[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 161 (Monday, November 2, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2685-E2686]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      HONORING COACH HARVEY JESSUP

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. LUCILLE ROYBAL-ALLARD

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, November 2, 2009

  Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 
posthumous induction of Harvey Jessup into the Athletic Hall of Fame of 
Western Connecticut State University. I never had the honor of knowing 
Mr. Jessup, but I do have the pleasure of having his daughter Debbie 
Jessup, a nurse midwife, working in my office as my health care policy 
advisor. Debbie recently shared news with us that her father was being 
honored for his work at the then-named Danbury State Teacher's College. 
It is a testament to Mr. Jessup that 50 years after their graduation, 
the Class of 1959 at Danbury State chose to nominate him for induction 
into the school's Athletic Hall of Fame. I was touched when Debbie 
recounted stories of her father's athletic accomplishments, and more 
importantly, how he impacted the lives of his students and athletes. I 
am submitting to the Congressional Record the remarks Debbie made when 
she accepted the award on her father's behalf to share with my 
colleagues the story of Coach Jessup, and all his good works which 
prompted the Class of '59 to bestow this honor on him.

                        Hall of Fame Acceptance

       Thank you all for honoring my father--and our family--with 
     this award. That my father would be remembered as a great 
     coach and teacher almost a half century after leaving Danbury 
     State Teacher's College is a remarkable tribute and very 
     touching for those of us who loved him. But this award is 
     particularly meaningful for me because it paints a picture of 
     a man that I had been too young to know, and it gives some 
     insight into the life and career that followed his years in 
     Connecticut.
       When I remember my father, it is always during the Tulane 
     years when he was a Professor, Department Chair, and 
     Assistant Athletic Director. Our family's lives were 
     structured around the university calendar, campus activities, 
     and my dad's teaching, recruiting and administrative 
     responsibilities. Our home was always a haven for students 
     and athletes who needed comforting, mentoring, or just a good 
     home cooked meal.
       During those years my dad was my greatest hero, and to me 
     he always seemed larger than life. I lived in awe of his 
     athleticism and his intelligence, of his ability to command a 
     room with his words, and his gift for bringing out the talent 
     in the least promising of students. He pushed me and everyone 
     in his life to their greatest levels of achievement, but at 
     the same time he always had amazing compassion and patience 
     for anyone who was vulnerable. Although it has been 21 years 
     since he left us, hardly a week goes by that I do not 
     remember something that he taught me with his words or 
     modeled with his life.
       When I remember those years with my father at work I always 
     recall a flock of female students vying for his attention, or 
     an athlete needing his guidance, or a young teacher seeking 
     his advice. Every homecoming I met alumni who told me of the 
     impact he had had in their lives, and I have proud memories 
     of honors and awards he received over the years. So 
     truthfully his selection for an Athletic Hall of Fame award 
     would not have been particularly surprising to me--If it had 
     come from his Tulane years.
       Instead this Hall of Fame award comes from a time that I 
     hardly remember. And the nomination comes from a class of 
     students and athletes who knew my father 50 years ago. I am 
     honestly overwhelmed that the class of 1959 would remember my 
     father's impact on their lives five decades after they 
     graduated. It is extraordinary just in the amount of time 
     that has passed, but even more so when you know something 
     about the four years during which the Class of 1959 was 
     taught and coached by my father. It is a story that I think 
     is worth sharing, because I believe it is what makes this 
     nomination and this award truly remarkable. I also believe 
     that it presents an opportunity for one last lesson from your 
     Coach and Teacher.
       When this 50 year reunion class entered Danbury State 
     Teachers College in the fall of 1955 my father was a young 
     teacher and coach at the beginning of his career. Three years 
     earlier he had married the love of his life, they had a two 
     year old daughter (me) and a three month old baby girl. With 
     a little home overlooking Candlewood Lake, he was living the 
     American Dream.

[[Page E2686]]

       During the four years that my father taught and coached 
     this class of 1959, his entire world was shattered. His 
     infant daughter (Doreen) was diagnosed with uncontrolled 
     seizures and irreversible brain damage--his third child 
     (Dolores) was born with Down syndrome--and we buried Doreen 
     six months before her fourth birthday. My parents spoke very 
     little of that time in their lives, and so it really wasn't 
     until I had children of my own that I began to understand the 
     magnitude of their struggles and their suffering.
       Even in the best of circumstances, parenting three children 
     under the age of five is exhausting and all-consuming. I've 
     been there--and I am sure that many of you have also--and you 
     know how much work and attention it takes. Most people in 
     that situation who are faced with even one of the tragedies 
     that my parents lived through would be lucky to simply 
     survive emotionally. But somehow my father managed to remain 
     the strength and the sunshine for his family during these 
     four difficult years, while coaching three teams, teaching 
     his classes, and mentoring a group of students who still 
     remember his influence on their lives fifty years later.
       Several years after coming to Tulane my father gave a 
     commencement speech in which he described the core element of 
     a great teacher or leader. ``Moral courage,'' he said, ``is 
     standing still and saying--this is what I believe, that I 
     will do and that I will not do, this is my code of behavior 
     and that is outside it.'' I believe that the man I loved and 
     admired my entire life found his moral courage during those 
     four years with the Class of 1959. Perhaps that is the reason 
     you still remember him fifty years later. Hopefully it was 
     the core lesson that you took with you when you graduated.
       My father's years of teaching and coaching were guided by 
     the belief that the true mark of greatness for any coach or 
     teacher is not found in his record of games won, or his list 
     of publications--but rather is measured in the 
     accomplishments of his students, or the athletes he coached. 
     For that reason, I am certain that his greatest pleasure in 
     this evening's award ceremony would be hearing the life 
     stories of his former students. Your lives and your 
     accomplishments are truly his Hall of Fame.
       I know that my dad would have been particularly thrilled 
     that he is being honored along side his student and athlete 
     and lifetime friend, Teddy Smigala. I extend my 
     congratulations to Teddy and to all the other awardees here 
     tonight. And I thank all of you--not only for this honor that 
     you have given my father, but especially for the insights and 
     memories you have shared with our family.

                          ____________________