[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 2 (Thursday, January 24, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E26-E27]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO JOHN ``JACK'' SHEA

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JOHN M. McHUGH

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, January 24, 2002

  Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness that I rise today 
to pay tribute to a great and honorable man from northern New York--Mr. 
John ``Jack'' Shea.
  Let me begin my remarks by stating how deeply saddened I was to learn 
of the passing of John Shea--a consummate gentleman, a proven leader, 
and a North Country hero to all of us. Jack, as he was known to anyone 
who met him, was looking forward to seeing his grandson, Jim Shea, Jr., 
compete in next month's Winter Games in Salt Lake City. Sadly, that 
opportunity has been taken away from him and his family at the hands of 
a senseless, and regrettably, preventable act. This country as well as 
northern New York, has lost a great statesman and a good friend.
  Like so many others who have met him through the years I considered 
Jack Shea a personal friend, and I was privileged to have known him. 
Each time we met I went away feeling not only better of myself, but of 
the world around me. Jack had the ability to convey warmth and goodwill 
that is sadly found in too few people today. His spirit, his generosity 
toward others, and his general outlook on family and life will always 
be remembered.
  Throughout his life Jack Shea was a tremendous ambassador for the 
Olympic movement, and he worked tirelessly in successfully bringing 
back the Winter Olympics to his hometown, Lake Placid. The place where 
he experienced some of this greatest triumphs, and sadly the place 
where it tragically came to an end this past Tuesday. He embodied 
everything the Olympics stand for--goodwill, national pride, and the 
love for competition. But, perhaps one of his greatest attributes was 
his high sense of moral integrity. After winning two gold medals in the 
1932 Winter Games Jack would have been the odds-on favorite to repeat 
his conquests in the next Olympics. However, in deference to the local 
Jewish community, Jack boycotted the games being held in Nazi Germany. 
It was exactly this type of unselfish behavior that made Jack Shea the 
great man that he was.
  While there are no words that can take away the pain his family and 
friends are experiencing, I would like to offer them my sincerest 
condolences. I hope that his family is

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comforted by the knowledge that he was admired, respected, and 
appreciated by all of us who knew him. I know I speak for all of us in 
saying, we will miss him.

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