[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 75 (Monday, May 24, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5881-S5882]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    ``FRIENDS OF ROMAN LEE HRUSKA''

 Mr. HAGEL. Mr. President, I ask that the attached comments 
made by the Honorable Charles Thone at the memorial service for former 
Senator Roman Lee Hruska, be printed in the Record for Monday, April 
26, 1999, immediately following my remarks entitled, ``Tribute to U.S. 
Senator Roman L. Hruska.''
  The comments follow:

                      Friends of Roman Lee Hruska

       Friends all:
       First, let me, and all of you here today, recognize two 
     special people, Millie and Carl Curtis. Sen. Curtis served 
     all 22 years with Roman, and Senator Hruska always 
     acknowledged that no U.S. Senator ever had a more caring, a 
     better and more cooperative colleague anywhere--anytime. 
     Thank you, Senator Curtis.


                             introductions

       It seems only fitting to also recognize all public 
     officials present. It is from thence, that Roman sprung. He 
     epitomized public service at its best. He lived it! He loved 
     it! He honored it!
       He would have been pleased to know that, at the outset 
     here, all Judges, current & past, all Federal, State and 
     County officials, current and past, are asked to stand for a 
     brief silent recognition. I also want to especially recognize 
     Governor Mike Johanns; Former Governor Kay Orr and Bill; 
     Former Governor Ben Nelson, Former Governor and U.S. Senator 
     Jim Exon and Pat; former Congressman John Y. McCollister and 
     Nan; Nebraska Supreme Court Chief Justice John Hendry; 
     Congressman Doug Bereuter and Louise; and Congressman Lee 
     Terry. Also, a special salute to former chair of the 
     Lancaster County Board and the lifelong Douglas Theatre 
     skilled business partner of Roman, Russell Brehm of Lincoln 
     and his charming wife Louise Brehm. Also, Attorney General 
     Don Stenberg, a former Hruska staff member.
       It was the British iconoclast, George B. Shaw who once 
     wisely opined, ``No remarks from a former Governor are all 
     that bad''--if they are short enough. Good stuff, but, in 
     remembering Roman, I'm inclined to want to cover everything, 
     filibuster a bit, if you please, and exhaust both your 
     goodwill and patience, so I'll condense best I can! He was so 
     special to me and many of you, too.


                             his work ethic

       Roman's work was always his total recreation--Oh, 
     occasionally he would superficially fish, hunt and in later 
     years, cheer the mighty Cornhuskers on to victory! Early on, 
     I must concede, he would have easily accepted the specious 
     thought that ``a quarterback was a refund on the ticket.''
       Many here will remember genial Dean Pohlenz, the Senator's 
     long time and wonderful AA. He and I once seriously conspired 
     against Roman and another very studious and important top 
     aide to Roman, Bob Kutak. (Kutak and Harold Rock later 
     organized Kutak-Rock, a very successful national law firm 
     with which Roman proudly associated after leaving the 
     Senate.) Kutak's interest and knowledge of sports made Roman 
     look like the legendary Grantland Rice. So, Dean and I 
     decided to reserve a table for four in the Senate Dining Room 
     for Roman and Kutak, and then have two New York baseball 
     stalwarts, Casey Stengel and Yogi Berra join them for lunch, 
     ostensibly for Berra and Stengel to advise on finalizing a 
     professional sports anti-trust bill. It didn't happen, but we 
     figured that a recording of that awkward luncheon 
     conversation would have gone down in history as a sports 
     classic--of sorts.
       Just a few Hruska vignettes:


                            debate comrades

       At Commerce High School, Roman was a star debater. His team 
     should go down as a Hall of Famer. The team was Harry Cohen, 
     a brilliant lawyer who was later President of the Nebraska 
     Bar Association; Dick Robinson, another very successful 
     lawyer, and a beloved Federal District Judge; Jerry Kutak, 
     business tycoon, President of Guarantee Life of Hammond, Ind; 
     and Roman. They stayed life-long friends and confidants and 
     what a joy it was just to see the four together visiting and 
     reminiscing.


                              omaha roots

       Roman loved Omaha, and he effectively promoted his town 
     throughout his career--he was the Senate architect of its 
     Interstate System. S.A.C. and his friend, Curtis LeMay, were 
     also tremendous beneficiaries of his Senate Appropriation 
     skills. Chuck Durham, Ed Owen, Morrie Jacobs, Art Storz, Don 
     Ross, John McCollister, Peter Kiewit, Cliff and Ann 
     Batchelder were notables as his early Omaha Betterment Co-
     Conspirators.


                          world-herald respect

       He always thought the Omaha World-Herald was easily the 
     country's best newspaper and frequently checked in with then 
     publisher, Walt Christensen and editor, Fred Ware--and, there 
     was also a brilliant, hard working Statehouse and Douglas 
     County Court House Reporter named Harold Andersen, whom he 
     respected very much. World-Herald-wise, we wonder what ever 
     happened to Harold.


                              family love

       Family was most important to Roman. His wife and life-long 
     partner, Victoria Kuncl Hruska was simply the best. A special 
     wife and mother--and a political associate in a very 
     effective low-key way--no flim-flam, no nonsense, just 
     herself--beautiful Victoria. We last visited with able and 
     vivacious daughter, Jana at the David City Library Dedication 
     Ceremony. She has been suffering terribly with dreaded Lou 
     Gehrig's disease. Her devoted husband, Charlie Fagan, is 
     here from Maryland. Son Quentin came home several years 
     ago and carefully cared so well for

[[Page S5882]]

     his parents. You met the ``Big Guy'', eldest son, Roman 
     Jr., earlier on this program--his wife is the former 
     MaryAnn Behlen of Columbus. Many grandchildren, nieces and 
     nephews are also here today. Ultimately, family was first 
     for Roman--as it is with all of us.


