[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 31 (Wednesday, February 26, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E294]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO IRVING L. DILLIARD

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JOHN SHIMKUS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 25, 2003

  Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and 
achievements of Irving L. Dilliard.
  A resident of my hometown of Collinsville, IL, Irving passed from 
this life on October 9th from complications of leukemia. An 
accomplished writer, editor, and well-known authority on the 
Constitution and the Supreme Court, Irving wrote more than 10,000 
editorials and many books. Irving also wrote about those people who 
didn't often make headlines; he used his talent to bring attention to 
various injustices throughout the world.
  Irving attended Collinsville High School and was a 1927 graduate of 
the University of Illinois. While attending the U of I, he was 
initiated into the Gamma chapter of Alpha Kappa Lamba fraternity. 
Irving continued his dedication to the fraternity by serving as AKL 
National President from 1936-38. Irving eventually went on to become 
one of the first Nieman Fellows at Harvard University, a yearlong 
graduate program for journalists.
  Irving became a reporter at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in the late 
1920s. Soon after joining the newspaper staff, Irving wrote a pamphlet 
on the 1787 Constitutional Convention entitled, ``Building the 
Constitution'', which was then distributed to schools for free and saw 
850,000 copies in print.
  Irving joined the war effort in 1943 by enlisting in the Army to 
serve in World War II. He earned the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and 
served as a psychological warfare specialist on Gen. Dwight D. 
Eisenhower's staff. He was also an editorial adviser for the European 
edition of Stars and Stripes during the war.
  Following the war, Irving rejoined the Post-Dispatch, this time as an 
editorial writer. He worked his way up to editorial page editor by 
1949. During his years at the newspaper, Irving was known as an expert 
on the Supreme Court and Constitution. Irving eventually retired from 
the Post-Dispatch in 1960. However, his career in journalism did not 
end at this time; Irving went on to teach that subject for 10 years at 
Princeton University.
  Following his years as an educator, he continued to serve his state 
and country by serving as the first director of the Illinois Department 
of Aging. As late as 1995, Irving was still working for the people, 
this time as an Illinois delegate to the White House Conference on 
Aging.
  Irving held many honors throughout his long career. He was president 
of the Illinois State Historical Society, the Illinois State Historical 
Library, and the Society of Professional Journalists. He was elected to 
the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois in 1960--receiving 
more than 2 million votes statewide. Irving also remained loyal to his 
hometown of Collinsville by holding a seat on the Collinsville Library 
Board for 52 years; 23 of those years he served as president.
  Irving Dilliard was the epitome of a great American citizen. He was a 
dedicated servant to his community, state, and nation and will be 
greatly missed.

                          ____________________