[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 79 (Wednesday, May 14, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E914-E915]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   THE PASSING OF CONGRESSWOMAN BONO MACK'S FATHER CLAY WESTERFIELD 
                             WHITAKER, M.D.

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. DAVID DREIER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 14, 2008

  Mr. DREIER. Madam Speaker, it is with great sadness we share the news 
of the passing of Clay Westerfield Whitaker, M.D., father of 
Representative Mary Bono Mack, on May 13th after a long and valiant 
battle with prostate cancer. It was an honor to have known Dr. Whitaker 
and it is a privilege to serve with Congresswoman Bono Mack who is a 
testament and tribute to her father. From the talks I had with Dr. 
Whitaker, I know how proud he was of her great work.
  Born in Greenville, Kentucky on April 17, 1924, Whitaker was the son 
of Eva Nell Hunt Whitaker and Levi Whitaker. The youngest of six 
siblings, all of whom preceded him in death, he was only five years old 
when his father, a physician, died at the age of thirty. Whitaker's 
mother, now a single parent, worked hard to make ends meet during the 
years of the Great Depression. When speaking of those years, Whitaker 
often said, ``We didn't think we were poor; we just didn't have any 
money.'' His mother understood the importance of a good education, and 
along with his sisters, he was admitted to Berea College in Kentucky. 
At Berea, he met the love of his life, Karen Lee Taylor. Together, they 
enjoyed music and an active campus life until his college education was 
interrupted when he entered the Army Air Corps during WWII. Assigned to 
the 8th Air Force, 95th Bomb Group, 334th Squadron stationed in Horham, 
England, Whitaker served as a B-17 waist gunner and flew 19 missions 
over Germany. After victory had been achieved, Whitaker wrote to his 
college sweetheart asking for her hand in marriage when he returned to 
Berea College.
  Upon returning home, Whitaker was greeted at the train station by his 
sister and future bride, Karen. As he stepped off the train, his

[[Page E915]]

sister informed him that his wedding was scheduled for the very next 
day, June 30, 1944. So began a lifetime of mutual devotion. Whitaker 
completed his college education at Berea with a degree in chemistry and 
applied to Western Reserve medical school where he earned his M.D. in 
otolaryngology (ear, nose & throat) and then set-up his medical 
practice in Cleveland, Ohio. While living in Cleveland, he and Karen 
had four children, Stephen, David, Katherine and Mary.
  In 1963, Whitaker moved the family west to Los Angeles where he 
accepted a position as co-chair of the ENT department at L.A. County--
USC Medical Center. As professor of ENT, he remained at USC until 1983 
when he moved to Asheville, North Carolina, to chair the ENT department 
at the VA hospital and establish an ENT program at that facility for 
Duke University. He held that position until his retirement from the 
practice of medicine.
  Whitaker loved the outdoors, especially hiking, camping and the Land 
Rovers that transported him to the backcountry. He loved classical 
music, the arts, sciences, literature, cars and vintage war planes. But 
most of all, he loved his family. Known by family and friends as a man 
of immense generosity and compassion, he was a remarkably selfless and 
humble individual. His quick wit and keen sense of humor enlivened many 
family and social gatherings, and he was deeply respected in the 
communities in which he lived.
  Preceded in death by his beloved Karen, Whitaker is survived by his 
four children, Stephen Whitaker and his wife, Teri, of Bruceville, 
Indiana; David Whitaker and his wife, Carol, of Sealy, Texas; Katherine 
Whitaker of Asheville, North Carolina; and Congresswoman Mary Bono Mack 
of Palm Springs, California, and her husband, Congressman Connie Mack. 
He is also survived by eight grandchildren, Laura Kenney and her 
husband, Doug; Daniel and Christopher Whitaker, Cameron and Ian 
Whitaker, Teresa Shuford, and Chesare and Chianna Bono, and one great 
grandson, Thomas Kenney.
  Our deepest condolences go out to our colleague Mary Bono Mack and 
the entire Whitaker family.

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