[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 50 (Tuesday, April 13, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E632-E633]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                  A TRIBUTE TO THE LATE JOE DI MAGGIO

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. PETER DEUTSCH

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 13, 1999

  Mr. DEUTSCH. Mr. Speaker, last month the Nation lost a true American 
hero. I am deeply saddened that Joe DiMaggio, ``the Yankee Clipper,'' 
passed away at the age of 84 in his hometown of Hollywood, Florida, on 
March 8, 1999. We mourn the loss of a man whose legacy will be 
remembered for years to come. Indeed, Joe DiMaggio has a long and 
storied list of athletic accomplishments, but he is also remembered for 
his service to the South Florida community and the Nation. Joe DiMaggio 
is a man who achieved greatness, and it was also the way in which he 
carried himself that was truly great.
  Voted the ``Greatest Living All-Time Baseball Player'' by the 
Baseball Writers Association in 1969, Joe DiMaggio's impact was felt in 
the Major Leagues soon after his rookie season in 1936. After winning 
only one World Series in the seven years prior to his joining the team, 
the New York Yankees won four straight world championships. By the time 
he retired in 1951, Joltin' Joe DiMaggio's role in the dominance of the 
New York Yankees was undeniable: his leadership brought a total of ten 
pennants and nine world series to New York in the span of 13 major 
league seasons. Over his career, Joe DiMaggio would win three MVP 
awards, become the only major league player in major league history who 
has more than 300 home runs and fewer than 400 strikeouts, and be 
inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1955.
  Career statistics aside, Joe DiMaggio had perhaps one of the most 
remarkable years ever when he won the Most Valuable Player award in 
1941. That year, like Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire did during the summer 
of 1998, Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams captivated the entire Nation 
with two spectacular individual performances. While Ted Williams would 
hit .406, DiMaggio would take center stage while hitting safely in 56 
straight games--an amazing record which stands today.
  Though one could talk about Joe DiMaggio's greatness based on 
baseball statistics alone, we must not forget the service that Joe 
DiMaggio performed for our nation during times of war. In 1943, Joltin' 
Joe swapped his Yankee paycheck for a $50-a-month private's salary as 
he left baseball to serve as physical trainer for Army Air Force 
cadets. Finishing his term of service three years later, Joe DiMaggio 
had risen to the rank of sergeant and, in 1974, he was awarded the 
Silver Helmet award from AMVETS (American Veterans of World War II, 
Korea, and Vietnam). Only three years after receiving this award, he 
would be further honored in a way that few are: he was awarded the 
Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Carter.
  Mr. Speaker, Joe DiMaggio lived much of his life in private. Though 
he also performed much philanthropy work in private, he was very public 
about his affiliation with the Memorial Hospital which lies within my 
Congressional District in Hollywood, Florida. In 1992, the new 
children's wing of Memorial Hospital was christened the ``Joe DiMaggio 
Children's

[[Page E633]]

Hospital, at Memorial Regional Hospital'' in recognition of his 
extensive support. Since 1992, DiMaggio helped raise more than $4 
million for the care of sick children there. For his charitable work, 
we all own the late Joe DiMaggio a debt of gratitude. I assure you that 
Hollywood and the surrounding areas will miss him greatly.
  In summary, there was something special about Joe DiMaggio. He was 
unpretentious and proud, a man who carried himself with the utmost 
class and dignity. Joltin' Joe DiMaggio was truly a hero in an era when 
America was coming out of the Great Depression, and era when America 
needed someone to turn to for inspiration. It is with great sorrow that 
I praise him today, and hope that in some small way this statement can 
thank him for all his greatness, for his accomplishments both on the 
baseball field and off it as well.

                          ____________________