[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 149 (Thursday, October 30, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S11489]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                   IN RECOGNITION OF ROBERT McNAMARA

 Mr. HOLLINGS. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize a man 
who exemplifies the American dream. Dr. Robert McNamara, an assistant 
professor of sociology at Furman University, rose from a childhood of 
Dickensian poverty and violence to become a successful writer, 
prodigious researcher, and beloved teacher. In addition to devoting 
much time to instructing and advising his students, he has published 
nine books; his most recent, ``Beating the Odds: Crime, Poverty, and 
Life in the Inner City,'' has just been released.
  In ``Beating the Odds,'' Dr. McNamara addresses some of our society's 
fundamental problems while relating them to the trials of his own 
impoverished childhood. Though it is unusual for an academic to 
intertwine memoir with analysis, Dr. McNamara's style makes his book 
all the more compelling.
  Bob McNamara was born in New Haven, CT, in 1960, the youngest of four 
boys. He and his family--``dirty, unkempt, and unruly''--lived a 
tenuous existence in a squalid section of the city. His abusive and 
alcoholic father was a compulsive gambler. McNamara's parents divorced 
when he was 10 years old. Neither wanted to raise him; after a time, 
they began paying other people to care for him.
  As an adolescent, Bob McNamara was sent to live with 19 different 
families. His abuse and exploitation at the hands of these so-called 
foster parents convinced him that ``being a foster child is one of the 
most frightening things that could ever happen to a young person.'' It 
was not until one of his high school football coaches realized his 
potential and decided to become his foster parent that McNamara gained 
a stable and nurturing home.
  With the help of supportive teachers and his new foster family, Bob 
McNamara turned his life around. He worked two jobs to pay for classes 
at the local community college. After succeeding there, he enrolled in 
the State university and commuted 60 miles each way to attend classes. 
He made outstanding grades and won a scholarship to Yale University, 
where he obtained his doctorate. While at Yale, he met another graduate 
student, Kristie Maher, whom he would later marry and who also teaches 
sociology at Furman University.
  Dr. Robert McNamara is a living example of the promise of American 
life. He was born into an abysmally poor and dysfunctional family, with 
no role models or guidance. He spent much of his childhood stealing for 
food and running with gangs. But he found purpose in the pursuit of 
knowledge and nurturing from his teachers, and went on to excell at one 
of America's elite universities. Today, he is an admired teacher and 
respected scholar.
  Mr. President, ``Beating the Odds'' is not just the title of Prof. 
Robert McNamara's latest and most inspiring book; it is the story of 
his life. In fact, beating the odds is what the American dream is all 
about.

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