[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 83 (Tuesday, May 20, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4433-S4434]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     JIMMY STEWART'S 100TH BIRTHDAY

  Mr. CASEY. Mr. President, I rise to pay tribute to a native 
Pennsylvanian. Today we honor what would have been the 100th birthday 
of one of Pennsylvania's most famous sons, Jimmy Stewart. The fact that 
we call him Jimmy tells a lot about who he was, what he meant to our 
State, what he meant to America. Jimmy Stewart is most famous for his 
unforgettable roles in movies such as ``Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,'' 
``It's a Wonderful Life,'' and on and on, so many great movies to 
remember him by. But Jimmy Stewart never forgot his Pennsylvania roots.
  He was born in Indiana, PA, on May 20, 1908. His family owned the 
hometown hardware store where the Stewart family could trace their 
roots in Indiana County back to 1772. Stewart attended Princeton 
University, where he studied architecture and graduated in 1932. 
Because of the stock market crash of 1929 and the Great Depression that 
followed, Jimmy Stewart questioned whether he would find employment as 
an architect, and he accepted a position in an acting troop. Shortly 
after joining, Stewart began working on Broadway, which eventually led 
to screen tests with major motion picture production companies. His 
work in ``Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,'' in which he played a freshman 
Senator, earned him his first nomination for an Academy Award. He was 
also nominated for Oscars for best actor for ``It's

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a Wonderful Life,'' released in 1946; ``Harvey,'' released in 1950; and 
``Anatomy of a Murder,'' released in 1959. He won his only Academy 
Award for best actor in 1940 for his role in ``The Philadelphia 
Story.''
  I have to say, in a personal way, that every December, during the 
holiday season, I think I join a lot of Americans in trying to watch, 
yet again, ``It's a Wonderful Life.'' The reason I watch it--plenty of 
reasons--principally is because it is an American story, an American 
story of struggle, of family love, and the positive impact one person's 
life can have on an entire community.
  We all know Jimmy Stewart served his country in World War II but was 
initially rejected from service because he was 5 pounds underweight. 
But he wouldn't let that stop him from serving. He went home to 
Indiana, added some weight, and enlisted in the Army Air Corps. He got 
a whole series of commendations for his service in the Army Air Corps. 
He retired from the Air Force in 1968, at the mandatory retirement age, 
and received the Distinguished Service Medal. The signature charity 
event he started, the Jimmy Stewart Relay Marathon Race, held each year 
since 1982, has raised millions of dollars for the Child and Family 
Development Center at St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica, CA.
  Jimmy Stewart received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the 
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Life Achievement 
Award from the American Film Institute for fundamentally advancing the 
art of American film. The American Red Cross presented Jimmy Stewart 
with their humanitarian award for service to his fellow man. On his 
74th birthday, his hometown of Indiana unveiled a statue of their 
native son in front of the Indiana County Courthouse.
  Jimmy Stewart passed away on July 2, 1997. He was mourned by fans 
worldwide. Perhaps the greatest tribute of the American Film Institute 
was the observation that James Stewart is an actor ``so beloved by the 
movie going public that they call him Jimmy, just like a member of the 
family.''
  His was truly a remarkable life. In Pennsylvania and across America 
today, we say happy 100th birthday, Jimmy.
  I yield the floor.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Rhode Island.

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