[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 49 (Thursday, April 5, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3528-S3529]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO WILLIE LOUIS KING

  Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, Willie Louis King of Niagara 
Falls, NY, took seriously his role as citizen-activist and acted on the 
democratic ideals that many of us only talk about. To honor Mr. King's 
memory, I ask that Ken Hamilton's eloquent tribute be printed in the 
Record.
  The tribute follows:

                Willie King Walked to the Circle's Edge

       I read Willie King's obituary, and it did not say enough. 
     One of the problems with obituaries is that they are hastily 
     written biographies of loved ones that attempt to convey to 
     the world ``who'' the individual was and ``whom'' they leave 
     to mourn. For most of us, that is fine, because our lives are 
     about the ``whos'' (ourselves) and ``whoms'' closest to us, 
     those who will mourn the end of our existence, as we know it.
       More often than we know, many of those same people were 
     about much more than just ``who'' and ``whom,'' and their 
     lives are not simply measured in the many names that are 
     listed in the ``survived by'' paragraph of their obituaries. 
     Though their lives were not ideal, nonetheless, they lived 
     their lives based on ideals.
       It was hard for the principled Willie King to change his 
     mind about the things he strongly believed in. He was a dyed-
     in-the-wool Democratic committeeman, and I, a registered 
     Republican and former committeeman who believes, among other 
     things, that while party affiliation is a consideration, the 
     value of the person is more important.
       We were members of the same church, but even there, our 
     encounters ended in political talk. Though Willie King and I 
     disagreed upon many issues, he was the one man I knew who 
     believed in one thing more than anything else in the world: 
     It was more than everyone's right to vote; it was their 
     responsibility to do so.
       Perhaps it was his rural, southern upbringing and the 
     associated hardships and attitude that were endemic in a 
     then-segregated South, that led him to believe that ideal. He 
     often spoke, and was qualified to do so, of those who had 
     died--of all races--so that we might have that privilege. Yet 
     while the youthful Willie King endured inequity in the South, 
     the elder King believed in, and at every opportunity that he 
     had, practiced equality in the North.

[[Page S3529]]

       I know this because, as expected, this dyed-in-the-wool 
     Democrat crossed racial lines and voted against me when I ran 
     for state Senate and boldly let me know that he did so. 
     Moreover, our mutual dear and tearful Italian friend, Tony 
     Mondi, called me to tell me of Willie's passing. In the 
     telling, he spoke of his last time seeing Willie.
       It was Election Day, and Tony had talked to Zola, Willie's 
     wife, and found that Willie, who was rapidly succumbing to 
     the cancer that was ravaging his body, was too sick to go to 
     the polls to vote. As far as anyone knew, this would be the 
     first time that he would not exercise that privilege--no--
     responsibility, that he so dearly believed in.
       Hanging around campaign headquarters that day were a couple 
     of firefighters. Tony knowing how important it was to his 
     friend, talked to them about the situation. ``No 
     problem,'' they said. ``We'll go get him so that he can 
     vote.''
       Tony called Zola, and all that she asked for was for 15 
     minutes. Off they went, into the rain, to exercise the ideal. 
     Tony ``chauffeured'' his own big, black Cadillac, and the two 
     firefighters, Greg Colangelo and Rick Horn, went into the 
     house to ``pick up'' this man and ``carry'' him to the polls. 
     There was a wheelchair available, but Willie was not going to 
     have that! For as many years that he had voted, he had 
     proudly walked into the polls and done so. There would be no 
     prouder time for him than Tuesday, November 2, 1999. With all 
     of the strength that he, and all of his ancestors, could 
     muster, he again ``walked'' into those polls and voted--most 
     probably, straight across the line!
       Yes, this one-time fruit picker, Willie King, one rainy 
     afternoon, dragging death behind him and carrying with him 
     the memories of counseling with great political leaders, 
     walked into the polls.
       You know, I often hear people speak of others whom I have 
     never met, and whom I will never know, of how they gave their 
     lives for the ideal of democracy and our right to vote. These 
     heroes all stand together in a very special place in 
     history--Abraham, Martin, John, and others. On Nov. 12, as 
     Willie King slept, cared for by his beloved wife; those 
     heroes welcomed him, another King, to the edge of that very 
     special circle.
       Therefore, next Election Day, I am interested in hearing 
     your excuse for knowing the issues, but not going out to 
     vote. Walk proudly into those polls.
       Willie did.

                          ____________________