[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 75 (Monday, June 10, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Page S5284]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          TRIBUTE TO JIM MAYER

 Mr. CLELAND. Mr. President, today I pay tribute to a man whose 
leadership is only surpassed in value to me by his friendship. Twenty-
five years ago, Mr. Jim Mayer played an important role in the creation 
of an innovative pilot program called ``Leadership VA.''
  The program is designed to identify 70 leaders in the Department of 
Veterans Affairs each year, and to provide an enrichment of their 
career development through an intense leadership training experience. 
In its 25 years of existence, Leadership VA has laid a foundation for a 
network of VA leaders who share a deep commitment to the Department of 
Veterans Affairs and to public service in its broadest sense. Today, 63 
percent of all Central Office Senior Executive Service members have 
completed the program, as have 73 percent of all field leaders.
  This success, though, did not happen by chance. Rather, it is a 
tribute to the hard work and forward thinking of Jim Mayer. Jim began 
his VA career as Special Assistant for Vietnam Veterans Affairs to 
Administrator Richard L. Roudebush in 1974, six years after beginning 
his service in the U.S. Army as an infantry man in the 25th Division in 
Vietnam.
  Jim joined the Leadership VA staff as its Executive Director in April 
of 1998, but his relationship with LVA goes back to his time on the 
first Selection Committee in 1978.
  Throughout his years at the VA, Jim has spent countless hours working 
on behalf of veterans, striving to better conditions by improving the 
VA from within, but his accomplishments are not limited to his time at 
the VA. He is a recipient of numerous awards including: 1977, VA 
Meritorious Service; 1981, VA Exceptional Service; 1991, Secretary of 
Veterans Affairs Outstanding Volunteer; and, 1993, George Washington 
Honor Medal from the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge for work as a 
volunteer with Desert Shield/Desert Storm injured at Walter Reed Army 
Medical Center.
  For as long as I have known him, Jim Mayer has exemplified the term 
``public servant.'' He is a selfless individual who has always thought 
of his country before thinking about himself. In this day and age, few 
people live that type of life, but, as President Theodore Roosevelt 
said, ``The test of our worth is the value of our service.''
  I would like to thank Jim for his service, his dedication, and, above 
all else, for his friendship. He is an inspiration and a great 
American.

                          ____________________