[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 137 (Saturday, September 28, 1996)]
[House]
[Pages H12168-H12169]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           RETIREMENT REMARKS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Illinois [Mrs. Collins] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. COLLINS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, many years ago when my husband 
George and I were making decisions about our future careers, I decided 
that I wanted to be a tax attorney and had thought seriously of 
attending law school. George, on the other hand, decided that he wanted 
to become an elected official in the city of Chicago politics.
  Well, as our lives unfolded, he became the committeeman of the 24th 
Ward regular Democratic organization in Chicago's west side and in 1973 
its alderman in the Chicago city council. Following that he was elected 
to become a member of this illustrious body in the 91st Congress and 
served here until his ill-fated airplane crash that claimed his life on 
December 8, 1972.
  I, of course, was suddenly a widow with an awesome responsibility of 
rearing our 13-year-old son alone. But apparently I was not destined to 
become a lawyer but instead to become a maker of laws. On June 7, 1973, 
I was elected to fill his unexpired term and repesent the people of 
Chicago, IL's Seventh Congressional District in the 93d Congress.

  When I arrived here, it was during one of the most exciting and 
challenging periods of my life and in our Nation's history. Liberalism 
was not the dirty word that it appears to be today. The feminist 
movement was in high gear. And the Vietnam War was raging. Watergate 
was just about to unfold. Yes, those were heady times. The Equal Rights 
Amendment had just passed the House of Representatives the year before. 
And learning the truth about the break-in at the Democratic 
headquarters in Watergate and urging Congress to set a date certain for 
the withdrawal of troops from Vietnam were the three most pressing 
issues that I faced in this body.
  At the same time, of course, I had to confront the most stressful and 
emotional issue of all, and that was the bereavement of my husband and 
of leaving my son behind to be cared for by my now dear departed mother 
who did an excellent job.
  Upon this last time that I will stand in this well in this body, I am 
saddened for many reasons. First, because I will be saying goodbye to 
the wonderful, trusting, supportive constituents of Illinois's Seventh 
Congressional District. I thank them for the confidence they have shown 
in my ability to represent their interests and to advocate for their 
concerns in this body for nearly 24 years.
  Second, I will truly miss my friend, Bill Clay of Missouri, Charle 
Rangel of New York and Lou Stokes of Ohio, who immediately took me 
under their wings and have been my mentors and staunchest supporters 
throughout all of these years. I will also miss Carrie Meek and other 
women in the women's caucus and the black caucus. I have enjoyed their 
affection throughout this time and have given affection back to them.
  I do not want to leave here without saying thank you to my chairman, 
John Dingell, who allowed me a free hand in chairing the Commerce 
Committee that was entitled Commerce, Consumer Protection and 
Competitiveness during the 102d and the 103d Congress.
  I salute our friend who is no longer here, Jack Brooks, who allowed 
me to chair several subcommittees under the old Government Operations 
Committee.
  I thank, too, my wonderful administrative assistant who has been with 
me for 16 of these long years, Bud Myers. And Gerri Houston, my 
executive assistant who has been here almost the same amount of time. 
Benny Montgomery my acting district administrator in Chicago, and all 
of the staff people both on my congressional offices here and in 
Chicago as well as David Schooler, our counselor on the Committee on 
Government Reform and Oversight who has been with me for a long time, 
and others on that committee who have served with all their dedication 
and loyalty for all of these years.
  Each of them has made my job serving the Seventh Congressional 
District so much more pleasurable and so much easier than it could have 
been otherwise.

[[Page H12169]]

  Finally, I want to thank each Member of this body for their 
friendship. I say to them, I hope that God will give they many 
blessings.
  Before closing, let me add another thing: It has been my opinion, Mr. 
Speaker, that we have here an awesome responsibility to protect our 
democracy and to defend our Constitution. Too often in today's debate 
on social economic policies, in this House of Representatives, I 
believe we have forgotten that we have the right to uphold these two 
important concepts of our Nation. It seems to me that during these 
nearly 24 years we have been in turmoil in this country on more than 
one occasion, but each time democracy has stood firm.

  That is why I am saddened that as I prepare to leave here, I see our 
country not the wonderful liberal, loving country to all of us that we 
were when I first came in 1973, but instead I see a resurgence of 
racism, of hatred, of meanness, of mean-spiritedness, and that leaves 
me extremely saddened.
  We know this is true because we hear it on talk radio. We see it in 
the burning of African-American and other churches. We hear it in 
remarks that are unkind and unwise. But you know, Mr. Speaker, I still 
believe in America because after having served here all of this time, I 
absolutely believe with all certainty that America can correct her 
failings if there is a public will to do so.
  So now as I leave here moments from now, I place my belief in my 
fellow Americans and in the Members who will come to this body in the 
105th Congress. I believe that they will in fact see to it that America 
lives up to the words of Thomas Wolfe who said:

       To every person his or her chance, to every person 
     regardless of birth their shining opportunity, to every 
     person, the right to live, to work, to be themselves, to 
     become whatever their ambitions and decisions combine to make 
     them. That is the promise of America.

  That is the promise I hope of the 105th Congress.
  I thank you all. I say farewell and Godspeed.

                          ____________________