[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 158 (Thursday, November 15, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2092]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          IN MEMORY OF VIRGINIA CONGRESSMAN THOMAS N. DOWNING

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. J. RANDY FORBES

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 15, 2001

  Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join my colleagues in 
honoring the memory of a former Member of Congress and pivotal 
Tidewater politician, Thomas N. Downing.
  Congressman Downing represented Tidewater Virginia for eighteen 
years. He was well-known for his affability with his colleagues and his 
tenacity in representing his constituents. In particular, he was a 
staunch supporter of Newport News Shipbuilding, which was and is a 
cornerstone of the Tidewater economy and of our nation's military 
readiness. It was Tom Downing's support and assistance that helped to 
expand and improve that company's ability to contribute so much to 
national defense and local jobs.
  His interest in Newport News Shipbuilding was far more than 
parochial, it was patriotic. Tom Downing was a graduate of Virginia 
Military Institute (VMI), a decorated veteran of World War II, and a 
patriot in the truest sense of the word. He graduated from VMI in 1940 
and four years later was commanding mechanized cavalry troops and Army 
reconnaissance during the liberation of France and sweep across 
Germany. Tom Downing's personal bravery in rescuing two of his men who 
were injured during a German ambush earned him the Silver Star.
  His legacy in Congress is no less impressive. Newport News Daily 
Press summed his service in these hallowed halls up best: ``[In 
Congress] he truly hit his stride. He was a natural. Few congressmen 
have served their constituents better. Just ask the shipyard. Or NASA. 
Or the watermen. Or any of thousands of individuals and institutions 
that Mr. Downing helped during his eight terms. Fiscally conservative? 
Of course. Integrity? From head to toe. But it was the kindness of the 
man that most recall about Tom Downing. He liked people and vice-versa. 
. . .''
  His memory lives on in Tidewater's strength and in the lives of those 
his service touched. Tom Downing will be missed, but not forgotten.

                          ____________________