[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 175 (Monday, November 17, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Page S10559]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO RANDY PAPE

 Mr. WYDEN. Madam President, one of the great privileges of 
public life is meeting people who make a difference through the sheer 
strength of their personalities and their enthusiasm for wanting to 
make the world a better place. One of those people was Randy Pape. I 
rise today to recognize what Randy meant to my State and to me 
personally.
  On Thursday, November 6, Randy died of a heart attack at the all-too-
young age of 58. News accounts of his passing referred to Randy as a 
``Eugene businessman'' who built his family's small implement business 
into a regional giant employing 2,000 people in seven States.
  But Randy was much more that. He was vintage Oregonian--relentless, 
effective, and tenacious. To Randy, no project was too big, no public 
service too small.
  He was also my friend, and I will miss him every day.
  My most enduring image is of a smiling Randy reacting to some idea 
that would improve the lives of Oregonians--actually, of everybody--by 
pumping his arm and saying: ``We've got to do it. We've got to do it.'' 
The sound of his voice will always be with me, urging me on to embrace 
the things he believed in with the same enthusiasm.
  Randy lived in Eugene all his life, but gave himself to the entire 
State. Growing his grandfather's business from a local equipment sales 
operation to a seven-State conglomerate was just a part of what he 
accomplished. During his life he helped raise nearly $600 million for 
buildings at his alma mater, the University of Oregon. His tenure on 
the Oregon Transportation Commission resulted in a $1.3 billion, 10-
year program of bridge repair and replacement that remade Interstate 5, 
the heart of Oregon's transportation system. As head of the United Way 
of Lane County's fundraising campaign, he set a $1 million goal that 
everyone thought was impossible and then achieved it. He served on the 
board of The Nature Conservancy of Oregon, the Oregon Trail Council of 
Boy Scouts of America, as well as other nonprofit organizations such as 
the Oregon Business Council Steering Committee.
  Randy had two other great passions that can never be overlooked. 
There was his love for Susie, his wife of 34 years, and their three 
wonderful and successful sons, Ryan, Christian and Jordan. Then there 
was his unflagging devotion to the University of Oregon Ducks football 
team. In fact, Randy and Susie met at a U of O football game in 1971.
  This is only a partial list of what Randy helped achieve for my 
State, but it is a window into who Randy Pape was and what he was 
capable of doing. His wife described him best: ``He was the most 
positive person, the most upbeat. He was a joy to live with.''
  In 1997, Randy was diagnosed with a severe form of cancer and wasn't 
expected to live that long. But in true Randy Pape fashion, he fought 
on, never losing that trademark enthusiasm and determination. In the 
end, it was not the cancer that took him from us. It was something 
that, ironically, he had more of than anyone I have ever known his 
heart.
  I know that Randy would take great satisfaction in cheating the 
cancer that tried to kill him. As his oldest son, Ryan, said: ``I know 
he's looking down from heaven right now saying, Guys, I beat the 
cancer.' ''
  I would say: ``Randy, of course you did.''
  Randy Pape was a great Oregonian who will always have a place in my 
heart and in the hearts of the thousands of people who knew him and 
were touched by his unselfishness and dedication to doing the right 
thing.
 Mr. SMITH. Madam President, the late Oregon Governor Tom 
McCall once said:

       Heroes are not giant statues framed against a red sky. They 
     are individuals who say, ``This is my community and it is my 
     responsibility to make it better.''

  The community of Eugene and the entire State of Oregon lost a true 
hero 2 weeks ago with the untimely passing of Randy Pape. I have had 
the privilege of dealing with countless community leaders during my 12 
years in the U.S. Senate, but I can't think of anyone who was more 
dedicated to making his community, State, and Nation better than was 
Randy.
  As the chief executive officer of The Pape Group, a 2,000-employee, 
seven-State conglomerate of industrial equipment, aviation and 
recycling businesses, Randy was one of Oregon's most respected and 
admired corporate leaders.
  Guiding his business empire was more than a full-time job, yet Randy 
found time to give his talent and treasure to an endless variety of 
worthy causes. There was no bigger booster of his alma mater, the 
University of Oregon, than Randy. There was no better cheerleader and 
fundraiser for the United Way than Randy. As a member of the Oregon 
Transportation Commission, there was no better advocate for Oregon's 
roads and highways than Randy. There was no more committed member of 
the Nature Conservancy of Oregon, and the Oregon Trail Council of Boy 
Scouts of America than Randy. I had no wiser counselor than Randy.
  And above all, there was no one who loved and cherished his family 
more than Randy.
  Randy's wonderful wife, Susie, was at his side for 34 years. She knew 
him better than anyone else, and she captured him better than anyone 
else, when she said:

       He was the most positive person, the most upbeat. He was a 
     joy to live with.

  Randy was justifiably very proud of his three sons, Ryan, Christian, 
and Jordan, all of whom chose to follow their dad into the family 
business, and all of whom inherited his values of honesty, decency, and 
a dedication to making their community better.
  The Greek poet Sophocles, once wrote:

       One must wait until the evening to see how splendid the day 
     has been.'' For his family, his friends, his community, his 
     State, and our Nation, the evening of Randy's life came much, 
     much too soon. But let us take solace in the fact that in 
     that evening, Randy Pape could look back at a life filled 
     with the love of family; a life filled with accomplishment; a 
     life filled with making a positive difference; a life filled 
     with the heroism that came from making his community better, 
     and say: The day has indeed been splendid. 

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