[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 105 (Wednesday, September 8, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1561]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO DONALD R. ENGLAND

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. LANE EVANS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, September 8, 2004

  Mr. EVANS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the service 
and sacrifice of Donald R. England. ``Don,'' as his friends called him, 
had a distinguished career with the U.S. Department of Veterans 
Affairs, serving our nation's disabled veterans and their families. Don 
died from cancer July 2, 2004, in Carbon Cliff, Illinois, at the age of 
57. He was buried July 6 in East Moline, Illinois.
  Don was born August 18, 1946, in Moline, the son of Robert and 
Margaret ``Jane'' (Simpson) England. He was a graduate of United 
Township High School, Class of 1964, and Northern Illinois University, 
Class of 1968, where he earned his Degree in Music. He served in the 
U.S. Army from 1968-1971, where he was stationed in Washington D.C., 
and played in the U.S. Army Band.
  In 1974, while living in Bogota, Colombia, Don played in the Bogota 
Symphony. In 1976, Don began his career with the Department of Veterans 
Affairs in the Chicago Regional Office. He held several positions of 
increasing authority in the Chicago office before coming to VA Central 
Office as a consultant for Compensation and Pension Service in 1988.
  In 1990, Don was promoted to Chief of the Regulations Staff of the 
Compensation and Pension Service, a position he held until he retired 
earlier this year due to illness. In that position, he supervised the 
writing and maintenance of all the VA rules providing compensation and 
pension benefits for disabled veterans and their families. Don was 
considered one of the most knowledgeable people in VA regarding those 
benefit programs. In addition, he was loved and respected by his 
colleagues for his hard work and compassion to others.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to Donald R. 
England and in offering our condolences to his family for their loss.

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