the gentleman from 
Birmingham, but we only have 4 minutes left and we have two more 
distinguished speakers.
  Mr. BACHUS. I will simply say this, Glen. That is a devastating 
illness. You have been at the forefront of that and you are to be 
commended on that. And all our gulf veterans and all of us who support 
the military owe you a debt of gratitude for that.
  Mr. CALLAHAN. I certainly hate to interrupt the gentleman.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Minnesota, Mr. Vento.
  Mr. VENTO. I thank the gentleman, Mr. Callahan, for this special 
order and wanted to commend my friends and colleagues, Congressmen Tom 
Bevill and Glen Browder. I think that what we see epitomized in these 
two good national policymakers is the magic of what happens in 
Congress.
  People are elected with many different talents and they assume 
responsibility here, and although they are not specialists in national 
security or specialists in the role, they grow into that role and do 
yeoman's service. That certainly is the case with our friend Glen 
Browder, and Tom Bevill has grown really to be a giant in the work he 
has done in trying to hold together programs like the Corps of 
Engineers.
  Over 30 years we have seen that evolve from a far different role than 
what it has played before. It really shows up when you work with him on 
a different project, as we did with a park unit in his district. It was 
one of the easier jobs I have had chairing the committee because I did 
not have to ask anyone to help. Tom did all the work, and he had helped 
so many Members of Congress and had had such an impact that it was 
obviously with acclaim that that was enacted. Tom, it was a tough job 
for you but we commend you and Lou and Glen and Becky, and we wish you 
well. I know in the case of Glen it is just an interruption in terms of 
his public service. We look to see him back in action quite soon. Best 
wishes to you all. Thank you for your services for the country.
  Mr. Speaker, let me congratulate Tom Bevill and thank his colleague 
from Alabama for sponsoring this special order in Tom Bevill's and Glen 
Browder's honor. These are really two good Members who will be missed 
and reflect very positively upon the Congress, their good State of 
Alabama, and the Nation.
  Glen Browder a teacher, farmer, Alabama State legislator, and State 
official served in Congress for 8 years, and has made an impressive 
contribution in national security and congressional reform issues. Glen 
sought election to the other body, and for the moment is sidelined from 
public service but I've every expectation that our friend Glen Browder 
will be back in public service in the near future. My best to Glen, 
Becky, and their family as they make a transition within public 
service.
  Tom Bevill for over 30 years has labored and contributed in his role 
of representing the people of Alabama in the U.S. House. His work on 
the Appropriations Committee has been very important, in the last years 
he has reformed and guided this program of projects based on merit not 
just legislative clout.
  Tom has been my neighbor in the Rayburn Office Building these past 10 
years. We've spent many days walking back and forth to the floor to 
vote, he has been a good counselor and friend. I was pleased to work 
with Tom on the Little River Canyon National Park Unit in the 
authorizing process as I led the Parks and Public Lands Subcommittee, 
one of the easier tasks I had because Tom really did the heavy lifting. 
He had more friends, both Democrats and Republicans, that were 
interested in helping which is a real tribute for Tom Bevill. Naturally 
this became the first national park unit in Alabama, a legacy that will 
hopefully be in Alabama forever a testament to Congressman Bevill.
  My colleague, my friend, you have well earned your place in our 
affection and best wishes to you Tom, Lou and the family in the years 
ahead as you enjoy your free time from the duties of service in the 
Congress.

[[Page H10670]]

