[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 57 (Wednesday, April 21, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H2792-H2796]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                              {time}  1915
                   IN HONOR OF CONGRESSMAN BOB FRANKS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 6, 2009, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) is 
recognized for 60 minutes.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join my 
colleagues in mourning the passing of Congressman Bob Franks and to 
celebrate a life well lived.
  I would like to yield to my good friend and colleague, Leonard Lance, 
for as much time as he may consume.
  Mr. LANCE. Thank you, Congressman Smith.
  Mr. Speaker, I join several of my colleagues this evening to pay 
tribute to Robert D. Franks, a former New Jersey Member of the House of 
Representatives whose compassion rightfully earned him praise and 
respect from both sides of the political aisle. Bob died late in the 
evening on Friday, April 9. He was 58 years old.
  Bob's death at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan 
was caused by an aggressive sarcoma which was diagnosed in February. He 
was surrounded by his wonderful wife, Fran; their three young and 
beautiful daughters, Sara, Kelly, and Abigail; his mother, June; his 
sister, Judy; brother-in-law, Jeremy; and niece, Mary Hannah.
  Bob was a brilliant political tactician and a natural candidate.
  Born in Hackensack, he had been deeply involved in politics since his 
youth serving as State chairman of the New Jersey Teenage Republicans 
and going door-to-door as a 13-year-old in 1964 in suburban Chicago, 
where his family was then living, for Charles H. Percy's campaign for 
Governor.
  Mr. Franks was graduated from DePauw University in Indiana in 1973. 
And after receiving a law degree from Southern Methodist University in 
Dallas, he directed campaigns for Governor and Congress in New Jersey 
before being elected as a State assemblyman in 1979, representing Union 
County for 13 years.
  Congressman Bob Franks served twice as Republican State committee 
chairman and helped bring the Republican Party to veto-proof majorities 
in both Houses of our State legislature.
  Elected to Congress in November 1992, Bob Franks was a fiscal 
conservative who served on the House Transportation Committee and was 
known as a tireless advocate for New Jersey's transportation sector. In 
the fall of 1994, Bob helped bring Republicans into the majority by 
championing congressional reform measures.
  But while Bob Franks relished the game of politics, he was also 
respected for his willingness to work with the opposing party. Former 
New Jersey Governor Tom Kean said, ``He loved the sport of politics, 
but he also thought politics was there for better government.''
  Bob was pragmatic, but he stood on principle. I think that State 
Senator Kevin O'Toole may have said it best when he said of Bob Franks 
that he ``combined being a policy wonk and a politician, that resulted 
in one incredibly well-armed and extraordinarily effective elected 
official.''
  Bob lost a close United States Senate race in 2000 but won the hearts 
of all Jerseyans with the tenacity of his campaign. He was serving as 
president of the Health Care Institute of New Jersey at the time of his 
death, and he was a relentless and compassionate champion for New 
Jersey's health care industry and the patients it served.
  Bob was a good friend to me, a trusted colleague, and a mentor. He 
dedicated his entire public life to making New Jersey a better place 
for all of its residents. His work ethic, his values, his relentless 
optimism, and his unshakable good humor will be greatly missed by all 
of us who knew him. And he stands as a shining example of public 
service not only in the State of New Jersey my colleagues and I 
represent, but across the United States.
  As we mourn his loss, we celebrate his great life; and to his beloved 
wife, Fran, and their beautiful daughters we extend our deepest 
sympathy. A person, really, who furthered the American tradition of 
public service and certainly known and loved by the residents of New 
Jersey.
  Thank you, Congressman.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. I thank my friend for his very powerful 
testimonial to our late colleague.
  Mr. Speaker, for Bob's surviving wife, Fran and their three 
daughters, Kelly, Sara, and Abigail, his mother, June; and sister, 
Judy; and the rest of the family, this is a tragic season of 
excruciating loss and bereavement. While Bob Franks was a politician's 
politician in the best sense of that concept, he was husband, father, 
son, and brother first. Nothing compared to his love for and devotion 
to his family.
  For everyone who has ever had the privilege of knowing him and 
calling him ``friend,'' Bob epitomized noble public service. He was 
honest, hardworking, extraordinarily effective, and absolutely 
determined to make a positive difference for his constituents, the 
State, and the Nation. An indomitable optimist, Bob was ever gracious 
and stubbornly kind to all, even with those with whom he disagreed. He 
treated all with respect, civility, and empathy.
  I know my colleagues on the floor today will attest to the fact that 
Bob Franks was enthusiastic almost to a fault and always greeted you 
with a great big smile, firm handshake, and warm greeting--a reflection 
of his great big heart. You usually left any conversation with Bob, 
well, smiling.
  Bob Franks devoted 21 years of his life to elected public service--13 
years in the New Jersey Assembly, 8 years as a Member of Congress, and 
he served 4 years as State GOP chairman. In both Trenton and 
Washington, Bob was a consistent, powerful voice for a limited 
government and reduced taxes.
  In the assembly, he was elected twice by his peers to serve as 
conference leader. Among his notable achievements, he wrote the State 
law creating the transportation trust fund.
  In Congress, he served with distinction as chairman of the Economic 
Development, Public Buildings, Hazardous Materials, and Pipeline 
Transportation Subcommittee.
  A master strategist, Bob pushed hard to expand the economy, create 
jobs in the private sector, pass tax cuts, enact welfare reform, and 
ensure that our military was second to none.
  As cochair of the Missing and Exploited Children Caucus, Bob helped 
win passage of legislation to protect our children from Internet 
predators and impose life imprisonment for persons convicted of killing 
a child. A true friend of law enforcement, Bob took the lead in 1998 
and won passage of a congressional resolution demanding the Clinton 
administration undertake the extradition of cop killer Joanne 
Chesimard, a fugitive who fled to Cuba after being convicted of 
murdering New Jersey State Trooper Werner Foerster in May of 1973.
  Bob helped create the bipartisan Northeast-Midwest Congressional 
Coalition to maximize both regions' political clout in Congress and 
played the leading role in promoting fair electrical power policy in 
New Jersey.
  As my colleague, Leonard, noted a moment ago, he ran for the United 
States Senate. He lost. He ran for Governor, and he lost that, too. But 
you would never know that from talking to Bob. He was always upbeat 
and very positive.

