[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 20 (Thursday, February 1, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Page S1538]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      SENATE RESOLUTION 66--HONORING THE LIFE, ACHIEVEMENTS, AND 
      DISTINGUISHED CAREER OF THE REVEREND ROBERT F. DRINAN, S.J.

  Mr. KERRY (for himself, Mr. Kennedy, and Mr. Leahy) submitted the 
following resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                               S. Res. 66

       Whereas the Reverend Robert F. Drinan, S.J. was a talented 
     scholar, who received a bachelor's degree in 1942 and a 
     master's degree in 1947 from Boston College, a bachelor's 
     degree in law in 1949 and a master of law degree in 1951 from 
     Georgetown University, and a doctorate in theology in 1954 
     from Gregorian University in Rome, Italy;
       Whereas Father Drinan entered the Society of Jesus in 1942, 
     completed his seminary work at Weston College in Cambridge, 
     Massachusetts, and was ordained as a Jesuit priest in 1953;
       Whereas Father Drinan was an influential educator who 
     served as the Dean of the Boston College Law School from 1956 
     to 1970 and transformed it into one of the leading 
     educational institutions in the United States;
       Whereas Father Drinan was elected in 1970 to represent 
     Massachusetts in the House of Representatives;
       Whereas Father Drinan represented Massachusetts in the 
     House of Representatives from 1971 to 1981, the first Roman 
     Catholic priest ever to serve in Congress as a voting Member;
       Whereas Father Drinan, during his service in the House of 
     Representatives, was an advocate for social justice, a 
     fighter for civil rights, and a champion in the cause of 
     international human rights;
       Whereas Father Drinan drew on his legal expertise to make 
     significant contributions in the areas of copyright law 
     reform, consumer protection, and criminal justice;
       Whereas Father Drinan renewed his commitment to education, 
     after his service in Congress, as a professor at Georgetown 
     University Law Center, where he specialized in constitutional 
     law and human rights and taught more than 6,000 students;
       Whereas Father Drinan was the founder and faculty adviser 
     to the Georgetown Journal of Legal Ethics and was the author 
     of 12 books on major public policy issues;
       Whereas Father Drinan was the recipient of 22 honorary 
     degrees and was a visiting professor at 4 universities;
       Whereas Father Drinan's service led the American Bar 
     Association (ABA) to award him the ABA Medal in 2004, the 
     organization's highest honor, given to individuals who make 
     exceptionally distinguished contributions to the 
     jurisprudence of the United States; and
       Whereas Father Drinan's lifelong leadership in promoting 
     greater awareness of the importance of international human 
     rights resulted in 2006 in the establishment by the 
     Georgetown University Law Center of an endowed chair in his 
     honor, known as the Robert F. Drinan, S.J. Chair in Human 
     Rights Law: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) honors the life, achievements, and distinguished career 
     of the Reverend Robert F. Drinan, S.J.;
       (2) offers its appreciation for Father Drinan's devoted 
     work on behalf of the thousands of Massachusetts residents he 
     represented in the House of Representatives and the millions 
     of people worldwide who benefitted from his human rights 
     initiatives; and
       (3) expresses its condolences to Father Drinan's family and 
     friends.

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