[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 20 (Tuesday, February 29, 2000)]
[House]
[Page H541]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
IN MEMORIAM KENNETH L. MADDY
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the
gentleman from California (Mr. Lewis) is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, this is a humble attempt on my
part to remember the life and contributions of a great leader in
California, one Ken L. Maddy.
Mr. Speaker, all of California can be proud of the favorite son
Fresno sent to Sacramento three decades ago. A legislator's legislator,
Ken Maddy never was far from the Central Valley district and the
agricultural industry he represented. He was elected to the assembly in
1970 in a district with a little over 30 percent Republican
registration. As the Democrats of Fresno loved him, the Republicans of
Sacramento looked to him for leadership. Senate Republican leader Ken
Maddy became known as the ``go-to guy'' for both Governors Deukmejian
and Pete Wilson.
Senator Maddy combined grace with good looks. He loved people, and he
loved life. Few men will ever match the positive impact he had on
California politics. He believed in governing and the role of
compromise in legislative politics. Smart, dedicated, trustworthy, Ken
Maddy simply reflected the very best that California has to offer
public affairs.
His special passion for horses and racing went back to his teenage
years as a groom at Hollywood Park. Among many highlights of his
legislative career, which ranged from efforts to strengthen our
criminal justice system, to impacting ethics standards for State
legislators, to preserving private property rights, are the real
highlights, the California Center for Equine Health and Performance and
the Equine Analytical Chemistry Laboratory at the University of
California at Davis. Senator Maddy's private pride and joy was a horse
named Work the Crowd. The California-bred champion filly now grazes in
green pastures in the valley. Raising a brood of California champions,
Work the Crowd probably wonders where her Ken has gone.
Senator Ken Maddy was a proud graduate of Fresno State and served as
a member of the President's Club and the Bulldog Club. In 1999, the
Kenneth L. Maddy Institute of Public Policy was dedicated at CSU-Fresno
as a vital training ground for the next generation of Valley political
leaders. He graduated from UCLA Law School in 1963, and in 1998 he was
recognized as one of UCLA's outstanding graduates.
Ken Maddy, one of the most respected legislators to ever grace
California's capital. On February 18, 2000, this prince of a leader,
who dreamed of the sport of kings, passed on to be remembered forever
by those who care about politics, the profession he loved.
____________________