[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 81 (Friday, June 23, 2000)]
[House]
[Page H5079]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 GOVERNOR ROBERT P. CASEY, A LEGACY OF PUBLIC SERVICE, COMPASSION, AND 
                                COURAGE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, at the end of our journey in this life, if we 
can answer a few questions in the affirmative, then I believe by most 
measures we will have led a blessed and well-lived life: Did we try to 
do our best? Did we try to do the right thing? Did we try to leave this 
world a better place than when we entered it?
  When he passed from this life on May 30, surrounded by the love of 
his wonderful wife of 47 years, Ellen, his children, and his many 
grandchildren, there was no doubt that my friend, the former Governor 
of Pennsylvania, Robert Casey, had lived a blessed, full, and well-
lived life. Those of us touched by it should count ourselves fortunate.
  As both a private citizen and a public servant, Governor Casey leaves 
a rich legacy that all of us should strive to emulate. He was caring, 
compassionate, committed, idealistic, principled, honest, devoted, 
articulate, tenacious, and, of course, by any measure, he was 
courageous.
  In the famous passage from Profiles in Courage, Senator John Kennedy, 
whom the Governor and I both admired, wrote, and I quote, ``For without 
belittling the courage with which men have died, we should not forget 
those acts of courage with which men have lived. A man does what he 
must, in spite of personal consequences, in spite of obstruction and 
dangers and pressures, and that is the basis of all human morality.''
  Courage, Mr. Speaker, was a recurring theme throughout Robert Casey's 
life. The son of a coal miner, Governor Casey put himself through law 
school and won a seat in the Pennsylvania State House at the age of 30 
before winning two terms as State Auditor General.
  He overcame three early, unsuccessful campaigns for Governor, at a 
time when lesser men would have quit, to win that position not once but 
twice, the last victory by the largest margin in the history of 
Pennsylvania.
  In the twilight of his career, he battled a rare disease that 
devastated his body but never, never extinguished his spirit. In June, 
1993, he became only the sixth person in the United States to undergo a 
heart-liver transplant. Thereafter, he not only returned to the 
Governor's office, but also proposed and signed one of the most 
comprehensive State organ donor laws in the country.
  Since 1994, more than 4,000 people in Pennsylvania and surrounding 
regions have received lifesaving organ transplants, due in large part 
to Governor Casey's leadership.
  No one ever doubted that Governor Casey had the courage of his 
convictions. He never wavered from the principles that guided his life, 
including his core belief that government could level the playing field 
and protect the most vulnerable in society. He maintained to the end a 
deep commitment to education, the environment, workers' rights, and the 
underprivileged.
  The Governor took heart from Franklin Delano Roosevelt's observation 
that, ``In our democracy, officers of the government are the servants 
and never the masters of the people.''
  During Governor Casey's service, Pennsylvania enacted mandatory 
recycling reform, auto insurance reform, and the Child Health Insurance 
Program, which, as we know, became a national model. The State also 
broadened special education programs, rebuilt aging water and sewer 
systems through the PENNVEST program, and enacted a State Superfund to 
reclaim hazardous waste sites.
  Governor Casey, Mr. Speaker, was also instrumental in bringing family 
and parental leave to Pennsylvania, initiating economic development and 
high-tech efforts from the Philadelphia port to the new Pittsburgh 
airport, and overhauling the workers' compensation system.
  He did not seek public service for fame or glory, he sought simply to 
help people. In an era of unabashed cynicism towards public service and 
public servants, Governor Casey reminded us of why we serve. It is 
fitting that upon his passing, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote that 
Governor Casey left an example for all Pennsylvanians: to fight for 
what they believe in, to be unafraid of the odds, and to nobly accept 
the defeats along the way.
  Governor Casey's legacy endures not only in the principles he stood 
for and the improvements he brought to his beloved Pennsylvania, but 
also in the wonderful family that he and Ellen have raised. They, too, 
carry their father's commitment to public service and community.
  Mr. Speaker, it is proper to remember a man of such worth and dignity 
and character. Our Nation was blessed by Governor Casey's service.

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