[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 54 (Friday, May 3, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E716]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     PAYING TRIBUTE TO BYRON WHITE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. SCOTT McINNIS

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 2, 2002

  Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, it is with a solemn heart that I stand 
before you today to pay tribute to former U.S. Supreme Court Justice 
Byron White, one of the most extraordinary men of our times. Justice 
White was a true renaissance man who embodied the ideals, abilities and 
endless potential upon which our country was founded; and did so in an 
unassuming, self-effacing manner that won the respect, and more 
importantly the hearts, of citizens throughout Colorado, America and, 
indeed, the world. Justice White dedicated his life to improving the 
lives of each and every human being he came into contact with, from his 
family and friends to his colleagues and peers. His extraordinary 
career was punctuated with a myriad of accomplishments, any one of 
which would serve as the pinnacle of a successful career, but for 
Byron, each served as simply validation that his efforts to better the 
nation and its citizens were doing just that: making peoples lives 
better. I stand before you today, humbled by the life and legacy of 
Justice White, and honored by the opportunity to pay tribute to such a 
remarkable man.
  Born in Fort Collins, Colorado on June 8, 1917, Byron proved to be 
the consummate scholar and athlete, excelling both in the classroom and 
on the playing field. He attended the University of Colorado, where his 
prowess as a student and an athlete gained him national notoriety. He 
was an All-American tailback for the Buffaloes, star on the basketball 
court, but more importantly, especially in the eyes of Byron himself, 
he was the valedictorian of his graduating class, earning a 3.9 grade-
point average. After graduating, he played professional football for 
the Pittsburgh Pirates, and was named Rookie of the Year in 1938. 
Showing his preference for intellectual endeavors over athletic ones, 
despite his success on the football field, Byron gave up his career in 
the NFL to accept a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford University. The 
outbreak of World War II brought Byron back to the United States, where 
he played football for the Detroit Lions, before serving as a Navy 
officer in the war. After the war, Byron attended Yale Law School, 
graduating in 1946, and then returned to Colorado to practice law in 
Denver.
  While attending Oxford University, Byron first had the opportunity to 
meet John F. Kennedy, and later came in contact with him again while 
serving as a Navy officer in World War II. After becoming actively 
involved in politics, President Kennedy appointed Byron to the post of 
Deputy Attorney General, and then, in 1962, appointed him to the 
Supreme Court. In his remarkable 31 year career as a Supreme Court 
Justice, Byron gained the respect of his colleagues and of his nation 
as a conservative judge willing to stand firm for what he believed was 
just and fair. In 1994, the former Denver Post Office, after being 
remodeled for the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, was renamed the 
Byron White Courthouse. Justice White, is, without question, one of the 
most talented, knowledgeable, charismatic and selfless leaders that our 
country has ever known, and I am in awe of what he has accomplished on 
behalf of our country over the course of his illustrious career.
  Mr. Speaker, I am truly at a loss in trying to verbally convey the 
achievements of a man whose extraordinary contributions so profoundly 
changed the face of our great nation. Aside from his extraordinary 
accomplishments, it is his unrelenting passion for each and every thing 
he did, as well as his spirit of honesty and integrity with which he 
has always conducted himself, that I wish to bring before this body of 
Congress. He is a remarkable man, who, while faithfully and honestly 
representing the heart and soul of America, also managed to touch it. I 
stand before you today, humbled by the legacy that Byron White has left 
with us, but proud to pay tribute to one of the greatest Americans of 
our time.

                          ____________________