[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 38 (Wednesday, March 21, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E411]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  TRIBUTE TO VICTOR ``VIC'' V. VEYSEY

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. KEN CALVERT

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 21, 2001

  Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, I join today with my colleagues, 
Congressmen Jerry Lewis, Duncan Hunter and David Dreier, to pay tribute 
to a most wonderful person, former Member of Congress, friend and great 
American--Victor ``Vic'' V. Veysey--who passed away at 85 last month.
  Calvin Coolidge, America's 13th President, once said, ``No person was 
ever honored for what he received; honor has been the reward for what 
he gave.'' and Vic Veysey gave much during his years of public service 
and teaching.
  A member of the House of Representatives from 1971 to 1975, Vic 
Veysey made a great impact in a short amount of time upon the Imperial 
Valley, California and the nation. In fact, I attribute an internship 
in his Washington, D.C. office for piquing my own interest in politics. 
It was 1973, during Vic Veysey's second term and the Senate Watergate 
hearings. It was an incredible time in American politics. More 
impressive, though, was how Vic ran his congressional office: he took 
time to understand his constituents, and their problems, and to do his 
homework, learning the issues and knowing how the issues would affect 
his constituents.
  He is probably best known for his lifelong commitment to education, 
youth and democracy. Veysey graduated from Caltech in 1936 with a 
Bachelor of Arts in Civil Engineering and from the University of 
Harvard Business School in 1938 with a MBA in Industrial Management. 
The next natural course was to teach, which Vic did for 11 years at 
Caltech and Stanford. At Caltech, he worked on different rocket 
projects during World War II and aspects of the atomic bomb, Project 
Camel.
  Vic Veysey then returned to his roots and began his political 
career--running and winning a seat on the Brawley School Board, where 
he was instrumental and a founding trustee in establishing the Imperial 
Valley College. In 1962, Vic was elected to the California State 
Assembly, where he served four terms (1962-1971). My colleague, Mr. 
Lewis of California had the honor to work with Vic Veysey during his 
assembly days, before they were both elected to the U.S. House of 
Representatives.
  After leaving Congress, Vic Veysey served as assistant secretary of 
the Army during the Ford Administration. His love of education 
remained, however, and he returned to California to assume the 
directorship of Caltech's Industrial Relations Center, becoming a 
director emeritus for the Industrial Relations Departent upon his 
retirement.
  Vic is survived by his wife of 60 years, Janet, three sons, a 
daughter, nine grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
  Mr. Speaker, looking back at Vic's life, we see a life dedicated to 
public service and education. An American whose gifts to the Imperial 
Valley and California led to the betterment of those who had the 
privilege to come in contact or work with Vic. Honoring his memory is 
the least that we can do today for all that he gave over his 85 years 
of life.

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