[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 134 (Wednesday, September 25, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1692-E1693]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF FREEDOM TO MORRIS UDALL

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. GEORGE MILLER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 24, 1996

  Mr. MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, two weeks ago, President Bill 
Clinton awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to our former 
colleague, and my good friend, Morris Udall. I can not think of a more 
deserving recipient of our nation's highest civilian award.
  Mo represented the 2nd District of Arizona in Congress for 30 years, 
coming in as a young upstart bent on dismantling the old seniority 
system and leaving as one of our most revered senior Members.
  Mo served as Chairman of the House Interior and Insular Affairs 
Committee for fourteen years. He was instrumental in leading the way 
for the enactment of landmark legislation protecting the environment as 
well as the rights of American Indians and those living in the U.S. 
Territories.
  Some of the laws which now stand as a testament to Chairman Udall 
are: the Alaska Lands Act, the 1984 Wilderness Act, the 1982 Nuclear 
Waste Management Act, the American Indian Religious Freedom Act, the 
Indian Child Welfare Act, the Alcohol and Substance Abuse Prevention 
and Treatment Act, the Native American Graves Protection and 
Repatriation Act of 1989, the National Trails System Improvements Act 
of 1988, the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968, the Federal Land 
Policy and Management Act of 1976, the Archaeological Resources 
Protection Act of 1979, the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act, 
and the Compact of Free Association with the Trust Territories of the 
Pacific.
  Mr. Speaker, Mo Udall was so successful in getting legislation passed 
because he was a master at building coalitions out of diverse 
interests. I am inspired each time I sit in the Morris K. Udall hearing 
room of the Longworth House Office Building where Mo served and 
presided for three decades. Mo's portrait looking down at us from its 
perch over the fireplace reminds me of the fairness, humor, and dignity 
with which he ran the committee. The issues before the Interior (now 
Resources) Committee have always been contentious. But Mo Udall was 
able to bring us all together to make the important decisions on how 
best to protect our precious natural resources for future generations.

[[Page E1693]]

  In 1976 Mo ran for President of the United States. Many say his 
incredible wit and unabashed kindness got in his way. He simply would 
not attack his opponents. After coming in a close second in numerous 
primary battles, Mo stepped back and refocused on the environment. He 
also put his carefully collected notes together and authored Too Funny 
to Be President, a compilation of some of his favorite campaign stories 
and political humor. I think he wrote this book so he could just hand 
it out each time one of us came up to him and ask him to tell a story 
just one more time so we could get it straight and then use it 
ourselves.
  Mo is a World War II veteran and played professional basketball for 
the Denver Nuggets; he is also an attorney and private pilot. Mo lost 
one of his eyes in a childhood accident. His basketball prowess was so 
unaffected by this disability that one sport reporter claimed the false 
eye to be a myth.
  Mo's stories are legendary. He made us laugh, he made us think, and 
he made this Nation a better place for our children and our children's 
children. As we get caught up in this contentiousness and tumult of 
this Congress, we should ponder one of Mo Udall's most oft repeated 
lines: ``Oh Lord, may you help me today to utter words which are soft 
and tender--for tomorrow I may have to eat them.''
  Mr. Speaker, today our friend Mo Udall remains in a nursing home not 
far from here. Parkinson's Disease has rendered this excellent 
communicator unable to regale us with his wisdom and his wit. Yet his 
good deeds here will be long remembered, just as they so appropriately 
earned him the Medal of Freedom.
  Congratulations, Mo, on receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

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