[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 124 (Wednesday, September 10, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1752]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     HONORING CONGRESSMAN TOM LEWIS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MICHAEL BILIRAKIS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 10, 2003

  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Tom Lewis, a friend 
and former colleague who epitomized what being a public servant is all 
about.
  Tom devoted his life to serving his country and his countrymen. He 
fought for America in the Air Force, serving tours of duty in both 
World War II and Korea during his eleven-year military career. Tom used 
the knowledge he gained in the Air Force later in life as a jet and 
rocket-testing chief for Pratt and Whitney Aircraft, eventually 
supervising work on sensitive and sophisticated military and commercial 
aircraft systems.
  Tom came to Congress the same year I did, in 1983, after serving as 
both Mayor and city councilman of North Palm Beach from 1964 to 1971. 
He then went on to represent that area in the Florida House of 
Representatives until 1980, when he was elected to the Florida Senate.
  During his time in these hallowed halls, Tom zealously fought for the 
people of his district, whom he considered more than just constituents. 
He was largely responsible for saving the Hurricane Hunter Plane 
Program, the aircraft which fly into hurricanes to collect data so 
meteorologists can predict when and where these storms will hit. He 
also led the effort to build a much-needed VA medical center in his 
district, as well as to save the Big Cypress Natural Preserve, a unique 
part of Florida's environment.
  After his retirement from Congress in 1994, he worked to protect 
Florida's agricultural interests during trade negotiations and led a 
campaign which raised $66 million to improve a stretch of U.S. Highway 
27 on which more than 100 people died between 1982 and 1997. That 
portion of highway in Palm Beach County now bears Tom's name.
  My colleague from Florida, the distinguished Chairman of the 
Appropriations Committee, said it best when he noted a decade ago that 
there was ``not a comer of his vast district that you can go without 
seeing the fruit of Tom's work.''
  Mr. Speaker, Tom was much more than a dedicated public servant. He 
was a loving husband to his wife, Marian. He was a devoted father to 
his three children. He also was one of my closest confidants in 
Congress. It saddened me to learn that he passed away last month. I am 
comforted, however, in the knowledge that he will be remembered as one 
of the most respected, accomplished, and honorable members of this 
institution.

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