[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 8 (Wednesday, February 6, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E96]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                      TRIBUTE TO DR. RICHARD HODES

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JIM DAVIS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 6, 2002

  Mr. DAVIS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise in honor of Dr. Richard 
Hodes, a physician and former leader in the Florida legislature who 
used his multitude of personal and professional talents to improve 
Florida's health care system and make Florida a better place for all of 
us.
  During Dick's 16 years of service in the Florida House of 
Representatives, he always sought opportunities to contribute as a 
champion of education and health reforms. As chairman of the House 
Health and Rehabilitation Services Committee, then Speaker pro tem and 
majority leader, Dick used his expertise as a physician and his prowess 
as a legislator, most notably, to help fashion Florida's Medicaid 
legislation and streamline the State's health, institutional, and 
welfare services in Florida.
  Dick's work was not overlooked. In 1970 he was the recipient of the 
Florida Jaycees Good Government Award and the St. Petersburg Times 
nominated him four times as the Most Valuable Member of the House. Dick 
was even elected President of the National Conference of State 
Legislatures.
  Outside of the legislature, Dick's contributions to the medical 
community were countless. He operated his own private practice in Tampa 
for nearly 40 years and served as Chairman of the Department of 
Anesthesiology at the University of South Florida's College of Medicine 
and former President of the Florida Medical Association, the 
Hillsborough County Medical Association and the Florida Society of 
Anesthesiologists. Local Hillsborough County residents benefitted from 
his insight every week for 20 years when they tuned into his program on 
WEDU television.
  Dick was the model citizen: a tireless worker, a highly successful 
doctor and public servant dedicated to the people he served. He was 
soft spoken while holding firm, heartfelt views about the major issues 
he tackled. Dick is an inspiration for generations of leaders to come 
and he will be solely missed not just by his family and many, many 
friends, but by all of us.

                          ____________________