[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 175 (Monday, December 17, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2320]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   EDEN PRAIRIE, MN, MOURNS THE DEATH OF ITS GREAT MAYOR JEAN HARRIS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JIM RAMSTAD

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, December 17, 2001

  Mr. RAMSTAD. Mr. Speaker, the people of Eden Prairie, Minnesota, and 
our entire state are in mourning today because we've had a death in the 
family.
  Minnesotans are saddened over the passing of Mayor Jean Harris--a 
truly gifted and extremely dedicated public servant whose visionary 
leadership, courage, integrity and compassion has a huge impact on 
Minnesota and the nation. Dr. Jean Harris represented the best in 
public service and she will be sorely missed by all of us.
  Not allowed to enter the public library as a child because of the 
color of her skin, Dr. Jean Harris was a true pioneer, an African-
American who broke new ground from her childhood right through to the 
courageous way she dealt with her terminal illness. Raised in a second-
floor apartment in a segregated neighborhood in Richmond, VA, Dr. 
Harris was a ground-breaking worker in the civil rights movement by the 
power of her example and accomplishments as physician, adviser to 
presidents, corporate executive and beloved mayor.
  I will miss Jean Harris because she was a true friend and adviser I 
could always count on for wise counsel and sound judgment.
  Mr. Speaker, the only black student in her class at Virginia 
Commonwealth University's Medical College of Virginia, Jean Harris 
advised five U.S. Presidents as a member of health commissions and 
served as Virginia's Secretary of Human Resources, overseeing a $2.3 
billion budget and 22,000 employees.
  Dr. Harris also served with great distinction as a consultant on 
health issues to the U.S. Agency for International Development, the 
National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Health and Human 
Services, and Congress. Jean was a valued member of my Health Care 
Advisory Committee and highly respected faculty member of her medical 
school, Howard University, Johns Hopkins University and the Drew Post-
Graduate School of Medicine in California. Later, she was Director of 
Medical Affairs for the University of Minnesota Hospital and Clinic.
  Mr. Speaker, Jean Harris' voice was never still. She spoke out 
against injustice at every opportunity and made a real difference on so 
many fronts. After moving to Minnesota to become Vice President of 
Control Data Corp., she became involved in our state's politics and 
earned a sterling reputation for her leadership and integrity. Dr. 
Harris served on the Eden Prairie City Council from 1987 to 1994 and 
was mayor from 1995 until her death. She was vice president of the 
Minnesota Mayors' Association and a member of the Women's Economic 
Roundtable and the Women's Health Leadership Trust.
  In 1990, Mayor Harris was a candidate for Lt. Governor in Minnesota. 
Subsequently, Mayor Harris served on the Commission on Reform and 
Efficiency in State Government, the Judicial Selection Committee and 
the Minnesota Health Care Commission.
  Mr. Speaker, Mayor Jean Harris never met a challenge she did not face 
head on, including the cancer that ultimately claimed her life. ``You 
cannot offer me a challenge I won't take,'' Jean Harris said on the day 
she learned she had cancer.
  Jean was a totally open and honest person, and that candor led to 
frank discussions. But she had consensus-building skills that brought 
people together, producing strong bonds between people, bonds which 
will never be forgotten. Her inclusiveness knew no bounds.
  Mr. Speaker, we owe so much to Major Jean Harris' visionary, dynamic, 
caring leadership. She touched so many lives during her remarkable 
career, and she always put people first. Mayor Harris loved her City of 
Eden Prairie and its wonderful people who showed their great admiration 
at the pools each time she ran for election over her 14 years in 
office.
  Jean Harris' pioneering voice for justice and fairness may be quieted 
now, but her actions will echo for time immemorial, in Eden Prairie, 
throughout Minnesota and across America. Jean Harris' legacy will 
continue to inspire all of us who knew and loved her.
  Mr. Speaker, our thoughts and prayers are with Jean's wonderful 
family; husband Leslie Ellis, and daughters Cynthia, Soraja and Pamela. 
May God bless Jean Harris and her family.

                          ____________________