[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 144 (Thursday, November 3, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S12372-S12373]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            HENRY KU'UALOHA GIUGNI, FORMER SERGEANT-AT-ARMS

  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 300 submitted earlier 
today.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 300) relative to the death of Henry 
     Ku'ualoha Giugni, former Sergeant-at-Arms of the United 
     States Senate.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. INOUYE. Mr. President, I am deeply saddened to inform my 
colleagues that at 3:30 this morning, my friend and colleague, Henry 
Giugni, passed away at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital in Rockville, MD. 
His passing is a great loss for the people of Hawaii, the United 
States, and the Senate, an institution he loved dearly, and in which he 
served as its 30th Sergeant at Arms for 4 years, beginning on January 
6, 1987.
  I had the privilege of knowing Henry for nearly 50 years, beginning 
in 1956 when he joined my re-election campaign to the Hawaii 
Territorial House of Representatives. We quickly forged an unbreakable 
bond.
  With his tireless work, dedication, and loyalty, he proved invaluable 
as the top aide on my staff when I served as a Hawaii legislator, U.S. 
Representative, and U.S. Senator.
  His keen political instincts also made him invaluable on campaigns, 
and beginning with my first congressional race in 1959, when I 
successfully ran to be the State of Hawaii's first U.S. Representative, 
he coordinated my campaign activities on all of Hawaii's islands.
  And, I am proud to say, I once anointed Henry as ``the supreme 
commander of Hawaiian politics'' in recognition of his political acumen 
and skill as a political strategist. It was an unofficial title that 
Henry relished.
  Henry also enjoyed being called ``Dr. Giugni.'' Circumstances 
prevented him from receiving his undergraduate degree, but 2 years ago, 
the University of Hawaii at Hilo conferred upon him an honorary 
doctorate of humane letters for his exemplary service to the State of 
Hawaii and the Nation, and for serving as a role model for Native 
Hawaiians. It was an honor he truly deserved.
  From January 6, 1987, to December 31, 1990, Henry served as the 
Senate's Sergeant at Arms, ably managing a budget of nearly $120 
million, overseeing a staff of more than 2,000, and supervising support 
services, which included law enforcement and telecommunications.
  More importantly, as the first person of color and the first person 
of Polynesian ancestry to serve in this position, he left an indelible 
mark during his tenure by promoting minorities and women. He appointed 
the first minority, an African-American man, to lead the Sergeant at 
Arms' Service Department, and he was the first to assign women to the 
Capitol Police plainclothes unit.
  His special interest in people with disabilities resulted in a major 
expansion of the Special Services Office, which now conducts tours of 
the U.S. Capitol for the blind, deaf, and wheelchair-bound, and 
publishes Senate maps and documents in Braille.
  In 1991, Henry joined Cassidy & Associates, one of Washington's 
leading public policy consulting firms. With his intimate knowledge of 
Hawaii and Washington, and with a vast network of contacts that spanned 
the entire country and crossed party lines, Henry was able to continue 
his support for policies that he believed best served the Nation.
  Even as a high-powered vice chairman of Cassidy & Associates, Henry 
continued to describe himself as ``just a poor Hawaiian boy.'' Henry's 
soul was very much Hawaiian, but he was never poor in experience, 
generosity of the heart, or patriotism.
  After the attack on Pearl Harbor, he enlisted in the Army at the age 
of 16, and saw combat at Guadalcanal. He was part of the Hawaii 
delegation that greeted then-Vice President Lyndon Baines Johnson in 
the islands just before the start of the Cuban missile crisis. As a 
staunch support of civil rights, he carried the Hawaii flag and marched 
with Dr. Martin Luther King in Selma, AL.
  He volunteered to drive Senator Edward Kennedy following the 
assassination of his brother, President John F. Kennedy. Henry was also 
a member of one of the first official delegations that traveled to the 
People's Republic of China following President Nixon's historic visit.
  As Senate Sergeant at Arms, he presided over the inauguration of 
President George H.W. Bush, and escorted numerous foreign dignitaries, 
including Nelson Mandela, Margaret Thatcher, and Vaclav Havel, when 
they visited the U.S. Capitol.
  Indeed, for a ``poor Hawaiian boy'' who was born in Hawaii in 1925 to 
Alfred Giugni and Kealoha Hookano, Henry has done much on the national 
stage since his days when he studied at Hanahauoli School, Iolani 
School, and the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and when he worked as a 
Honolulu firefighter, police officer, and liquor inspector.

[[Page S12373]]

