[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 114 (Wednesday, September 5, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1587-E1588]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING DUTCH NEWMAN

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. KAREN McCARTHY

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, September 5, 2001

  Ms. McCARTHY of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to my 
friend, Hila ``Dutch'' Newman. In Missouri, Democrats from every region 
and every level of government seek her counsel, value her judgment, and 
understand that her word is her bond. Over the years her leadership, 
civic pride, integrity and commitment to our community have fostered a 
deep respect by all who know her. Dutch has a gift of uniting people in 
common cause. She personifies how one person can make a significant 
difference in the lives of others.
  On September 6, 2001 friends of Dutch Newman will gather to pay 
special tribute to her. A foundation in her honor will be initiated 
with an objective to provide innovative voter education and 
registration opportunities, as well as scholarship funding for our 
youth. The Dutch Newman Voter Education and Scholarship Foundation will 
become another facet of her legacy, and have a lasting impact on our 
community. The mission of the foundation is derived from her own, 
providing today's youth with unique voter education and registration 
opportunities and scholarships so they will be better able to 
participate in our democracy. Dutch epitomizes the citizen that 
President Kennedy sought when in his Inaugural Address he said, ``And 
so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you; ask 
what you can do for your country.``
  Dutch Newman has served in every facet of Democratic politics and 
always brings sound judgment, insight and perspective to her work. She 
presently holds the following offices: President of the Westport 
Landing Democratic Club; President of the State of Missouri Federation 
of Women's Democratic Clubs; and Vice Chairwoman for the Jackson County 
Democratic Committee. She serves as a member of: the Democratic State 
Committee and their Executive Board; Committeewoman for the 5th Ward in 
Jackson County; Chairperson of State House District 38; and Secretary 
for the 5th Congressional District. Dutch was the first woman to be 
appointed by a Governor to sit on the committee for the Senatorial 
Redistricting of the State of Missouri. She was also the Kansas City 
Coordinator for Senator Hubert Humphrey's presidential campaign in 
1968, and Missouri Coordinator for the National Campaign Conference for 
Democratic Women in Washington, D.C. She has been a Missouri Delegate 
at the National Democratic Convention for six presidential elections. 
Her work has not gone unnoticed, especially her grassroots organizing, 
as she has been recognized by the Jackson County Democratic Party with 
the Harry S. Truman Award, as well as Woman of the Year Award presented 
by the Women's Fifth District Democratic Club, now entitled the 
``Dutch'' Newman Woman of the Year Award.
  An article in today's edition of ``The Kansas City Star'' details 
many of the other aspects of Dutch's life, including her devotion to 
her children and grandchildren, and her service to our community 
outside politics, and I ask that it be made a part of today's Record 
following my statement. Dutch was one of the original founders of the 
Volker Neighborhood Homes Association, and is a member of: the 
Daughters of Westport, the Westport Historical Society, Neighborhood 
Crime Prevention; and the Guardian Angel Altar society. In recognition 
of her dedication and commitment to the quality of life in Kansas City, 
Mayor Wheeler presented her with a certificate of appreciation and 
proclaimed October 5, 1974 as ``Dutch'' Newman Day in Kansas City, 
Missouri. Her work with people with HIV and AIDS was recognized by a 
certificate of Appreciation from the National Association of People 
with Aids.
  The Dutch Newman Voter Education and Scholarship Foundation will be a 
constant reminder of the ideals she represents. Through this foundation 
young people will gain an appreciation for our country's government and 
become active citizens in the electoral process. Dutch Newman has 
accepted the challenges of life, conquered adversity, sacrificed for 
her family, and become a role model for our citizens, inspiring future 
generations to take an active role in their community. Thank you, Dutch 
for all you do and for your valued friendship. Mr. Speaker, please join 
me in honoring a Missouri treasure, Hila ``Dutch'' Newman.