                             the campaigner

       Roman was never happier nor better showcased than when he 
     was on those early day political campaigns. Ruth and I were 
     visiting the other day about a particular stump speech he 
     once made--with a partially eaten kolache in his left hand--
     on a Main Street corner at Schuyler during the Nebraska 
     Republican caravan. It was indeed a powerful speech, spliced 
     with Czech phrases and when he finished his remarks, the 
     audience acknowledged him as if he were truly the ``second 
     coming.'' The same result happened a couple of weeks later in 
     a Hotel Ballroom in Broken Bow where the usually very 
     reserved Sandhills crowd gave his at least a five minute 
     standing ovation on his inspiring message and brilliant 
     delivery. Oh, he could be a spell-binder deluxe, given the 
     proper occasion.


                              a near miss

       In the late 50's, a national search was on for a new leader 
     of the Republican Party. The conservative kingmakers didn't 
     publicize it, of course, but the short list came down to the 
     two U.S. Senators with safe seats, Roman Hruska and Barry M. 
     Goldwater of Arizona. Goldwater was ultimately designated 
     somewhat on geography, but mostly because they determined 
     that the TV cameras showcased Goldwater better. The rest, as 
     they say, is history.


                           he honored the law

       Most importantly, Roman Hruska's entire life revolved 
     around the law. He lived by this creed once enunciated by 
     Patrick Henry, ``Always honor the law because the law has 
     honored you.''
       Roman spent his first two law years studying at the 
     University of Chicago Law School. Then he attended the 
     Creighton Law School from which he graduated in 1929, just 
     before the great depression hit with all its fury. He then, 
     in the next 20 or so years, built up a substantial law 
     practice, and from there was appointed to the Douglas County 
     Board. He became its energetic, successful Chairman, known 
     for his integrity and ability. He was always a prodigious 
     worker. Even his political adversaries conceded that he 
     achieved a lot the old fashioned way. He earned it.
       Then to Congress for most of one term, then 22 years in the 
     U.S. Senate. In the Senate, he was Minority Leader Everett M. 
     Dirksen's right hand bower on the floor of the Senate. 
     Dirksen--``The billion here, and a billion there guy''--
     called Roman his floor lawyer. Often, on major legislation, 
     Dirksen would tell his senate colleagues if they had 
     amendments, objections, or whatever--``Clear it with Roman.'' 
     Roman became a skilled practitioner of the ``art of the 
     possible'' and he closed many legislative deals for Dirksen.


                         extraordinary service

       It was as the ``Minority Leader'' of the Senate Judiciary 
     Committee for almost 20 years, that Senator Hruska formally 
     and extraordinarily honored the law.
       He worked awfully hard and most effectively, to not only 
     give fairness but structure and design to the law so it would 
     be more effective and easier to use by Federal Judges, the 
     Federal Court System and lawyers.
       For the improvement of the rule of law, he co-sponsored the 
     Criminal Code Reform Act of 1975 and the Criminal Justice 
     Codification Revision and Reform Act of '73. For you lawyers 
     here, this was a very substantial overhaul of the entire 
     title 18 of the U.S. Code. His was the Bankruptcy Reform Act 
     of 1978.
       He, John McClelland, John Stennis, and Jim Eastland, Senior 
     Democrat on the Committee, bonded and his working 
     relationship with the Majority Party was always just 
     something else, and highly unusual. For example, when he left 
     the Senate, he had presided or co-presided over the 
     confirmation hearings of all nine members of the U.S. Supreme 
     Court--unprecedented in history--and that was an era of 
     ``civility'' that seems to escape such modern day 
     confirmation hearings. He was the principal architect of both 
     the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 and 
     the Organized Crime Control Act of 1970. In 1972 and the 
     years following, he served as Chairman of the Federal 
     Commission on the Revision of the Federal Court Appellate 
     System of the U.S. and I could go on; suffice it to say that 
     for several years, no Justice Department initiative, no 
     Federal Judgeship, no major legislation moved out of the 
     Senate Judiciary Committee until it had received his careful 
     scrutiny and approval. Throughout, he honored the law, and he 
     honored the Senate as an Institution. Roman's fingerprints, 
     literally, were all over everything processed by Judiciary 
     during these years.


                           roman was special

       Let me say in closing, that we are not here for Roman, we 
     are here for us. We need this--he doesn't! Whatever comes to 
     us after the moment of our earthly death is beyond our 
     understanding.
       So, we remain here alive, confused and disconcerted. Above 
     all, let's remember this about him:
       Grace was in his soul, a smile and kind word were on his 
     lips and friendship was in his heart always.
       First, last, and always, he was a gentleman.
       These words are so true for Roman, and perhaps, just 
     perhaps, they alone might be a fitting eulogy. And, as a very 
     recent World-Herald editorial writer noted: ``The standards 
     for integrity and service that Sen. Hruska set for himself, 
     will long stand as his most fitting memorial''.
       A quick postscript paraphrasing beautiful Ecclasiastes, 
     Chapter III, ``to everything there is a season and a time for 
     every purpose under heaven . . . A time to plant, and a time 
     to harvest, a time to be born and a time to die.''
       Roman, you had a long and superlative life, and we're all a 
     little better because you cared and touched us.
       In Czech--Nas Dar--Good Bye--Dear Roman . . .

                          ____________________