[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 20 (Thursday, February 1, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E240-E241]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    LANE EVANS POST OFFICE BUILDING

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                       HON. JANICE D. SCHAKOWSKY

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, January 29, 2007

  Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 521 
which would designate the United States Postal Service building located 
at 2633 11th Street in Rock Island, IL, as the Lane Evans Post Office 
Building. I thank Representative Hare for introducing this legislation.
  Lane Evans has been a close and dear friend to me and my husband, Bob 
Creamer, since Lane's very first campaign in 1982. That friendship, 
through thick and thin, has been and will always be so precious to us. 
We are grateful to Lane for being such an important part of our lives. 
We love him very much.
  I had the privilege of working for Lane Evans's first campaign. At 
the time Lane declared his candidacy, he was considered a sacrificial 
lamb running against a well-entrenched Republican incumbent. His 
winning seemed like a pipe dream. However, there was something special 
in this young, legal assistance attorney, and he quietly fought to win 
his seat in the House, giving the many labor union workers, consumer 
and civil rights activists, and ordinary residents of this western 
Illinois district the representation they deserved.
  During that first campaign, Lane was modest, unassuming, friendly, 
and also inspiring. He showed a humble respect for each and every 
voter, addressing them in the soft-spoken, sincere manner that he never 
lost. The quiet strength that came from being a United States Marine 
during the Vietnam era always shone through.
  From the first day and throughout his career in the House, Lane Evans 
remained true to his core progressive beliefs. The working and retired 
men and women of his district and the veterans throughout the Nation 
could always count on Lane Evans being there for them--no excuses, no 
exceptions.
  As the Ranking Democrat of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, 
Lane Evans was

[[Page E241]]

recognized as the leading advocate of veterans in Congress, responsible 
for legislation to  compensate veterans and their families for the 
effects of Agent Orange, help Persian Gulf and women veterans, and 
those now returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. The veterans' service 
organizations have honored Lane with their highest awards.

  Lane Evans has always been a leader in the fight for universal health 
care. Although Parkinson's disease has forced him to end his productive 
service in the House, he always acknowledges how fortunate he is to be 
able to afford the best care, while so many Americans are not. He has 
become an advocate for expanding funding for research into the cure for 
Parkinson's and many other diseases that might benefit from government-
funded embryonic stem cell research.
  When Lane Evans retired from the House of Representatives last year, 
Senator Durbin said the following: ``There are two kinds of courage in 
this world. There is physical courage, which is rare. Then there is 
even a rarer commodity, moral courage. Once in a great while you find 
someone who has both. Lane Evans is that person.'' I could not agree 
with Senator Durbin more.
  I miss Lane Evans' presence in the Halls of Congress on a day-to-day 
basis. However, my sadness is easily deflected by Lane's legacy that 
will ever be reflected in the improved lives of the veterans of the 
United States and all the working families who will continue to benefit 
from his outstanding service.
  I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 521.

                          ____________________