[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 63 (Tuesday, May 4, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E850]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    DALLAS COWBOYS OWNER JERRY JONES

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                          Tuesday, May 4, 1999

  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, many of us are aware 
of the contributions that Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has made to 
the sport of football. His focus on excellence in sportmanship and 
successful stewardship of the Dallas Cowboys will be forever cemented 
in the history of the game.
  However, Mr. Jones has also made a significant contribution to the 
history of our country and the ideas of Thomas Jefferson, the third 
President of the United States, who drafted the Declaration of 
Independence.
  Mr. Speaker, Mr. Jones along with his wife Gene, donated $1 million 
to a Library of Congress program that is currently rebuilding Thomas 
Jefferson's personal book collection that was lost in a fire.
  This gracious gift allows the Library of Congress to obtain lost 
copies of books destroyed in 1851. It will be a labor and financially 
intensive undertaking that will be helped by Mr. Jones's assistance.
  Cicero once said that ``to be ignorant of the past is to remain a 
child.'' Mr. Speaker, the donation by Mr. Jones will assure that we 
will be able to hold onto history and be less ignorant of it, while 
being wiser.
  Thomas Jefferson was not only the drafter of the Declaration of 
Independence and U.S. President, he was also an enlightened thinker 
whose ideas helped us build this country and guide her through dark 
times. His ideas and thoughts were shaped and influenced by books.
  It is appropriate that the gift from Mr. and Mrs. Jones will help 
restore Jefferson's rare books as he helped found the Library of 
Congress.
  As this country still wrestles with issues of equality and freedom 
well into the 21st century, it is incumbent upon us to refer to the 
high-minded ideals of our Founding Fathers. The $1 million donation to 
the Library of Congress will help this country locate those books and 
remind us of our collective vision and history.
  On behalf of the residents of the 30th Congressional District and all 
Americans, I would like to thank Jerry and Gene Jones for their 
donation to the Library of Congress. For me, this also represents their 
service to our country, support of democratic ideas and persevering 
history.




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