  After leaving the Hill, Bob served as the president of the Health 
Care Institute of New Jersey, a trade association for the research-
based pharmaceutical and medical technology industry in the State of 
New Jersey.
  Mr. Speaker, at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark, New 
Jersey, on Saturday, Governor Chris Christie was joined in moving 
remembrance by several former Governors, including Governor Jon 
Corzine, Christie Todd Whitman, and Tom Kean, as well as the three 
godfathers to Bob and Fran's kids, Roger Bodman, Alfred Fasola, and 
Congressman John Kasich.
  Governor Chris Christie spoke eloquently at the memorial service and 
told those assembled, ``Bob Franks' life was grand and glorious. As 
Fran and his daughters know better than anyone, what Bob cared first 
and foremost about, despite all of the passions in his life, was family 
. . . no matter whether we were talking about politics or business, 
because it was something he knew full well: the demands of a public 
life, the demands of a private life, and the rewards of paying 
attention to both.''
  Governor Christie went on to say, ``Bob Franks was enthusiastic in 
everything I saw him do. Whether it was

[[Page H2793]]

rooting for the Indianapolis Colts--something that I still do not fully 
understand from a guy from New Jersey--whether it was some of the 
deepest and most significant policy issues that have faced our country 
for over the last 25 years, or whether it was counseling and 
encouraging even the smallest of potential leaders for our State.'' 
Always that enthusiastic Bob Franks.
  The Governor went on to say, ``The loss that each of us feel from 
Bob's death is significant in the life of our State, significant in the 
life of our country, because he served so ably and so well . . . In the 
end, I think, that's what we all hope for out of our public officials: 
that they care deeply, that they think deeply, that they act 
passionately with the ability to inspire. He checked all the boxes.''
  Governor Corzine said, in brief part, that this was a ``celebration 
of a great life, a good man, a very good man, someone that all of us, 
as you have heard, believed in, learned from, and grew from.
  ``A man of credible character, conviction, courage, but probably the 
most defining thing that any of us can say about Bob is he was a man 
who loved. He loved politics, loved all of his friends, the folks who 
are here, but most of all, most notably he loved his family.''
  Governor Tom Kean said, ``Politics for Bob was an honorable 
profession which meant responsibility and opportunity for achievement 
and very much an exciting adventure. After all, what is the use of 
living,'' Governor Kean went on to say, ``if not to strive for great 
causes and perhaps make this muddled world of ours a little better 
place. Bob did that. He cared about that.''
  ``We are all better people for having known Bob,'' he went on. ``I 
think of him smiling. I think of his cheerfulness. I think of his 
enthusiasm, and today,'' Governor Kean concluded, ``I envy the 
angels.''
  Governor Christie Todd Whitman said, ``You know a lot of people who 
are involved in the rough-and-tumble of politics get characterized as 
either being really good at the political side of it, the background, 
the fierce fighting, or they're the policy wonks, that's what they care 
about. Bob was both. He was a fierce, fierce partisan. He was a 
Republican. He never made it personal, because he always knew it was 
about policy, about doing right by the people of the State. And that's 
what made him such a special person.''
  Our former Budget Committee chairman here in the House, John Kasich, 
who was godfather to one of Bob and Fran's children, summed it up well 
when he said, ``Our friendship was forged in the battles of trying to 
improve America. That's what it's all about. It was never about 
politics. It was always about what we could do to make the world a 
better place for our children and their children . . . I don't think 
I've ever met a more insightful man than Bob Franks. He could look at 
something that everybody else saw and he would see it differently. He 
could see twists in it. He could take advantage of it and move the ball 
forward.
  ``How about his cutting-edge humor? Always a little cutting-edge 
humor no matter where you were. Sometimes Bob was even good at gallows 
humor. You know, when there was not even a speck of light shining in 
the room, Bob could make us all laugh. He'd remove the pressure. He'd 
