[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 78 (Friday, May 11, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1032]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            IN MEMORY OF THE PASSING OF STEPHEN BRANSDORFER

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. VERNON J. EHLERS

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 10, 2007

  Mr. EHLERS. Madam Speaker, today I rise to pay tribute to the memory 
of Stephen Bransdorfer, who passed away after a courageous battle with 
cancer on March 15, 2007 at age 77.
  Mr. Bransdorfer lived a full and rewarding life as a dedicated public 
servant, highly esteemed attorney and loving husband. In his 
illustrious career, he served as president of the State Bar of 
Michigan, was a deputy U.S. attorney general under President George 
H.W. Bush, and was a lieutenant in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. 
Mr. Bransdorfer was a scholarly man as well, graduating with law 
degrees from the University of Michigan Law School and Georgetown 
University. He also worked in the U.S. Justice Department following law 
school, and served as the public spokesman for the Department when the 
federal government ordered schools to integrate in Little Rock, 
Arkansas in 1957. His deep commitment and expertise in law left a 
lasting impact on our country, and his legacy is one all Americans 
should turn to as a model for professionalism, dedication and 
patriotism.
  Mr. Bransdorfer was a noted lawyer in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where 
he practiced at the law firm of Miller, Johnson, Snell and Cummiskey. 
Later he formed his own firm with his sons. Mr. Bransdorfer was a 
devoted member of the Westminster Presbyterian Church, where he 
worshipped with his family for many years.
  Mr. Bransdorfer was an active civic leader in many areas of public 
life. He was very well known in my district for his committed public 
service, and his work with the Kent County Republican Party. He ran as 
a Republican for state attorney general, and put in many years of 
dedicated service as a leader in his church, his community, and the 
Republican Party.
  We have lost a model citizen from my community, and I extend my most 
heartfelt condolences to his loving wife Peggy and his children, their 
spouses, and their children.