[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 84 (Tuesday, June 15, 1999)]
[House]
[Pages H4329-H4330]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 TRIBUTE TO FORMER CONGRESSMAN RICHARD RAY FROM THE THIRD DISTRICT OF 
                                GEORGIA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Collins) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. COLLINS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to former 
Congressman Richard Ray, representative of Georgia's Third District 
from 1983 to 1992.
  Congressman Ray died on May 29 of this year and was laid to rest in 
Perry, Georgia, the town he loved and served for over four decades. He 
is survived by his wife, two sons, a daughter, and three grandchildren.
  My colleagues who had the privilege of serving with Congressman 
Richard Ray may offer many stories of his accomplishments and his 
tenacious spirit, but I have a unique perspective of the legacy of 
Richard Ray. That is his service in Congress, because I had the 
difficult task of following directly in his footsteps as representative 
of the Third District.
  I learned quickly that Richard Ray had truly been a public servant. 
His constituents knew him personally, and felt free to call upon him 
for assistance. He was personally involved with every town and city in 
the district, and visited each one regularly.
  As far as the people of the Third District were concerned, Richard 
Ray had set a high standard for a congressional service, and I count it 
a privilege to continue that tradition.
  Richard Belmont Ray was born in Fort Valley, Georgia, and grew up 
working the family farm with his father and brothers and sisters. His 
only lengthy venture outside the state of Georgia as a young man was 
during his service in the Navy toward the end of World War II.
  That service gave him his first glimpse of the world outside his home 
State, although I am sure it never occurred to young sailor on board 
the U.S.S. Rowan that the next time he visited Japan he would be an 
influential member of the Committee on Armed Services of the House of 
Representatives.
  After completing his service, Richard Ray returned home to Georgia 
and married Barbara Giles of Byron, Georgia, the woman who worked with 
him to build a business, a home, and a family over the next five 
decades.
  Richard began public service when he was building a small business in 
Perry, Georgia. His early service as a city councilman and as mayor 
ingrained in him the importance of working directly with the people he 
represented.
  Senator Sam Nunn recognized the value of Richard Ray and his focus on

[[Page H4330]]