have a little quip, and we'd all get the belly laugh going. It would 
happen when there was no humor in sight.''
  And on loyalty, John said, ``You know what the kids today say, 'You 
got my back.' Well, Bob Franks had your back. He didn't care if you 
were a Republican or a Democrat, a liberal or a conservative. It didn't 
mean anything. When you were his friend, he had your back.''
  John Kasich concluded, ``I would like to call him a foxhole guy. And 
I measure people, `Are they a foxhole guy.' In other words, can I get 
into a foxhole with this guy in the middle of the worst battle you can 
imagine and know not only would he not jump out of that foxhole to run 
and preserve himself, but he would jump outta that foxhole and fight to 
help you. Oh, he was a great foxhole guy,'' he said.
  John said, ``In all of the years that I've known him, I've never 
heard him say a bad thing about anybody,'' and I know Mr. Frelinghuysen 
and others in our delegation can back that up a hundred percent. And 
finally Kasich said, ``There is no question he left the world a better 
place.''
  So, Mr. Speaker, there is no question Bob Franks left New Jersey, he 
left the Nation and the world a better place, and we will deeply miss 
him.
  I would like to yield to my good friend and colleague, Mr. 
Frelinghuysen.

                              {time}  1930

  Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. I thank the gentleman, the dean of the New Jersey 
congressional delegation, for yielding to me.
  Mr. Speaker, last Saturday morning I joined the New Jersey family at 
the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark as we honored the 
life of former Congressman Bob Franks and comforted his wife, Fran, and 
their three young daughters.
  As others did last Saturday, I rise in tribute to my longtime friend 
and our colleague, Bob Franks. New Jersey is a better place to live, 
work and raise a family, because for nearly his entire adult life, Bob 
Franks selflessly served our beloved State. It was a pleasure to serve 
with him for many years in the New Jersey State Assembly in Trenton and 
then in this very Chamber in the House of Representatives.
  From those shared experiences, and there were many, I know the people 
in New Jersey have lost an energetic and intelligent advocate, and I 
have lost a dear and trusted friend. It's a tragic fact of life that 
many of us in New Jersey have spent a great deal of time of late 
talking about Bob Franks these past few days. I am struck that in those 
conversations certain common themes recur.
  Bob Franks was authentic. He was patriotic. He was keen. Bob Franks 
was always optimistic. He was astute in every way. He was humorous. He 
was honorable, a true son of New Jersey.
  Bob Franks always built others up, mentored to young people, always 
encouraging them to enter public service.
  Bob Franks was trusted and never would break his word. He was always 
warm and sincere. He absolutely loved politics. And even in this rough 
and tumble world he always had a good word for men and women in the 
political arena, whether they were Republicans or Democrats or none of 
the above.
  Bob Franks was tireless with unbridled enthusiasm. You were lucky to 
be on his team or on his side, that broad trademark smile, a good and 
decent man, irrepressible, full of life and love for his family, first 
and foremost. That's why we all were shocked 12 days ago when the news 
came that God had called him home at such a young age.
  Mr. Speaker, Bob Franks loved public service. He loved the New Jersey 
Assembly and his service in Congress. He loved his family, our Nation, 
New Jersey and his constituents in that order, and he loved all these 
things with a passion that exceeded the most energetic enthusiasts.
  I will never forget his work ethic, his valuable service, and his 
enduring friendship. We have lost a great man who stood for principles 
and who lived a life in which we could all learn.
  May the tributes and prayers of so many of our colleagues here today 
be a source of strength with wife Fran and their daughters, Kelly, Sara 
and Abigail. Our hearts break, along with theirs, but our memories will 
always remain bright.
  And when we recall that trademark smile, we will all remember this 
favorite son of New Jersey, Bobby Franks.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. I thank my good friend for his very eloquent 
statement, and we will all miss Bobby Franks.

