[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 29 (Thursday, March 14, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E361-E362]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING DAVID C.G. KERR

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JIM DAVIS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 14, 2002

  Mr. DAVIS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise in honor of David C.G. 
Kerr, a deeply respected lawyer in the Tampa Bay community who recently 
lost his battle with Lou Gehrig's disease.
  David, a veteran of the Korean War, worked at Tampa's Macfarlane, 
Ferguson and McMullen for nearly 40 years, specializing in

[[Page E362]]

transportation, admiralty and corporate law. He served as lead 
corporate counsel for a number of key Tampa real estate projects, 
including Harbour Island, Tampa Palms and the Ice Palace.
  David quickly became known for his great intellect and dedication to 
his job. He successfully argued two cases before the U.S. Supreme 
Court, one of which established a principle in international admiralty 
law, and he served as his firm's chairman from 1990 to 1993. David also 
spent 39 years as general counsel and executive director of the 
National Juice Products Association, the industry's largest trade 
association.
  David will be remembered across the state for his work outside of the 
office. He served Florida's business and legal communities in countless 
ways, as President of Hillsborough County Bar Association in 1967, on 
the Florida Bar Association's board of directors in 1971, as president 
of the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce in 1979, and chairman of its 
Committee of 100 in 1977. Later, at the request of Governors Bob 
Martinez and Lawton Chiles, David headed the Florida Transportation 
Commission and served as a member of the commission from 1987 to 1999. 
In this role, David succeeded remarkably in minimizing politics and 
moving Florida's transportation projects forward.
  Closer to home, David was a member of the University of Tampa's Board 
of Trustees, and was an active member of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church 
and Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla.
  I will remember David as a wonder role model for young people who 
desired to succeed in their business or profession and serve the 
community. David did everything with a dignity and grace that brought 
out the best in everyone with whom he worked. I am eternally grateful 
for the constant guidance and encouragement he gave me starting in my 
years as a teenager. David similarly touched the lives of hundreds of 
young people.
  On behalf of the people of Tampa Bay, I would like to extend my 
heartfelt sympathies to David's family.

                          ____________________