  However, while he was an acquaintance of Presidents and kings, his 
heart was always with the native people of Hawaii, who are still 
struggling for their moment in the sun.
  I ask my colleagues to join me and all who have known and loved Henry 
in expressing our heartfelt condolences to his wife, Muriel Roselani; 
his four daughters, H. Kealoha Giugni, Deborah Roselani McMillan, 
Heather Haunani Giugni, and Gina Pilialoha Giugni-Halbach; 11 
grandchildren; and 12 great-grandchildren.
  I look forward to submitting a resolution expressing our condolences 
to the Giugni family.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from West Virginia.
  Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, it is with deep sadness that I learned of 
the death of Henry K. Giugni, who passed away this morning. He was a 
former Sergeant at Arms.
  In January 1987, it was my pleasure, as the Senate majority leader, 
to nominate Mr. Giugni to be the Sergeant at Arms of the Senate. When 
the Senate elected him to the position, Mr. Giugni became not only the 
thirtieth Sergeant at Arms of the Senate, he became the first 
Polynesian-American to serve in this capacity.
  Mr. Giugni brought a wealth of experience to this most important 
Senate position. Born in Hawaii in 1925, he enlisted in the U.S. Army 
during World War II. After the war, he joined the Honolulu Police 
Force. From 1963 to 1987, he had served as the administrative assistant 
in the office of my dear friend and colleague, my hero--Senator Daniel 
K. Inouye.
  As the second ranking officer in the United States Senate, Mr. Giugni 
performed the duties of the office of Sergeant at Arms of the Senate 
proudly and with distinction. In his 4 years as head of the largest 
office in the Senate, Mr. Giugni supervised a number of major changes 
and improvements. This included the purchase and installation of 
millions of dollars of new computer and telecommunications equipment 
for Senators and their offices.
  Mr. Giugni took special pride in having helped to make the U.S. 
Capitol accessible to the disabled by expanding the Special Services 
Office. Under his direction, the office implemented tours and other 
programs for the disabled, and published a braille version of Senate 
documents.
  Sergeant at Arms Giugni worked with the House Sergeant at Arms to 
improve the operation of the Capitol Police Force. And, his office 
instituted cost-effective measures of hiring civilian guards to perform 
duties which he did not believe required uniformed officers.
  Mr. Giugni left his work at the Senate in 1990 to become vice 
president of corporate development for Washington, DC, firm, Cassidy 
Associates. His presence in the Senate, and his devotion to it, were 
quickly and sorely missed. But I was pleased and proud of having 
nominated him to this most important position, and I was even more 
pleased and proud of the work he had performed while there.
  I close my remarks with a poem that I have always cherished. It is a 
poem that evokes the triumph of a life well lived over the sorrow of 
death. It is a poem that addresses the life and career of my good 
friend, Henry K. Giugni.

     Let fate do her worst, there are relics of joy,
     Bright dreams of the past, which she cannot destroy;
     that come, in the nighttime of sorrow and care,
     And bring back the features that joy used to wear.
     Long, long be my heart with such memories filled,
     Like the vase in which roses have once been distilled,
     You may break, you may shatter the vase, if you will,
     But the scent of the roses will hang around it still.
  Mr. AKAKA. Mr. President, I would like to take a moment to say a few 
words of a dear friend, Henry Giugni, who passed away this morning. 
Henry enjoyed an illustrious career both on and off Capitol Hill. He 
began his career in Washington as Senator Inouye's Chief of Staff and 
continued until he was appointed Sergeant at Arms of the United States 
Senate. In both positions, he enjoyed the confidence and respect of all 
and he served them well. He was a well-recognized presence on the Hill, 
particularly in the Senate. After leaving the Hill, Henry joined one of 
the largest consulting firms in Washington where he was serving his 
clients effectively.
  I will remember Henry as one of the first friends who welcomed me and 
my family to Washington when I was elected to Congress nearly 30 years 
ago. His kindness continued over many years and we knew him to be a 
loving husband and father. Millie and I always appreciated his visits 
whether for business or a social call.
  It was only a few weeks ago that Millie and I chatted with him and we 
were extremely saddened to hear of his passing. Millie and I express 
our warmest aloha to his wife Lani and their family. Henry was our dear 
and cherished friend and we will miss him greatly. God bless Henry and 
his family. May he rest in peace.
  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution 
be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be 
laid upon the table, and any statements relating thereto be printed in 
the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 300) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:
       Whereas Henry Ku`ualoha Giugni was born on January 11, 
     1925, in Honolulu, Hawai`i;
       Whereas Henry Giugni served with distinction in the United 
     States Army, after enlisting at the age of 16 after the 
     attacks on Pearl Harbor, and served in combat at the Battle 
     of Guadalcanal during World War II;
       Whereas Henry Giugni began his service in the Senate in 
     1963 as Senior Executive Assistant and Chief of Staff to 
     Senator Daniel K. Inouye;
       Whereas Henry Giugni served as Sergeant-at-Arms from 1987 
     until 1990;
       Whereas Henry Giugni was the first person of color and 
     first Polynesian to be appointed to be the Sergeant-at-Arms;
       Whereas Henry Giugni promoted minorities and women by 
     appointing the first minority, an African American, to lead 
     the Sergeant-at-Arms' Service Department, and was the first 
     to assign women to the Capitol Police plainclothes unit;
       Whereas Henry Giugni's special interest in people with 
     disabilities resulted in a major expansion of the Special 
     Services Office, which now conducts tours of the U.S. Capitol 
     for the blind, deaf, and wheelchair-bound, and publishes 
     Senate maps and documents in Braille;
       Whereas in 2003, Henry Giugni received an Honorary 
     Doctorate of Humane Letters for the University of Hawaii at 
     Hilo in recognition of his extraordinary contributions to 
     Hawaii and the nation;
       Whereas Henry Giugni carried Hawai`i's flag while marching 
     with Dr. Martin Luther King for civil rights in Selma, 
     Alabama;
       Whereas Henry Giugni presided over the inauguration of 
     President George H.W. Bush, and escorted numerous foreign 
     dignitaries, including Nelson Mandela, Margaret Thatcher, and 
     Vaclav Havel when they visited the United States Capitol; and
       Whereas on November 3, 2005, Henry Giugni passed away at 
     the age of 80; Now therefore be it
       Resolved, That the Senate has heard with profound sorrow 
     and deep regret the announcement of the death of Henry 
     Giugni.
       Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate communicate 
     these resolutions to the House of Representatives and 
     transmit an enrolled copy thereof to the family of the 
     deceased.
       Resolved, That when the Senate adjourns today, it stand 
     adjourned as a further mark of respect to the memory of Henry 
     Giugni.

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