       Remarks from current and present elected officials who 
     spoke at the April 17, 2010 memorial service for former U.S. 
     Congressman and former N.J. Assemblyman Bob Franks, who died 
     April 9, 2010. The service took place at the Cathedral 
     Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark NJ.:


                     new jersey gov. chris christie

       Bob Franks' life was grand and glorious as Fran and his 
     daughters know better than anyone, what Bob cared first and 
     foremost about despite all of the passions in his life was 
     family.
       This summer as I had many discussion with Bob about lots of 
     different topics he would always end each of those 
     conversations we had whether it was in person or over the 
     telephone, by asking me, in fact imploring me, `You're 
     spending time with Mary

[[Page H2794]]

     Pat, right?' have you gone to some of the kids baseball 
     games?' It was the way he ended each and everyone of those 
     conversations, no matter whether we were talking about 
     politics or business because it was something he knew full 
     well: the demands of a public life, the demands of a private 
     life, and the rewards of paying attention to both.
       Bob Franks' smile is the thing I will remember most, about 
     him. When he saw you his face immediately lit up, and in turn 
     he lit up the room. His enthusiasm was mentioned just before. 
     And he was enthusiastic in everything I saw him do. Whether 
     it was rooting for the Indianapolis Colts--something that 
     still do not fully understand, from a guy from NJ--whether it 
     was some of the deepest and most significant policy issues 
     that have faced our country over the last 25 years, or 
     whether it was counseling and encouraging even the smallest 
     of potential leaders for our state, I speak about that last 
     part from personal experience. I met Bob Franks in July of 
     1995 I was a first-term Freeholder who had just run for the 
     General Assembly, and had come in sixth out of six. And in 
     the aftermath of that primary, I received a call from 
     Congressman Franks' office. And the person on the staff said, 
     `The Congressman would like to know if you'd like to come by 
     his district office Friday for lunch. He'd like to speak to 
     you.'
       And I immediately said yes, of course. I thought to myself 
     `It must be losers' week at Bob Franks' office. And I went 
     there that day to have lunch with Bob Franks. I had no idea 
     what the agenda was and I had no idea why I was going there. 
     For an hour and 45 minutes Bob Franks sat with me to dissect 
     why I had lost the race, why I had done so poorly, what I 
     wanted to do with my future and how he thought was the best 
     way to get there. I want to emphasis with you: I had never 
     met him. He saw something in me in that campaign that 
     obviously no one who voted did. And he implored me at the end 
     of the meeting to not give up, not give up on a public life. 
     He encouraged me to continue to fight. It will be the 
     enduring gift that Bob Franks gave to me. And if you look 
     around this cathedral today, there are literally hundreds of 
     people who can say exactly the same thing. It's just a 
     different date and a different time and a different challenge 
     that was before them in that stage of their life. And it was 
     Bob Franks who patted them on the back. It was Bob Franks who 
     got in their face and told them not to quit. It was Bob 
     Franks who by his example showed them that in fact anything 
     was possible if you were willing to work hard enough, listen 
     enough, and care deeply enough about making your community a 
     better place.
       The loss that each of us will feel from Bob's death is 
     significant--significant in the life of our state, 
     significant in the life of our country, because he served so 
     ably and so well because of that enthusiasm, that fire and 
     that ability to inspire others. In the end, I think, that's 
     what we all hope for out of our public officials: that they 
     care deeply, that they think deeply, that they act 
     passionately with the ability to inspire. He checked all the 
     boxes. And the loss we feel is miniscule compared to the loss 
     that his family feels. Because for all that he did for us, he 
     was much, much more for them. This summer, the last time I 
     met with Bob before I became governor, he said to me as I was 
     leaving the meeting, `Don't worry about what happens--whether 
     you win or you lose. Winning would be great, but even if you 
     lose, I can tell you from personal experience. Life will get 
     better.' He told me `I have felt that the last couple of 
     years out of public life, because it has allowed me to get 
     even closer to Fran and to the girls. And so Bob provided 
     hope from either end of the spectrum for whatever was going 
     to happen to you and your life. I know that the legacy he 
     leaves is sitting here in this cathedral this morning and the 
     circles that go out from here, because Bob Franks did what 
     every leader aspires to do: and this is to inspire others.
       He has certainly inspired me. God bless you, Fran and the 
     girls. And God Bless Bob for a life well spent.