constituents and local issues, and appointed him Chief of Staff in 
1972.
  When Congressman Jack Brinkley announced his retirement in 1982, 
Richard ran and was elected Congressman to the Third District of 
Georgia. He brought to this position years of political experience, a 
humble attitude, and a determination to make a difference in the lives 
of his constituents.
  The new Congressman had three primary goals: To establish effective 
services, stop deficit spending by the Federal government, and ensure 
that the U.S. military regained its status as the greatest fighting 
force in the world.
  He committed himself to these goals with a focus and energy that was 
uniquely Richard Ray's. Working 7 days a week, usually more than 12 
hours a day, Richard accomplished more in his 10 years of service than 
many Congressmen do in several decades.
  Mr. Speaker, I cannot begin to list all of Richard's accomplishments 
in Congress, but I want to submit for the Record a few that have 
special meaning for the people of the Third District of Georgia.
  Richard Ray was a man who valued integrity, hard work, family, and 
his Lord, above all else. Mr. Speaker, Congressman Richard Ray will be 
greatly missed.
  Mr. Speaker, Richard Ray's strong desire to stay directly in touch 
with the people of the Third District led him to develop a series of 
Advisory Committees and regular meetings that would allow a time for 
questions and exchange of information. In the early 1980's, Richard was 
breaking new ground by establishing a regular series of meetings to be 
held in the Third District to commemorate Black History Month. Although 
controversial at first, the Third District Black History Month 
breakfast and meetings grew and expanded over the years, eventually 
taking on a life of their own and raising thousands of dollars for the 
Pettigrew Scholarship Fund at Ft. Valley State College and the House of 
Mercy, a homeless shelter in Columbus, GA. This tradition continues to 
this day, and I am proud to take part in this annual event begun by 
Congressman Ray.
  His service on the House Armed Services Committee was one of the high 
points of Richard's career. He was committed both to a strong defense 
and to a good quality of life for the soldiers, sailors, and airmen who 
serve our country. Richard's approach to committee work was to immerse 
himself in the details of an issue, studying it intently, talking with 
representatives of all sides, and then analyzing all factors before 
making a decision. He was never quick to make a judgement on a defense 
issue or to use his position to seek headlines. So, when he did get 
involved in an issue, his colleagues knew that Richard had thought it 
through and that his position had merit.
  Many of the issues he took on for the committee were not glamorous, 
but they were critical and the committee chairmen always knew that 
Richard could be relied on to work hard behind the scenes to solve a 
problem. And, they knew that if Richard got involved in an issue, he 
would win in the end. Richard Ray never let go of a problem until he 
had solved it. Perhaps one of the most striking examples of his 
tenacity occurred when Richard learned that U.S. airbases in Europe did 
not have adequate air defense systems. The reasons for this deficiency 
were many and since it was a joint Army/Air Force program, the path for 
resolution of the problem was not clear. But, for Richard Ray, the 
problem had to be solved and he turned his energy to identifying and 
then enacting a solution. Quickly Army and Air Force representatives 
learned not to show up at a hearing unless they could answer questions 
on air base defense. When Richard became convinced that the solutions 
to the problem were coming too slow, he took decisive action to focus 
attention on this critical deficiency--he simply passed an amendment 
stopping production of the Air Force's prize fighter unless sufficient 
resources were put to air base defense. Thanks to his efforts, a 
program of adequate defenses was established for U.S. airbases. We saw 
the legacy of Richard Ray's work when our forces went to the Persian 
Gulf and used air defense systems effectively. The quiet yet constant 
persistence of this man ensured that our nation's forces could protect 
themselves from air attack with air defense missiles.
  Richard Ray was asked to chair the first Defense Environmental 
Restoration Panel in 1987. He served as chairman of the panel until he 
left office in 1992. Under his leadership, U.S. and foreign bases began 
cleaning up decades of environmental contamination and began 
implementing new environmentally-conscious practices and procedures. 
Richard helped to chart the U.S. through a difficult time as the 
implementation of new environmental regulations and laws threatened to 
completely shut down the U.S. military. With his commitment both to a 
strong military and to a clean environment, Richard was able to help 
the military chart a path through the evolving environmental laws that 
allowed for compliance, yet did not prohibit readiness and training.
  Richard had many other legislative accomplishments during his ten 
years in Congress but few were as meaningful to him as establishing the 
Jimmy Carter National Historic Site in Plains, Georgia. Working with 
the National Park Service, former President and Mrs. Carter, and the 
citizens of Plains, Richard Ray enacted legislation establishing both a 
permanent tribute to President Carter and a historic site presenting a 
comprehensive look at the rural south during the first half of the 
twentieth century.
  Mr. Speaker, I also ask to have reprinted in the Record this 
selection chosen by Barbara Ray as a tribute to her husband. It is 
truly a fitting remembrance of his life--for he was a man who valued 
integrity, hard work, family and his Lord above all else.

                                My Creed

       I do not choose to be a common man. It is my right to be 
     uncommon--if I can.
       I seek opportunity--not security. I do not wish to be a 
     kept citizen, humbled and dulled by having the state look 
     after me. I want to take the calculated risk; to dream and to 
     build, to fail and to succeed.
       I refuse to barter incentive for a dole. I prefer the 
     challenges of life to the guaranteed existence; the thrill of 
     fulfillment to the stale calm of Utopia. I will not trade 
     freedom for beneficence nor my dignity for a handout.
       I will never cower before any monster nor bend to any 
     threat. It is my heritage to stand erect, proud and unafraid; 
     to think and act for myself, enjoy the benefit of my 
     creations and to face the world boldly and say: This I have 
     done.
       All this is what it means to be an American.

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