[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 72 (Wednesday, May 14, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E948]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           HONORING MATT RYAN

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JOSEPH R. PITTS

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 14, 2003

  Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, I served with Matt Ryan in the Pennsylvania 
General Assembly for 24 years.
  Having worked with him all those years, never once did I question his 
dedication to his job or his commitment to making life better for all 
of Pennsylvania's 12 million citizens.
  We worked together on a lot of things, but I'll always remember very 
fondly the work we did together on the Capitol Preservation Committee.
  Time and time again, I've heard tourists who have visited dozens of 
state capitols say that Pennsylvania's is the most beautiful.
  Matt and I shared a vision of restoring that beautiful, century-old 
building to its original grandeur.
  It was a project that took a lot of years, and a project that will 
never really be complete.
  But it was a labor of love for us.
  It goes without saying that restoring the capitol was only one of 
Matt's many accomplishments.
  Matt served in the General Assembly for more than four decades, and 
he seemed like a man who was destined to lead.
  He was always fair and always compassionate.
  He was good at building consensus, even on difficult issues.
  And he was a man of his word.
  As the longest-serving Republican Speaker of the House since the 
Republican Party was founded, he left his mark on this Commonwealth as 
much as any Pennsylvanian since Ben Franklin.
  He was a valuable partner, a respected leader, and a very, very good 
friend.
  I'll miss him.

                          ____________________