[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 22 (Monday, February 22, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S615-S616]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO HAROLD McGRAW, JR.

 Mr. DODD. Madam President, today I honor a great American from 
my home State of Connecticut, Harold McGraw, Jr.
  After serving as a captain in the Army Air Corps during World War II, 
Mr. McGraw joined the family business, McGraw-Hill, as a sales 
representative in 1947. Over the next half century, he worked his way 
up to the position of president of the McGraw-Hill book company, and 
then CEO and chairman of the parent corporation, McGraw-Hill, Inc.
  Not satisfied with simply succeeding in business, Mr. McGraw quickly 
became a leader in his community. In the 1980s, he founded the Business 
Council for Effective Literacy, BCEL, and served as its president for a 
decade. He spoke at events across the country to champion the cause of 
adult literacy, giving generously of his own wealth and raising funds 
from corporate and public entities alike.
  A BCEL grant led to the formation of the National Coalition for 
Literacy and established Mr. McGraw as a key public policy expert on 
this important issue. His work laid the foundation for the National 
Literacy Act and the National Institute for Literacy, and those of us 
in Congress and in the executive branch quickly became familiar with 
his tireless advocacy. He spoke up in person and in letters. He 
mobilized the business community. And he was always accessible to adult 
learners, teachers, and local adult literacy programs.
  Always cognizant of the role education played in his own success, Mr. 
McGraw has worked hard to make education a focus of his civic 
engagement, including efforts with the New York Public Library, the 
Council for Air to Education, the International Center for the 
Disabled, and the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy.
  A proud Princeton graduate, Mr. McGraw gave back to his alma mater 
with a generous gift to establish The McGraw Center for Teaching and 
Learning at Princeton University. Princeton President Harold Shapiro 
said that the McGraw Center would help ``redefine teaching and learning 
for future generations.'' Mr. McGraw has also lent his publishing 
expertise to the Princeton University Press.
  The Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Prize in Education, established in 1988 by 
The McGraw-Hill Companies to mark the Company's 100th anniversary, 
honors those who have dedicated themselves to improving American 
education.
  But Mr. McGraw is no stranger to honors himself. In 1990, President 
Bush awarded him the Nation's highest literacy award at a special White 
House ceremony.
  And he is the recipient of honorary degrees from the Graduate School 
of Princeton University, the City University of New York, Ohio 
University, Pine Manor College, Fairfield University, Hofstra 
University, and Marymount Manhattan College, as well as the Cleveland 
E. Dodge Medal for Distinguished Service to Education from Columbia 
University's Teachers College.

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  Mr. McGraw has given so much to our country at large, but he hasn't 
forgotten the State he and I both love. A major supporter of the 
library in his town of Darien, he has also contributed generously to 
Norwalk Hospital and St. Joseph's Hospital, along with his local 
church. He has worked to support elderly care at the Waveny Care Center 
in New Canaan, CT, Pegasus Therapeutic Riding in Stamford, and a wide 
range of civic organizations, from the Boy Scouts to the Literary 
Volunteers of Connecticut.
  Harold McGraw represents the best of American business and civic 
culture. All of us in Connecticut are proud to call him one of our own, 
and the many whose lives have been touched by his commitment to adult 
literacy are grateful for his efforts. We look forward to his continued 
good deeds and remain inspired by his example. It is my pleasure to 
honor this great American.

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