                        former gov. jon corzine

       I feel like a little loner up here. I'm not just sure how I 
     identify, but I am thrilled to be here.
       Fran, I could not be more privileged or honored, to stand 
     and say some words in celebration of a great life, of a good 
     man, a very good man, someone that all of us, as you have 
     heard, believed in, learned from, grew from.
       A man of credible character, conviction, courage, but 
     probably the most defining thing that I think any of us can 
     say about Bob is that he is a man who loved. He loved 
     politics, loved all of his friends, the folks who are here, 
     but most of all, most notably he loved his family. Fran, 
     Sara, Abby and Kelly--a remarkable, remarkable testimony to 
     his humanity and care. There was no pure, nor more poignant 
     view of love than to have a conversation with Bob about his 
     wife and his daughters.
       Others have spoken about that smile, but the thought and 
     site of those girls, all those girls brought a joy and a 
     light that I don't think I've seen in the passions that I've 
     seen in other people anytime in life. You know, I'm probably 
     like a lot of you. I have more pictures of Bob Franks' girls 
     than I have of my own grandkids, because you couldn't have a 
     meeting, a breakfast, a beer or anything else with Bob where 
     he didn't share a picture and a posting on how the girls were 
     doing. It meant so much to him. A special part of when you 
     had that posting was that smile that was there as he talked 
     about it. It was always, always there. Everybody else has 
     said it. It was the most winning smile anyone could imagine. 
     And almost never saw him not smile, except for a couple of 
     occasions. Anytime the Giants were playing the Colts he had 
     his game face on. I'm like Gov. Christie; I don't know where 
     in the heck he got that view from, but that's the way it is.
       And then there were the days when we were running against 
     each other for the United States Senate.
       It wasn't always smiles. Neither of us were smiling while 
     the ads were running. In fact, I remember sitting on stage 
     one night down at Rider College, I think it was, before a 
     debate, we were getting mic-ed up. And he did smile, and we 
     laughed, and we teased each other about the theater and maybe 
     even a little bit about the B.S. that comes as you go through 
     that process. And then he proceeded over the next 90 minutes 
     to absolutely take me apart on healthcare, early childhood 
     education and anything else, and the only time I saw him 
     smile was when he dubbed me `Mr. Universal' in that night. 
     Some of you remember that. It stuck, and I definitely 
     remember him smiling at me that night. I actually was 
     frowning.
       Anyone who followed Bob's career knew that once he found a 
     winning argument, he knew how to stick with it. I must have 
     heard that phrase, `Mr. Universal' a million times over the 
     next six weeks. Message, message, message. When it came to 
     politics, Bob knew it as well or better than anyone. And he 
     demonstrated a remarkable talent in that campaign, because he 
     took $6 million and made it something that was worth a lot 
     more. And he showed what a pro could do.
       There was also something about that campaign that he and I 
     actually grew to respect each other. You heard Congressman 
     Kasich say that mutual respect is an important ingredient in 
     our public life. Bob really believed that two people could be 
     of principles--sometimes of different views but principled--
     but they didn't have to be disagreeable, as we often hear.
       And after that campaign and over the years, we grew into an 
     easy friendship based on that perspective, developed over 
     time. We are occasional parishioners at Chuck's church, we 
     were commiseraters over breakfast or over a beer. I did a lot 
     with him as we supported the NJ National Guard. He did so 
     much to support our troops that were in Iraq. And he fought 
     for the things he believed in in political life in a lot of 
     ways, but most of all even for a Democrat he became one of 
     those people who offered guidance, offered perspective, 
     offered counsel. He was true to the words that he would be a 
     friend. Of course we had to sneak him in and out of 
     Drumthwacket, and then we had to meet in the wine cellar for 
     breakfast in Summit, Grand Summit Hotel. I was never sure 
     whose reputation we were defending, his or mine.
       And then there were those moments at Christ's Church when 
     we both showed up at the same time. Bob and his family on the 
     right side. Of course, I was on the left side. We both fell 
     into a pattern of rolling our eyes when Chuck would tell some 
     miserable jokes about politics, which was all too frequent.
       It was almost a paradox because Bob was such a wonderful 
     human being. You always wonder sometimes why he was in 
     politics. People always trump politics in his life. He was a 
     happy warrior. He had a passion for service and a strong 
     sense of responsibility for community. But most importantly, 
     as you heard others say, he loved his family. I know this is 
     an unspeakable time for the Franks family, for Fran and the 
     girls. There is nothing fair or right about losing Bob.
       I was reminded of a Winston Churchill phrase upon hearing 
     of the death of Harry Hopkins. He said ``a strong, bright 
     fierce flame has burned out of a frail body.'' Churchill was 
     making clear we should never confuse the body and the soul. 
     The strong, bright, fierce flame of Bob's soul lives in those 
     three beautiful, beautiful girls, Abby, Sara and Kelly. His 
     generosity and spirit, his love of people and life, his sense 
     of purpose, justice, and oh, that smile, always that smile, 
     will be with his girls, always. And with all of us as well.
       God bless Bob, his family and thank you for the life he has 
     lived.


