[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 9 (Tuesday, January 31, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E12]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


   HONORING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE HONORABLE JOHN D. DINGELL'S 
                SERVICE IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ROSA L. DeLAURO

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 31, 2006

  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I rise to join my colleagues to honor the 
dean of the House--a man who over the course of a half century has 
changed the face of this institution. Over the course of 25 Congresses, 
serving under 10 Presidents, John Dingell has embodied the best of 
public service--of honoring those who elect us to office and fulfilling 
our obligations to people. His is an ideal each of us, in our own way, 
hopes to achieve in our time as Members of this institution.
  Like his father before him, John Dingell has made a mark on every 
Member with whom he has served. He is shrewd, he is tough, and he is as 
skilled as any public official I have ever known. Indeed, when I was 
elected to the Congress, one of my first orders of business was to meet 
with John Dingell--not to say anything, but to listen. And I will never 
forget what he told me that day: ``Assist your colleagues when you 
can--but if they ask for something you can't deliver, just be honest 
and tell them. Always maintain credibility with your colleagues.'' For 
15 years, that advice has stayed with me, helping me serve my 
constituents and the American people more effectively.
  In whatever capacity he has served his country--from his 4 years as a 
page in this institution as a boy, to his time in the Army when he rose 
to the ranks of second lieutenant to his half-century in Congress--John 
Dingell has served with dignity, with distinction and with historic 
consequences.

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