[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 75 (Wednesday, June 2, 2004)]
[House]
[Page H3691]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            TRIBUTE TO HON. STAN W. CLARK OF OAKLEY, KANSAS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Moran) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. MORAN of Kansas. Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening to pay tribute 
to a man of principle and faith who nobly devoted his energies to the 
service of others. Today, we mourn the death of Kansas State Senator 
Stan Clark of Oakley, Kansas, who was tragically taken from us as a 
result of a vehicle accident this past Saturday.
  I had the honor of serving alongside Stan Clark in the State Senate 
for 2 years of his decade of service. As I and many of his colleagues 
will attest, Senator Clark was unwavering in his pursuit of issues 
based upon principle. He deservedly earned a reputation for being a 
conscientious and dedicated legislator. As peers, we valued his 
thoroughness in considering each piece of legislation and his 
deliberate, detail-oriented analysis of policy affecting his 
constituents. He always knew more about pending legislation than any 
other member of the State Senate.
  Stan dedicated himself to public service on behalf of Kansans, and 
especially those who call northwest Kansas home, and he did it with 
conviction and purpose. The fact that Senator Clark sought elective 
office is in itself unusual. He had to convince the leadership of the 
Dunkard Brethren Church that public service was an appropriate calling 
for a Christian, for his church firmly believed that a person must not 
be conformed to this world. I cannot imagine a congregation that can be 
more proud of a decision to allow a member of their church to pursue 
public office. Stan did not conform to the things of this world but 
worked to transform the world and to perfect the will of God.
  A lifelong Kansan, Stan was always true to his roots. He lived a life 
guided by the morals and values we in Kansas hold dear. He was 
motivated to do the right thing in each and every circumstance. In 
today's partisan arena where there is too much Republican this and 
Democrat that, Stan put people above politics. Although Stan was not 
always able to convince everyone of the rightness of his position, nor 
was he always in the majority when the votes were cast, he treated 
every person with dignity and respect.
  His humility and his warm, genuine grin, which originated deep within 
his heart, won him the love of friends and the respect of opponents. He 
lived his life striving to follow Paul's instructions in Romans 12:
  ``Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is 
good. Be kindly to one another with brotherly love, serving the Lord, 
rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in 
prayer, given to hospitality. Do not set your mind on high things, but 
associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion. Repay no 
evil for evil. If it is possible, live peaceably with men. Do not be 
overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.''
  In a speech just a few days before his death, addressing those 
gathered at a Vietnam moving wall displayed in his hometown of Oakley, 
Kansas, Stan told his neighbors his thoughts about death and as a 
result his thoughts about life. These are his words.
  ``Thinking about death produces a true love for life. When we are 
familiar with death, we accept each day and each week as a gift. This 
acceptance helps us to see all human life as priceless. Only when we 
are able to accept life, bit by bit, does it become precious. Only this 
awareness of death creates true inward freedom from material things. 
When we look death in the face, we overcome ambition and greed and the 
love of power and the fear of losing material things. When we look at 
ourselves, we realize how weak and misguided we can be. If we have not 
had the thought of death, we cannot achieve an inward freedom to live. 
When we bury death's control over our own lives and experience freedom 
and peace of mind, life becomes a gift that we can share with others.''
  After his commitment to his faith, most important to Stan was his 
family. He devoted endless love and attention to his wife, Ruth, and 
their son, Will. Most common was Stan's dedication to balancing public 
responsibilities with a commitment to quality time shared with his 
family.
  Today I join his many friends and admirers in extending my deepest 
sympathies to Ruthie and her family during this time of loss. Stan, you 
will be greatly missed by me, by my family, and by our many friends and 
your constituents, but he who does the will of God abides forever.

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