[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 135 (Friday, December 8, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2195]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               HONORING GERALD W. TOMANEK OF HAYS, KANSAS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JERRY MORAN

                               of kansas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, December 8, 2006

  Mr. MORAN of Kansas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the life 
of Gerald W. Tomanek of Hays, Kansas, and honor his accomplishments and 
character.
  Jerry was many things to many people--an educator, a comrade, a 
scientific expert, a husband and a parent. To me, Jerry was foremost a 
trusted friend.
  Jerry and I met when I was a college student at Fort Hays State 
University. From the beginning, I was struck by his humble spirit and 
the genuine care he showed in his interaction with me. Not too many 
years after we first met, Jerry became President of Fort Hays State 
University. Years earlier, Jerry had attended the same institution when 
it was Fort Hays Kansas State College. As President, in 1977, he 
successfully led the effort to change the school's status to that of 
university. Today, thanks in large part to his vision, Fort Hays State 
University is one of the leading academic institutions in the Midwest.
  In addition to serving as university president, Jerry was extensively 
involved in research and instruction. Growing up on the Great Plains, 
he was familiar, as all Kansans are, with the prairie. First as a 
student and then as a professor, Jerry learned more and more about this 
ecosystem and became one of the most renowned experts in the world on 
prairies. His expertise was sought by foreign governments and leading 
U.S. news organizations. The intimate knowledge and love he had of the 
prairie helped others appreciate and understand this unique landscape.
  Since our first meeting, Jerry and I stayed in contact and developed 
a friendship. In our many conversations, I was always impressed with 
his knowledge, wisdom and kindness. I valued his advice. When my family 
and I decided I would run for the Kansas State Senate, I asked Jerry to 
be my campaign chairman. He kindly accepted and helped guide me to 
victory, despite a close race.
  Jerry was not only a friend to me, but to most everyone who met him. 
He was one of those rare individuals whose warm personality and 
authentic care for others left all who met him better off. He had a way 
of affirming the worth of others that inspired them to achieve their 
best. Despite all of his academic and professional achievements, when 
friends share stories of Jerry, their message is the same: he was a 
good man who put others before himself.
  It is this example of a life well lived that is his greatest 
contribution. I can think of nothing more honoring than to say that 
Jerry lived a life that called me and those who knew him to be better 
people.

                          ____________________