                       gov. christie todd whitman

       Fran, Kelly, Sara, Abby, I hope you get a chance at some 
     point to stand up and just absorb this room.
       Everyone here is a friend, or an admirer, a support of 
     someone Bob mentored. They are here out of love. They are 
     here out of love for Bob and what he stood for, and here for 
     you, for the family. You know a lot of people who are 
     involved in the rough-and-tumble of politics get 
     characterized as either being really good at the political 
     side of it, the background, the fierce fighting, or they're 
     the policy wonks, that's what they care about. Bob was both. 
     He was a fierce, fierce partisan. He was a Republican. He 
     never made it personal, because he always knew it was about 
     policy, about doing right by the people of the state. And 
     that's what made him such a special person.
       He was a true gentleman, in every sense of the word. He 
     honored the profession. He loved it. He had that smile. He 
     lit up a room. But because he really cared. There was nothing 
     fake about it. He wasn't putting it on. He loved and cared 
     about everything. Of course we know he loved and cared most 
     about his family. I can remember, Kelly, how many

[[Page H2795]]

     times did we get together at events. Your father and I would 
     be talking about strategy or something and then all of the 
     sudden your mom and you would walk into the room and then 
     that was it. Forget the rest of it. It was his girls, the 
     people he cared about the most. It was always first and 
     foremost. But it was because he cared about all of it, all of 
     us, what he was doing.
       His legacy, the people he mentored, all of that is 
     important. We are remembering it here today and people care 
     about it. But his real legacy is his family. And while each 
     of you might not be able to turn around and see him sitting 
     next to you with that sparkle in his eyes, he's there. He's 
     in your hearts, he's the angels on your shoulder. He will 
     always be there with you and for you. And he set an example, 
     that is unmatched, and you are very very lucky to have had 
     him. We are all very lucky to have had him, but though for 
     all too short a period. It just reminds us all to take those 
     special people and special moments and bring them close to 
     our heart and never let that flame die. You know, Bob's flame 
     is going to live on forever.
       Thank you for letting me be part of today.