  Mr. CALLAHAN. I yield to the gentleman from Maryland [Mr. Hoyer].
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend, Cardinal Callahan, for 
yielding.
  Mr. CALLAHAN. You may approach.
  Mr. HOYER. I have just a few minutes. Two decent Americans are 
leaving the service of the people's House at the end of this year. This 
House will be a lesser body for their departure. Alabama will have 
suffered a significant loss.
  Each of us individually in this House will have lost good friends. 
Glen Browder is a relative newcomer relative to Mr. Bevill but then 
again, most of us are relative newcomers relative to Mr. Bevill. Glen 
Browder, as Spence Bachus indicated, is someone who cares about people, 
who is a capable, able, regular guy that you would be proud to have as 
your dad or your brother or your uncle or as your Congressman. I have 
been honored to serve with him.
  Tom Bevill is a giant. Tom Bevill helped America invest in its 
future. One of the first votes I cast was on the Tennessee-Tombigbee 
when I came here to Congress. It was a controversial vote. It was the 
right vote. Tom Bevill stood and said if America is to grow, if we are 
to create jobs, if we are to have economic viability and be competitive 
in world markets, we need to invest in America.
  Tom Bevill is my friend and he is an historic figure in this body. 
Few Members who have ever served in this House will be able to look 
back on their record of making America better. That is Tom Bevill's. 
God bless you, Tom.
  Mr. CALLAHAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Alabama, Mr. 
Hilliard.
  Mr. HILLIARD. Mr. Speaker, I am very appreciative for the time to 
both of my friends, Tom Bevill as well as Glen Browder. I am very happy 
to have had the pleasure to serve with both of them. I have known Glen 
Browder for about 20 years. We served together in the Alabama State 
Legislature, and it was indeed a pleasure to have had the opportunity 
to serve with him there as well as here.
  But to my good friend Tom Bevill, he has been a true Alabamian, he 
has been a true American. He has been true to the cause. He has been 
fantastic in what he has done for this country. I congratulate him for 
his length of service, and I thank you for giving me the opportunity of 
being here with you.
  I will surely miss both Tom Bevill and Glen Browder. We have been 
lucky, and yes, blessed, to have had two such strong Congressmen as 
these men, they are able and true. First, I must mention my good 
friend, Tom Bevill of Alabama's Fourth District. Mr. Bevill, as 
chairman of the Appropriations' Energy and Water Development 
Subcommittee created the Tenn-Tomm Waterway which flows through the 
length of my district. Just last week, Tom helped me in my efforts to 
stop the flooding along Birmingham's Village Creek, an area which is 
not even close to Mr. Bevill's district, but that is the kind of man he 
is, kind and caring, a real gentleman.
  Also, Mr. Speaker, allow me to say how much I will also miss 
Alabama's Glen Browder, of the Third District. Glen, a former political 
science professor, as well as a member of the Alabama Legislature, 
brought a professionalism to the House and to the Armed Services 
Committee which is hard to beat.
  We will miss both of you, Congressman Bevill and Mr. Browder.
  Mr. CALLAHAN. Mr. Speaker, in closing, let me thank the Speaker for 
his patience. I recognize our time has expired. The gentleman from 
Louisiana, I think, is next going to be recognized and he has indicated 
since so many Members want to pay homage to Tom that he may yield some 
time to them. But this is not a eulogy. This is just an appreciation 
ceremony to two great Americans.
  Mr. STOKES. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague, the 
distinguished gentleman from Alabama, Sonny Callahan, for reserving 
this special order. We gather today to pay tribute to retiring members 
of the Alabama congressional delegation. I am honored to join my 
colleagues in saluting Congressman Glen Browder, who represents the 
Third Congressional District of Alabama.
  Glen Bowder was elected to the U.S. Congress in a special election in 
1989. Prior to his election, Glen served in the Alabama State House of 
Representatives from 1982 to 1986. In 1986, Glen Browder won election 
as Alabama's Secretary of State, and served with distinction in that 
capacity. Thus, he came to this legislative body armed with strong 
political skills and a commitment to public service. During his 7-year 
tenure in the Congress, the Nation has benefited as a result of his 
leadership on important issues.
  Mr. Speaker, Glen Browder has served with distinction on the National 
Security Committee where he is a member of the Subcommittee on Military 
Installations and Facilities, and Military Readiness. In addition, he 
is the ranking minority member of the Subcommittee on Morale, Welfare 
and Recreation. Glen has also served with distinction as a member of 
the House Budget Committee.
  During his career in the House, we recall Glen Browder's efforts to 
serve his constituents by keeping Fort McClellan Army Base operational. 
He has pushed the Defense Department to be more forthcoming on the use 
of chemical weapons during the Persian Gulf war. Glen Browder has also 
gained respect for spearheading efforts to reform our Nation's campaign 
finance regulations. His hard work has earned him the respect and 
admiration of his colleagues and others across the Nation.
  Mr. Speaker, as he departs this legislative Chamber, we pause to pay 
tribute to Glen Browder. He is a skilled legislator whose voice will be 
missed in the Halls of Congress. We also extend our good wishes to his 
wife, Becky, and members of the Browder family. Glen is a good friend 
who will always be remembered.
  Mr. RICHARDSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join my colleagues in 
acknowledging one of the finest Members of the House of 
Representatives, Tom Bevill.
  As a Member of this House since 1966, Tom has been a respected and 
intellectual leader. His work as chairman of the Subcommittee on Energy 
and Water Appropriations has produced the Nation's major energy 
research programs and America's water resource projects. Tom has also 
been a true advocate for senior citizens by working hard in defense of 
Social Security.
  I want to specifically mention that Tom always found time amidst his 
extremely busy schedule to consider the concerns of other Members. I 
remember a time when Tom came to my home State of New Mexico to study 
the irrigation needs of the Hispanic communities in my district. 
Because of Tom's assistance and support, many of New Mexico's centuries 
old irrigation ditches, so-called acequias, have received critical 
congressional funding for needed repair and restoration. Not only did 
Tom devote his energy and skill to his constituents, but he also found 
time to care about mine.
  Tom added dignity to this House by working in the spirit of 
bipartisanship, and he will definitely be missed. Good luck, Tom and 
thank you for all you have done for this great institution.
  Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I feel particularly privileged to be able to 
say farewell to Representatives Tom Bevill and Glen Browder of Alabama 
as friends as well as beloved colleagues in the House. I have learned 
much from them, and I appreciate their having allowed me to grow as a 
Member by drawing from the wealth of their experience and their 
knowledge.
  Tom Bevill was elected a full 10 years ahead of my election to the 
House, in 1966, and he has been reelected by overwhelming margins ever 
since by the folks he represents in Alabama's Fourth Congressional 
District.
  As chairman of the Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee, Tom 
has stood with me many, many times on behalf of the people I serve in 
southern West Virginia as we worked together to facilitate development 
of West Virginia's waterways and energy development projects. My 
constituents have benefited greatly through Tom's willingness to listen 
and to understand and to respond to the needs of my congressional 
district with respect to water resources development and Corps of 
Engineers projects throughout southern West Virginia.
  Tom Bevill's mastery of the appropriations process is legendary. The 
people of the Fourth Congressional District of Alabama are indeed 
fortunate to have had such a champion fighting for their needs all 
these years, and he will be long remembered by all of us who remain 
behind here in this body as the man who helped each of us better serve 
our own constituents. He is a man who believed that every dollar he 
ever appropriated was spent on a worthy cause--to help someone down on 
his luck, to help a community grow, to help a university educate its 
young people, to ensure that a small child had enough to eat. And he 
believed that money for these purposes needed to be spent in Alabama, 
and in West Virginia, and in every State in the Union.
  Tom Bevill has served with distinction, pride, integrity and style. 
He will be sorely missed in the years to come by this House of 
Representatives.
  Glen Browder, elected in 1989, has served with distinction on the 
National Security Committee, formerly the Armed Services Committee, 
where he has labored to fulfill a responsibility to assure that our 
Nation's military readiness is second to none in the world.

