[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 63 (Friday, May 19, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E881]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      PAYING TRIBUTE TO THE HOYTS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. RICHARD E. NEAL

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 18, 2006

  Mr. NEAL of Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute 
to two of my most accomplished and most inspiring constituents. Dick 
Hoyt, of Holland, Massachusetts, and his son Rick, are a world famous 
pair, known around the world for their frequent appearances at road 
races, marathons, and triathlons. They are not, however, average 
athletes.
  In 1962 Rick Hoyt was born with his umbilical cord wrapped around his 
neck. Doctors told Rick's parents, Dick and Judy, that their son would 
be unable to live on his own and that he should be institutionalized. 
They refused.
  Instead, the Hoyts did all that they could to enroll Rick in public 
school with other children his age. Their first major breakthrough came 
when a group of engineers from Tufts University built, in 1972, an 
interactive computer that enabled Rick to communicate. His first words 
took his family by surprise. They learned that he had been following 
the Stanley Cup finals along with the rest of his family when he said, 
``Go Bruins.''
  From that moment forward, Rick was unstoppable. He was admitted to 
public school in 1975, and 2 years after that, asked his father to 
enter their first race together: a five mile benefit run for another 
local athlete who had been paralyzed in an accident. Dick says that he 
remembers Rick telling him that night that he did not feel handicapped 
when they were competing together.
  They completed their first marathon, in 1981 in Boston. Four years 
later, they competed in a triathlon, for which Dick had to not only 
learn how to swim, but then do so in the race with a small boat tied to 
his waist with which he pulled Rick.
  While continuing to race, Rick also furthered his education. In 1993, 
Rick graduated from Boston University with a degree in Special 
Education.
  Today the Hoyts have completed 206 triathlons, 20 Duathlons, 64 
marathons, and over 500 other races. They have biked across New England 
and America. Their best time for a marathon, running together with Dick 
pushing Rick, is 2 hours and 40 minutes, only 35 minutes short of the 
world record holder who, of course, was not pushing another person 
while running. This past year they competed in their twenty-fifth 
Boston Marathon. I personally have run the SIDS Road Race in 
Springfield, Massachusetts, with the Hoyts many times including this 
past fall.
  Truly, the Hoyt's story is one of a deep love and commitment between 
father and son, and is one that speaks to all of us. They have won 
awards from organizations around the world, and regularly receive 
letters from others whose lives they have touched. Dick Hoyt and his 
son Rick are truly two of the most remarkable people I have the honor 
of calling friends, and I am proud to be able to pay tribute to them 
here on the Floor of the House of Representatives.

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