[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 189 (Tuesday, December 11, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2539]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO MR. ASHLEY A. FOARD

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. MICHAEL K. SIMPSON

                                of idaho

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 11, 2007

  Mr. SIMPSON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. Ashley A. 
Foard, a dedicated and faithful public servant who devoted his life to 
Idaho and his country. Mr. Foard passed away last week at the age of 
97.
  Ashley A. Foard was committed to serving the people of the United 
States. After earning his law degree from the University of Chicago, 
Mr. Foard began his 37-year-long career with the Federal Government. 
During his years of exemplary civil service, he served as a law clerk 
for the Public Works Administration, the National Housing Agency, and 
the Housing and Home Finance Agency. Mr. Foard later served as Acting 
General Counsel for the Department of Housing and Urban Development, 
where his efforts helped shape the country's housing and urban 
development policies.
  The extraordinary service that Mr. Foard showed was very apparent to 
his superiors and peers alike, earning him many awards, such as the 
Superior Accomplishment Award and the Distinguished Service Award from 
the Housing and Home Finance Agency. Included in his long list of 
accomplishments is the role he played in the planning and drafting of 
President Kennedy's Executive Order 11063, which ended racial 
discrimination in Federal housing programs and led directly to the 
elimination of legal segregation in housing throughout the United 
States. Mr. Foard also assisted the Agency for International 
Development in the planning and development of national housing 
programs for numerous foreign countries.
  In 1969, Mr. Foard was once again recognized for his service with the 
Rockefeller Public Service Award from Princeton University's Woodrow 
Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. At his retirement, 
Mr. Foard was honored by Members of Congress and members of the 
President's cabinet. Mr. Foard's service did not end after retirement--
he was an active member in the Kiwanis Club and the National Active and 
Retired Federal Employees, and he produced two books and a number of 
shorter pieces about his life.
  Mr. Foard was described by those around him as ``unassuming and 
modest to a fault'' and ``quietly devoting himself to the common 
good.'' He lived a life that mattered to his family, his community, and 
his country, and I am gratified to honor him today.

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