                           Governor tom kean

       This has been quite a week. I have not been to an event all 
     week long, of any kind, where Bob hasn't been mentioned. 
     Where there hasn't been some remarks, where there hasn't been 
     some longing, been some discussion, public and private. And 
     now to culminate in this.
       I think I counted seven former governors here today. I see 
     our two United States Senators, I see the Congressional 
     delegation. I see the legislature out there members of county 
     government, and all of you who Bob touched in some way or 
     another. But Fran, for you and your girls, June, for that 
     remarkable young man that you brought up, we are here today. 
     We come to pound on your heart with love.
       I remember that first time that I met Bob. There were two 
     of us running, myself, a fellow called Phil Cottonbacker, and 
     we're both in our early thirties. And in some ways we really 
     didn't know what we were doing, but we were doing our best, 
     knocking on doors, trying to meet people. And then one day, 
     Bob came, out of Summit High School. And I remember because 
     that's the first time I saw that smile we're all talking 
     about. That's when I saw the cheerfulness. That's when I saw 
     the optimism. He already knew as much about politics as I 
     did, maybe more. I learned something else about Bob. Bob was 
     a pied piper, because first Bob came to volunteer, then he 
     brought a friend, then he brought two friends, then three and 
     four friends. Soon we had 10 people from Bob's class, 
     knocking on doors, going to supermarkets, passing out 
     literature, pressing envelopes, whatever we needed, because 
     Bob made it fun. Bob made it fun for other people. Bob was 
     sometimes, I think, you know, meeting Bob was like opening a 
     bottle of fine champagne. Everything, everything was good at 
     that point.
       Well, we won that election and Bob and I stayed in touch. 
     And it came a number of years later--I'm going to talk about 
     three basic incidents in my life Bob touched. I was trying to 
     decide whether to run for governor. I'd lost once already in 
     a primary. My family was not terribly enthusiastic about the 
     prospect. I knew there were other strong candidates in the 
     field. I knew that one of them had much more money then we 
     would ever be able to spend. I knew that another one had much 
     more party support than I would ever get. And so the serious 
     question was whether to take this one on. Well it wasn't a 
     serious question to Bob. Not at all. Bob was on the phone. 
     Bob was there in person. Bob was running around the state. 
     Bob was doing whatever it took, and he would never let me for 
     a minute even consider the possibility, that I wasn't going 
     to run. He basically beat on my door until I finally 
     declared. And once I declared, the campaign was basically run 
     out of Bob's car for a while. I mean he became my first 
     campaign manager. People would call me from different parts 
     of the state who I'd never heard of, saying `You know, I'd 
     like to support you for governor.' I'd say `That's wonderful. 
     You like my ideas?' They'd say `No, I like Bob Franks.'
       And, of course, Bob brought a number of assets, because not 
     only did he bring that wonderful enthusiasm and excitement 
     and all of that, he brought Al Fasola and Roger Bodman. And 
     once you had Al Fasola, and Roger Bodman and Bob Franks, it 
     didn't matter who had the money, it didn't matter who had the 
     political support--I think we ended up with four county 
     chairmen out of 21. It didn't matter. You were going to win, 
     because you had the best. And Bob was such an important part 
     of that and our whole campaign with that enthusiasm. He got 
     people in the legislature to defy their own county 
     organizations and their own county parties and come out and 
     endorse me, and those of you in politics know how tough that 
     is for anybody to do. He was a remarkable. And I'll say it 
     here: I don't know if I would have run or not, but I 
     certainly would not have been elected if it were not for the 
     efforts of Bob Franks.
       When I got there, there were a lot of problems. We were in 
     a debt point, in a recession as we are now. We had a billion 
     dollar deficit, had a legislature of the other party, both 
     houses, and it was difficult. It was very, very difficult. 
     But there in my office, would be Bob. And Bob would come it, 
     with that smile, that cheerfulness and that optimism, showing 
     me how we could do it, how we could get something done. He 
     would bring in not only Republicans but Democrats. He would 
     tell me `Have you talked to this assemblyman, or that 
     senator? You know he's the other party, but he's really a 
     good person, and you can talk to them about issues.' And we 
     did that.
       We put together some of those coalitions. But always, 
     always in the background was Bob, who cared so much, who 
     wanted to see it done right, who did it himself, always the 
     right way. You know he was always positive. He was never 
     down. He loved his colleagues in both his parties. He could 
     be partisan, but never negative, never nasty in any way at 
     all. He cared so much. The bottom line I think, that not only 
     did he love politics, but he cared so much about people. He 
     loved them: individuals, peoples who touched his life and he 
     came back and touched theirs in a very, very important way.
       Politics for Bob was an honorable profession which meant 
     responsibility and opportunity for achievement and very much 
     an exciting adventure. After all, what is the use of living, 
     if not to strive for great causes and perhaps make this 
     muddled world of ours a little better place. Bob did that. He 
     cared about that.
       The Reverend mentioned St. Paul, when he was in that 
     prison. He wrote something else. He wrote to his best friend, 
     he wrote a note. He wrote to Timothy. He wrote these letters, 
     these words, I think most of you know, to Timothy. He said:
       `I have fought the good fight. I have finished my course. I 
     have kept the faith.'
       Bob could have spoken those words. Fran, you and the girls 
     ought to be so proud, June you ought to be so very proud. We 
     are all better people for having known Bob. I think of him 
     smiling, I think of his cheerfulness, I think of his 
     enthusiasm, and today, I envy the angels.