               [From the Kansas City Star, Sept. 5, 2001]

            In Kansas City Politics, It Helps To Know Dutch

                          (By Kevin Hoffmann)

       If you're a Democrat in Kansas City and want to run for a 
     political office, then you better go Dutch.
       Going Dutch has little to do with money. It has everything 
     to do with grass-roots politics and the woman who epitomizes 
     it, Hila ``Dutch'' Newman.
       Newman, a force behind Democrat--and a few Republican--
     candidates since the 1940s, will be honored at a special 
     tribute Thursday night at the Kansas City Marriott Downtown. 
     More than 500 people are expected to attend.
       The event's list of honorary hosts is a virtual who's who 
     of past and present politicians.
       And whether they were seeking office in Kansas City, 
     Jefferson City or Washington, Newman helped elect them all.
       ``Her reputation was that of a very effective worker who 
     could deliver the vote for the Democratic party in the 
     precincts she served,'' said Former Kansas City Mayor Charles 
     Wheeler.
       Those precincts include the Country Club Plaza, Westport 
     and Volker neighborhoods. Newman has a direct method of 
     finding the candidates she trusts, then working earnestly 
     knocking on doors, making phone calls and printing thousands 
     of sample ballots to pass out to voters.
       Besides the tribute to Newman, a voter education 
     scholarship foundation has been established in her honor. The 
     foundation will provide voter education programs for youth 
     and eventually will offer scholarships for students studying 
     politics.
       ``I can't recall another event like this,'' said political 
     and communication consultant Mary O'Halloran, an organizer of 
     Thursday's event. ``Not a tribute to a political and 
     community activist who has never served as an officeholder.
       ``The phrase I've been hearing over and over is that she's 
     a legend in her own time,'' she said. ``They don't know of 
     anybody else who has had the passion for succeeding and 
     winning and at the same time have compassion for people.''
       Former Kansas City Mayor Richard L. Berkley, a Republican, 
     holds Newman in high regard.
       ``She's so active and involved,'' Berkley said, ``She's 
     willing to work hard for those she wants elected to public 
     office.''
       U.S. Sen Jean Carnahan of Missouri said: ``Dutch proves one 
     person can make a difference.''
       Newman's roots are simple.
       She learned the gift of getting along with people and 
     developed her sharp intuition while pouring beer at the 
     Westport tavern owned by her father, Harry Bucher.
       While tending bar during World War II, Newman volunteered 
     for the Civil Defense Program and was charged with planning a 
     blackout test for Westport.
       Her first door-to-door effort was successful except for one 
     glitch.
       As she drove around a darkened Westport with a Civil 
     Defense Program official, Newman noticed a lone light coming 
     from her third-floor apartment. She cringed.
       ``He said, `Dutch, isn't that your apartment building?' '' 
     Newman returned home and errantly turned on the light.
       ``I could have killed him,'' she said. ``My apartment was 
     the only one with a light on.''
       George Aylward, who ran the influential Kansas City 
     political club Democracy Inc., was impressed by Newman's 
     ability to organize. He asked for her help with a candidate 
     for Jackson County-assessor in the 1944 election.
       Newman campaigned through the local neighborhoods and 
     picked up quite a few votes at her father's tavern. Aylward's 
     candidate won big. Just like that, her career in politics 
     took off.
       She worked for the club for several years with Aylward as 
     her mentor. Eventually, she formed her own group, the 
     Westport Landing Democratic Club.
       ``I really had a great instinct for whether or not they 
     were in it for the people or for themselves,'' she said of 
     her ability to back successful candidates.
       She also had a City Hall post: supervisor of the Commercial 
     Recreation Department which oversaw things such as liquor 
     licenses and massage parlors. In 1965, then-Gov. Warren 
     Hearnes appointed Newman a fee agent in the Raytown license 
     bureau, a post she had for nearly a decade. After that, she 
     worked as Jackson County's supervisor of liquor control.
       In the 1960s and 1970s, women were scarce in back room 
     political circles.
       But at a 2 a.m. strategy session at a club called the Green 
     Duck, there was Newman alongside Bruce Watkins, Leon Jordan 
     and Alex Presta.
       Newman is more than a fountain of good advice for 
     politicians. She's also full of good stories.
       Like the time she was passing out campaign literature and a 
     man answered the door naked.
       ``I said, `Here, read this and get inside before you freeze 
     your rear off,' '' she recalled with a laugh.
       Or the time Newman and her sister, Sue Lawson, were in line 
     at the 1976 Democratic convention in New York.
       As Secret Service agents checked the entering delegates 
     ahead of them, Lawson nudged Newman.
       ``She whispers to me that she has a gun in her purse,'' 
     Newman said, adding that her sister worked for the 
     prosecutor's office. ``It was legal (for her) to carry them, 
     but why she had one, I don't know.''

