[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 155 (Tuesday, December 6, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2454-E2455]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   HONORING THE LIFE OF JERRY TIPPENS

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. DAVID WU

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 6, 2005

  Mr. WU. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of 
Jerry Tippens, a pillar of my Congressional District and Oregon for the 
past 40 years. Jerry died on November 28, 2005 at the age of 74.
  Jerry came to Oregon in the early 1960s to work as a journalist for 
The Oregon Journal, covering among other things the Oregon state

[[Page E2455]]

legislature. He soon joined their editorial board and quickly became 
its editorial page editor. When the Journal merged with the Oregonian 
in 1982, Jerry continued to serve by joining the Oregonian's editorial 
board where he worked until his retirement in 1991.
  It was upon his retirement, that Jerry's work and service truly 
began. He joined the board of the Oregon Food Bank, and through his 
chairmanship, grew this agency into becoming the second-largest food 
bank in the nation. He was passionate about helping those who were 
hungry and in need. Jerry ultimately became the voice for those who had 
no voice of their own.
  I am honored to have known Jerry, and while he will be deeply missed, 
I am comforted with the knowledge that Jerry's spirit of community 
service and hard work will continue in Oregon. I am fortunate to have 
his daughter, Julie Tippens, serving as my Chief of Staff, and I extend 
my heartfelt condolences to Julie, her brother Hal, their mother, 
Helen, and Jerry's sister, Katherine Wiper.
  In conclusion, I would like to submit for the record an editorial 
from The Oregonian that highlights the work and legacy of Jerry 
Tippens.

                  [From the Oregonian, Nov. 30, 2005]

                             Jerry Tippens


 The editorial writer and anti-hunger activist left a mark deeper than 
                           anything on paper

       Jerry Tippens, who died Monday in Eugene, was a substantial 
     figure in the life of Oregon. As an editorial writer at The 
     Oregonian and The Oregon Journal, and the last editorial page 
     editor of the Journal, he was a powerful voice for rural 
     Oregon and for the state's hungry, and a bottomless resource 
     on Oregon in the second half of the 20th century.
       After his retirement from The Oregonian, as a board member 
     and board chairman of the Oregon Food Bank, Tippens played an 
     important role in building it into the second-largest food 
     bank in the nation, with a new state-of-the-art facility. 
     Beyond any institutional identity, he was a constant and 
     influential voice in Salem and around the state on behalf of 
     Oregon's poor and hungry, and for parts of the state that 
     don't always appear in the media.
       But on the editorial board, he was a colleague, gentle and 
     persistent, firm on the things he believed in--people and 
     planning and Cleveland's prospects in the American League--
     and tolerant of the things he didn't.
       In many ways, Tippens was an example of what editorial 
     writers claim to be. To the news of each day, he brought a 
     wide range of personal experience, from growing up on a 
     Dakota ranch, serving in Korea and covering three sessions of 
     the Oregon Legislature so closely that the legislators on the 
     Ways and Means Committee voted him an honorary member. He 
     also brought an always deepening knowledge of Oregon, looking 
     at each day's issues and understanding not only what the 
     problem was but how it got that way.
       And most importantly, Tippens always had the ability to 
     look at an issue--or a politician's speech--and see through 
     it to the people affected.
       When he retired from the editorial board and applied his 
     insight and skills to the dramatic growth of the Oregon Food 
     Bank--and a considerable improvement in the lives of 
     thousands of Oregonians--we were proud.
       But not exactly surprised.

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