[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 68 (Tuesday, May 5, 2009)]
[House]
[Pages H5137-H5138]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           HONORING JACK KEMP

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Burton) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, a couple of days ago America lost 
one of its greatest patriots, and I mean that. Jack Kemp served in this 
body, and I had the pleasure of knowing him for a long, long time.
  He started out his career, as far as I can remember, as a football 
player. He was at San Diego where he played. As I understand it, the 
football team out there really didn't think he had what it took to 
become a starting quarterback, and they sold him to the Buffalo Bills 
for $500, I believe. He always laughed about that. And for $500, the 
Buffalo Bills got an all-star quarterback. They won several conference 
titles in the AFC, and he was an All Pro. Jack Kemp was all pro his 
whole life. When he ran for Congress and came to this Chamber, everyone 
who knew him and met him knew immediately he would become one of our 
leaders. He became our conference chairman and a leader in so many 
ways. Ronald Reagan tapped him to work with him on cutting taxes, which 
stimulated the longest period of economic growth in our country's 
history. Jack Kemp, along with Mr. Roth in the Senate, wrote the Kemp-
Roth bill, which was the catalyst for the economic recovery under the 
Reagan administration.
  Jack Kemp was a lot of fun to be with. He wasn't just a stuffy guy. 
He was the kind of guy that you liked to be around, an all-American 
person as well as an all-American football player and all-American 
political leader.
  He ran for Vice President with Bob Dole, and I truly believe he would 
have been an outstanding Vice President had he been elected. I also 
campaigned for him up in New Hampshire when he was running for 
President. I will never forget the Styrofoam footballs with his name 
that he threw to us on the plane. I think it was in January, and it was 
so cold. The thing I remember the most was Jack put me on a plane. He 
had three planeloads of congressmen, and the only one that didn't have 
heat was the one I was on. But he was worth it. He was worth 
campaigning door to door, store to store in New Hampshire because he 
would have been an outstanding President.
  I came down tonight to pay homage to a good friend whom we will all 
miss, a man who was a great American, a great father and husband, and 
he is somebody who will be missed by not only the people in this 
Chamber and the other Chamber and the White House, but he will be 
missed by everybody in America who knew him. He was a great, great man.
  I just want to say to Joanne and his four children, You have our 
deepest sympathy. Everybody in this body sends their best regards to 
you and their sympathy to you for this very trying time you are going 
through.
  If anyone gets to heaven, Jack will be up there, and he probably has 
a football in his hands. I can't wait to see him again.

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