[[Page E1588]]

       Newman decided they should inform the agents.
       ``I guess I should have phrased it better because in 
     seconds there were 10 men surrounding us,'' she said. ``They 
     literally picked us up by the shoulders and dragged us out of 
     there.''
       At the police station, Newman attempted to reach someone 
     from Clarence Kelley, a former Kansas City police chief, then 
     head of the FBI.
       Soon after, the women--minus
       Then there was the time she was in the hospital during the 
     Gerald Ford-Jimmy Carter presidential race.
       ``The nurse comes in and says, `Mrs. Newman, I think this 
     is a prank, but there's a guy on the phone who says he is 
     Jimmy Carter,' '' Newman recalled.
       Indeed it was Carter, wanting to make sure Newman was OK.
       ``I was in the hospital another time and (George) McGovern 
     called me,'' Newman remembered with a sheepish grin. She 
     whispered, ``I really didn't like him that much.''
       On a visit to Kansas City in his run for the White House, 
     Vice President Al Gore stopped his motorcade when he saw 
     Newman standing on the lawn of Penn Valley Community College. 
     He got out of the limousine and ran over to give her a hug.
       Newman hasn't won all her battles. She backed Joseph P. 
     Teasdale when he lost his second bid at governor to Kit Bond. 
     Carter lost to Ronald Reagan. She couldn't prevent the 
     closing of her neighborhood school at the Guardian Angels 
     Church.
       But even in defeat, she set herself apart by staying loyal, 
     several politicians said.
       ``Even if their ship was sinking,'' Newman said, ``I stayed 
     with them.''
       Newman once filed for a seat in the Missouri legislation 
     but later withdrew. Once, she was approached to run for 
     lieutenant governor.
       Among the reasons she declined was her family.
       ``I was sitting at home eating dinner with the family and I 
     remember thinking, `I can't leave this for four or five days 
     a week,' '' she said.
       Daughter Michele Newman said Newman always managed to be 
     the consummate mother, even while staying busy in politics.
       ``My sisters and I always felt blessed to have such an 
     incredible mom,'' she said. ``We were reflecting and it's 
     amazing that first and foremost was us three girls and our 
     father. We were always No. 1.''
       ``She was the coach for our girls volleyball team at 
     Guardian Angels . . . she was always the room mother at 
     school,'' Michele Newman said. ``It's been incredible having 
     her as a mother.''
       The human side of Newman is what neighbors notice most.
       Tim Mulvany remembered his real estate agent telling him 
     about Newman when he moved to her block in 1979.
       ``A week went by and there she was at the door,'' he said. 
     ``She immediately included us in everything.''
       Mulvany discovered Newman's political savvy in the first 
     Kansas City election in which he voted. He noticed that 
     Newman backed everybody he was voting for. He printed up a 
     special campaign sign for the next election. It read: 
     ``Whoever Dutch votes for.''
       Neighbor Joe McKenna said Newman is the first to help with 
     any neighborhood problem.
       ``If you need anything it seems like you always end up 
     calling Dutch,'' he said. ``There's a lot of people who don't 
     even know she's helped them.''
       McKenna said Newman is always quick to help a neighbor 
     whether it is providing a ride to the doctor's office or help 
     with a utility bill.
       ``One time a little boy on the street got his bike 
     stolen,'' McKenna said. ``By noon, there was a brand new bike 
     on that boy's porch.''
       McKenna smiled. ``That's Dutch.''

       

                          ____________________