[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 58 (Thursday, April 10, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E717]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               HONORING JACK ECKERD ON HIS 90TH BIRTHDAY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MICHAEL BILIRAKIS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, April 9, 2003

  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Jack Eckerd, a man 
who has dedicated his life to public service as he celebrates his 90th 
birthday.
  Jack Eckerd's life is a testament to what one can achieve with hard 
work, dedication, and perseverance.
  After flying air cargo flights for the U.S. Army Air Corps during 
World War II, Mr. Eckerd opened a now well known chain of drug stores 
in the Tampa Bay area. These stores, named after their founder, were 
the first self-service drugstores in Florida. Many of the concepts he 
instituted at his stores, such as senior citizen discounts and two-for-
one photo processing, have become standard practice in drugstores 
across the country.
  Jack Eckerd's story is more than that of veteran, successful 
businessman, and devoted husband to his wife, Ruth. Mr. Eckerd quickly 
became involved in his community after founding Eckerd drugstores. He 
contributed his time, talents and money to help organizations such as 
the YMCA, United Way, and Morton Plant Hospital in my congressional 
district in Clearwater, Florida. He also founded, in 1968, Eckerd Youth 
Alternatives, an organization dedicated to finding innovative solutions 
to help troubled youths. Eckerd Youth Alternatives, which he considers 
his proudest accomplishment, today is one of the nation's leading and 
most respected programs for troubled young people.
  Jack Eckerd ran for the U.S. Senate in 1974 and later co-chaired 
former Florida Governor Ruben Askew's study on management and 
efficiency, which found more than $100 million in state budget waste. 
President Gerald Ford appointed Mr. Eckerd to head the General Services 
Administration from 1975 to 1977. President Ford, commenting on Mr. 
Eckerd's tenure, said ``Jack ran GSA cleaner than a hound's tooth.'' He 
later was appointed by then Governor and now Senator Bob Graham--the 
man who defeated him in his Senate race-as chairman of the board of 
Prison Rehabilitative Industries, a state program to provide jobs and 
skills to inmates and to make such institutions self-supporting. Since 
his retirement in 1996, Jack Eckerd has remained involved in his 
community.
  Mr. Eckerd's financial generosity is legendary. He and his family 
have given millions of dollars through the years to improve education, 
promote the arts, and encourage the health and well-being of our fellow 
citizens. Jack Eckerd has received many awards for his public service 
and philanthropy over the years. The greatest honor he can receive, 
however, is to know that he has had a profoundly positive impact on 
those whose lives he has touched.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to thank Jack Eckerd for his life's work and 
congratulate him as he celebrates his 90th birthday on May 16. I wish 
him and his family many years of continued health and happiness.

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