[[Page H10671]]

  While many of us in the House never served on committees with 
jurisdiction over out national security, I knew, and my colleagues 
knew, that we could rely upon Glen's knowledge and expertise in the 
area of national defense in keeping us strong as a nation and ready to 
defend our country, its people, and our allies abroad. We knew that 
Glen's thoroughness and his vast knowledge about our armed services and 
military readiness, would lead to a reasonable and responsible use of 
our vast military resources where they would do the most good.
  Glen also served his constituents in the Third Congressional District 
of Alabama, not only by making wise decisions of our Nation's security, 
but by taking great care to see to the domestic needs of the people in 
Alabama's Third Congressional District. He combined his natural 
leadership skills with his innate sensitivity to their socioeconomic 
circumstances in order to improve the lives of his people.
  Above all, both Tom and Glen deeply believed in good Government 
throughout their tenures in the House, and their years of service and 
commitment to good government is visible across this great country. I 
commend them for their diligent service to Alabama and to the United 
States.
  I wish them both Godspeed.
  Mr. STOKES. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague, the 
distinguished gentleman from Alabama, Sonny Callahan, for reserving 
this special order. We gather today to pay tribute to retiring members 
of the Alabama congressional delegation. I am honored to join my 
colleagues in paying special tribute to Tom Bevill, who will depart the 
U.S. Congress at the end of this legislative session.
  Tom Bevill was first elected to the U.S. Congress on November 8, 
1966. His retirement brings to a close a 30-year career in public 
service. I share the sentiments of many others who state that Tom is 
one of the most respected and effective Members to have served in this 
legislative body.
  Mr. Speaker, Tom Bevill is a senior member of the House 
Appropriations Committee and the former chairman of its Subcommittee on 
Energy and Water Development. He is also a member of the Appropriations 
Subcommittee on the Interior. Through these assignments, Tom Bevill has 
been instrumental in funding the Nation's major energy research 
programs and our Nation's water resource development projects.
  The Fourth Congressional District of Alabama has benefited as a 
result of Tom Bevill's commitment and hard work. I recall working 
closely with Tom Bevill on the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway project. It 
was an important initiative that could not have gone forward without 
his strong leadership. During his tenure in Congress, Tom has also 
demonstrated a steadfast commitment to education. A leading defender of 
Social Security and Medicare, as well as a a strong advocate for health 
care, Tom has earned the support of our Nation's seniors.
  Mr. Speaker, I have been privileged to serve in the Congress with Tom 
Bevill. He is a skilled lawmaker and a dedicated public servant. He is 
also a gentleman and a close personal friend. Throughout our 
Appropriations Committee and floor deliberations, he as been the voice 
of reason and compassion. Members on both sides of the aisle will agree 
that over the years, Tom Bevill has taught us valuable lessons about 
working together and public service. I am proud to share a very special 
relationship with Tom Bevill. He is someone whom I greatly admire and 
respect.
  Mr. Speaker, as he departs this legislative Chamber, I join my 
colleagues in saluting Tom Bevill for a job well done. I also extend my 
best wishes to his charming wife, Lou, and members of the Bevill 
family. Tom Bevill will be missed in the Halls of Congress. We take 
pride in knowing, however, that he leaves behind a record of 
legislative achievement and service that will stand in the years to 
come.

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