[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 113 (Wednesday, August 4, 1999)]
[House]
[Page H7238]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  A TRIBUTE TO MARY CRITCHLOW KASTEN, ``GRANDMOTHER'' OF THE MISSOURI 
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Missouri (Mrs. Emerson) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. EMERSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my admiration and 
respect for one of the most caring and effective public servants I have 
ever had the privilege to know, Representative Mary Kasten is lovingly 
known as the ``grandmother'' of the Missouri House of Representatives, 
and she has served the folks of Cape Girardeau for the last 16 years. 
She has decided to step down from this calling in January 2001 after 
serving the ``people's body'' in Missouri for 18 years.
  If Mary's only contribution to her fellow man was this 
representation, she would be deserving of this special tribute. 
However, Mary Kasten, the farm girl from Matthews and New Madrid 
County, is and has been much more. In fact, Mary's service in the 
legislature is only a small snapshot of a life that is truly a panorama 
of helping others. As a mother to her children, Mark, Mike and Meg, a 
wife to Mel Kasten, her husband of 50 years, and a teacher reaching out 
to kids and parents alike, Mary always sought to help brighten the 
lives of others.
  In every endeavor Mary honored her personal commitment to God, 
family, country and her fellow man. Miss Mary, as we know her, honored 
her Lord by serving as a Sunday school teacher and choir member in the 
St. Andrews Lutheran Church. As a mom, she was and is the best example 
I have known of a mom who cares. She volunteered at every level to help 
her children and be involved in their lives. Later, she served on the 
Cape Girardeau school board and held various offices for 20 years. She 
also continued her service to education by serving on the board of 
regents at Southeast Missouri State University her alma mater. As a 
wife, Mary and Mel have been inseparable, and except for her times in 
Jefferson City, Mary and Mel go everywhere together. Their marriage is 
an inspiration to all of us.
  For almost everyone who knows Mary, the first thought that comes to 
mind is her selflessness and her sensitivity and caring for her fellow 
man. It is that caring that truly makes Mary worthy of tribute. She is 
indeed the human manifestation of the golden rule of doing unto others 
as you would have them do unto you.
  But in Mary's case it is no quid pro quo but a genuine love of all 
humankind. I personally have seen this caring when Mary and Mel took 
care of mine and Bill's daughter Tori when Katharine was being born. 
Bill was on the campaign trail 3 or 4 hours from home and Mary and Mel 
became Tori's surrogate parents, and even put her to bed with them. At 
every turn, the Kasten's have been a part of the Emerson family, from 
the birth of Katharine and even in Bill Emerson's death, Mary and Mel 
opened their home to our entire family and became the nurturing core 
for the grieving family and our friends.
  In fact, it is probably this empathy with others that inspired Mary 
to her greatest public service, and that was the beginning of the Cape 
Girardeau Community Caring Council. Mary's brainchild of making 
programs really work for people began in southern Missouri and is now 
being replicated in the rest of the State and nationwide. In fact, Mary 
Kasten and caring are indeed words that are synonymous with me and the 
hundreds who have known and worked with Miss Mary.
  It is indeed an honor to offer this tribute on the floor of the House 
of Representatives, because I can think of no one more deserving than 
Mary Kasten to be recognized in the people's House. If Bill Emerson 
were alive today, I know he would gladly give Mary this very same 
tribute to her service to the people. The girl from New Madrid County 
who served and broke new ground in politics and public service 
deserves, in my opinion, the same tribute made to bill.
  Mary Kasten is truly deserving of the favorite Teddy Roosevelt quote 
``In the Arena,'' and I quote:

       It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out 
     how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could 
     have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is 
     actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat 
     and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, and comes short 
     again and again, because there is not effort without error 
     and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the 
     deeds; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions; 
     who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows 
     in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the 
     worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly so 
     that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls 
     who know neither victory nor defeat.

  Mary Kasten, our world is a better place because you have served all 
of us in the arenas of our lives, and for that we truly thank you.

                          ____________________