[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 106 (Friday, July 31, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S9613]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       BILL TUTTLE, 69, VICTIM AND OPPONENT OF SMOKELESS TOBACCO

 Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, a baseball star died this week. 
Bill Tuttle, centerfielder for the Detroit Tigers, Kansas City 
Athletics, and Minnesota Twins over a period of 11 years, succumbed to 
oral cancer after a five-year battle. Among baseball fans, Mr. Tuttle's 
baseball card picture, with a bulging cheek full of chewing tobacco, is 
well-known. Unfortunately, that ever-present wad of tobacco was his 
undoing. Over the past five years, it cost him part of his jaw, his 
cheek, a number of teeth, his taste buds, and ultimately his life.
  To his credit, when Mr. Tuttle realized what spit tobacco, as he 
accurately called it, had begun to do to him, he devoted the last years 
of his life to warning other ballplayers about what might happen to 
them if they too use spit tobacco. But he did more than reach out to 
his fellow ballplayers. He spent many hours and days working to prevent 
young people from starting to use this addictive product.
  I ask that a letter be printed in the Record that I received from 
Bill Tuttle during the debate on the tobacco bill earlier this year. It 
describes his firsthand experience of the ravages of spit tobacco and 
his efforts to educate children, as well as Major League players, about 
the dangers of spit tobacco use.
  Spit tobacco is addictive, causes cancer and other serious illnesses, 
and leaves a trail of devastation among its victims and their families. 
It is essential that we listen to the words of Bill Tuttle and others 
like him, and continue to fight to prevent the use of smokeless tobacco 
by our Nation's kids.
  The letter follows:
                                                     May 18, 1998.
       The Honorable Members of the United States Senate: My name 
     is Bill Tuttle. I hope that some of you remember me as a 
     former Major League Baseball player who played with the 
     Minnesota Twins, Detroit Tigers, and Kansas City Athletics. 
     But, I hope more of you know me as a staunch anti-spit 
     tobacco fighter who, at this very moment, is literally 
     fighting for his life. Little did I know when I started 
     experimenting with spit tobacco some forty years ago at the 
     invitation of a fellow ballplayer, that spit tobacco would 
     become such a major part of my life and death. I chewed every 
     day for many years, right up until the time I was diagnosed 
     with oral cancer five years ago. I have undergone numerous 
     operations to remove cancerous growths in my head and neck. I 
     have endured unimaginable pain and disfigurement from the 
     surgeries and treatments and I have been literally cut apart 
     and patched back together. My family has suffered with me 
     every step of the way. Life has been a living hell for 
     several years now.
       I have been blessed, however, with the opportunity to talk 
     to others about the dangers of spit tobacco, particularly 
     young people. I know that the temptation to try new things, 
     especially forbidden things, can be tough for young people. 
     In my message to the thousands of youngsters that I have 
     talked to, I have emphasized that they just should not start 
     using any form of tobacco. If you don't start, you'll never 
     need to stop. But once started, tobacco use can literally 
     addict you to a substance that stands a good chance of 
     killing you. Even after enduring several surgeries and having 
     half of my face cut away, I hate to admit that I still have a 
     craving to try spit tobacco. That's how addicting spit 
     tobacco can be.
       I have had some excellent partners in the fight against 
     spit tobacco. Joe Garagiola, Oral Health America, The Robert 
     Wood Johnson Foundation, Major League Baseball, the Major 
     League Baseball Player Association, the Professional Baseball 
     Athletic Trainers Society, and others have supported me in 
     many ways. But my most ardent supporter and best friend is my 
     wife Gloria. She has accompanied me on my visits to schools, 
     community meetings, and spring training. She has become an 
     expert on spit tobacco, particularly what it can do to 
     destroy lives and families.
       I am sorry that I can not meet you in person to talk about 
     his matter as my physical condition just won't permit it. But 
     I wish to implore you to become a partner in the fight 
     against spit tobacco. So many of you have already done so 
     much to move badly needed tobacco legislation forward that we 
     must not stop short of the goal--that is to make tobacco 
     products, including spit tobacco, as unavailable and 
     unattractive to young people as possible. I urge you to take 
     the necessary action that will address spit tobacco as 
     aggressively as you will smoking. We need taxes that make all 
     tobacco equally unattractive for young people. We need to 
     monitor not just highly addicted daily users, but also 
     experimenters, if we are to practice prevention and be able 
     to measure progress. And we need to tell people the truth 
     about the addictive nature of spit tobacco, including putting 
     the nicotine content on labels. None of us wishes to see spit 
     tobacco become the bargain basement pathway for young people 
     into a lifetime of tobacco addiction.
       On May 19, 1998, my wife Gloria and I will be honored at 
     the Metrodome in Minneapolis as the first recipients of the 
     Bill Tuttle Award. This recognition of our efforts to try to 
     save American children from hazards of tobacco use is greatly 
     appreciated. At the same time, however, this is a very sad 
     occasion for us. We both know that my remaining time in this 
     fight and our remaining time together is limited. It would 
     honor us greatly if you, as the distinguished elected leaders 
     of our country, would commit to an aggressive course of 
     action against spit tobacco. That would be a big league 
     accomplishment and one for which you would never be 
     forgotten.
           Sincerely,
     Bill Tuttle.

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