[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 11 (Thursday, February 12, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E172]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO LOUIS R. MARCHESE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. SIDNEY R. YATES

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 12, 1998

  Mr. YATES. Mr. Speaker, a year ago Monday, on February 9, 1997, Mr. 
Louis R. Marchese, 65, died at his home in Arlington Heights, IL. I 
rise today to pay tribute to this fine man on the anniversary of his 
death.
  I was acquainted with Lou Marchese through his son Steven, my 
Legislative Director for Foreign Operations Appropriations. Lou was a 
prominent lawyer in Illinois, nationally recognized for his work in the 
wholesale-distribution industry. More importantly, he was a man of 
integrity and high moral character.
  Lou was the consummate self made man. His beginnings were humble; his 
parents were first generation Italians. He worked hard to rise above 
the trappings of poverty, and was the first in his family to attend 
college.
  Education was a priority for Lou, and only took a backseat when he 
served in the Army during the Korean War. He later used the GI bill to 
attend law school at DePaul University in Chicago. He began his legal 
career at the Chicago Association of Commerce and Industry and it was 
there that he developed a lifelong affinity for the needs of the 
American businessman.
  He was active in a number of industries, and was a leader among his 
peers. He served on the board of directors for many organizations and 
was instrumental in forming national, regional, and local trade 
associations to champion the rights of small, family-owned businesses.
  During his long and distinguished career, he helped to build the law 
firm that would later bear his name, Halfpenny, Hahn, Roche & Marchese. 
Lou's expertise was sought in the areas of antitrust, trade regulation, 
and interstate taxation. He was well-published and the author of 
several books on the legal aspects of distribution.
  He loved representing entrepreneurial firms, as he knew they were the 
backbone of a successful national economy. To achieve this end, he 
created the Distribution Research and Education Foundation, an 
organization dedicated to promoting wholesale-distribution.
  Lou won recognition as a leading legal authority in the automotive 
industry, receiving the industry's leadership award in 1983. He also is 
one of only two individuals outside of the automotive field to be 
elected to the Automotive Hall of Fame.
  Mr. Speaker, despite all of Lou's many accomplishments, he was 
proudest of all of his family. He is survived by his wife of 36 years, 
Marge, and his five children, Anne, Mary Ellen, John, Meg, and of 
course Steve. It is within these fine individuals that his legacy 
continues today.
  I am honored to have known such an outstanding gentleman as Lou 
Marchese. His sense of humor and commanding presence will be sorely 
missed by all those whose lives he touched. Lou's death was a great 
loss to the legal community and to all whom had the pleasure to meet 
him. I consider myself lucky to have been one of them.

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