                     Former Congressman John Kasich

       Look around. It's amazing today, isn't it? You know, on the 
     wall of Bob's house is a poster of Bobby Kennedy who would be 
     surprised? He was a man of great passion, just like Bob. I 
     remember as a young man, one young girl holding a sign as 
     Bobby Kennedy passed by, and the sign said: ``Bring Us 
     Together.'' Bob Franks has brought us together, hasn't he? 
     And not just the people at the top. He's brought so many of 
     his young proteges here today who have grown from young into 
     almost middle-aged men. Bob was a truly remarkable man and 
     our friendship was forged in the battles of trying to improve 
     America. That's what it was all about. It was never about the 
     politics. It was always about what we could do to make the 
     world a little better place for our children and their 
     children.
       Last week I sat down with some of the people who were on 
     this team. We went through thick and thin, through government 
     shutdowns, and criticisms and blowups and yelling and all 
     wonderful debate that sometimes accompanies politics when it 
     isn't personal. It's part of life, it's part of what makes 
     this republic special. And we listed a couple of things that 
     we wanted to think about Bob, and I wanted to tell you about 
     Bob.
       First of all, insightful. I don't think I ever met a more 
     insightful man than Bob Franks. He could look at something 
     that everybody else saw and he would always see it 
     differently. He could see the twist in it. He could take 
     advantage of it to move the ball downfield. How about his 
     cutting-edge humor? Always a little cutting-edge humor no 
     matter where you were. Sometimes Bob was even good at gallows 
     humor. You know when there was not even a speck of light 
     shining in the room, Bob could make us all laugh. He'd remove 
     the pressure. He'd have the little quip, and we'd all get the 
     belly laugh going. It would happen when there was no humor in 
     sight.
       Loyalty. You know kids today say `You got my back?' Bob 
     Franks had your back. He didn't care if you were a Republican 
     or a Democrat, a liberal or a conservative. It didn't mean 
     anything. When You were his friend, he had your back. And he 
     exemplified exactly what we mean by that term.
       Friendly. Well he's known for that smile. Some said 
     earlier, he walked into a room and lit it up. And that was 
     exactly right, because he had that 100 megawatt smile that 
     sort of transmitted a sense of strength. He had a sense that 
     things are going to be OK, things are going to be good. 
     Things can be really great.
       Bob never attacked anybody else. In all the years I knew 
     him I never heard him say a bad thing about anybody. He was 
     smart. And what made him so smart is that he understood that 
     the key to life was not the divisions that exist between 
     people, but the friendships that potentially could be 
     developed. And he was a smart of a guy as I ever met and he 
     transferred on to these three angels down here [gestures to 
     Franks' daughters] because they're as smart as can be.
       Great strategist? Didn't want to be up against him, did 
     you? Nobody wanted to be up against Bob when he got into 
     strategy, and frankly, think about what a great general he 
     would have been in the military. He could have sat in that 
     tent and figured how to take advantage of every opportunity. 
     And that's exactly what he did working with me to do 
     something that hadn't been done in about 40 years.
       Oh, he loved his family. Gov. Christie's right. My 
     conversations were always `Mr. Chairman, how's the family. 
     How's the girls'. I'd said `Chairman, how's your family?' It 
     always started that way. Kinda always ended that way.

[[Page H2796]]

       God, did he love his friends. Roger Bodman, Al Fasola. Oh, 
     and Laura. Ah, he just loved you to pieces. And of course he 
     so loved his family, and so loved Fran and those sweet girls. 
     Saw Kelly yesterday, that she gave me a big hug. And through 
     the gate, they were in the back yard, I got a chance to see 
     Sara and Abbey really for the first time. Little angels, and 
     a tribute to Fran and to Bob.
       Of course he loved his Colts. Governor, I could never 
     figure it our either. I mean that Colt thing was just 
     unbelievable.
       He could give you bad news, couldn't he governor? He could 
     give you bad news but in such a way that you could accept it. 
     He gave more bad news more of the time than I can even 
     believe! But I heard it, and I accepted it because he had 
     that special something. When he gave you a little bad news, 
     you knew that he had your back. You knew that he was right 
     with you.
       You could never be mad at Bob Franks. That was impossible. 
     No matter what he did to you, you loved him. You never go 
     upset with him. I guess it was always because you knew he had 
     your back.
       What a listener Bob was. You know, it was one of the things 
     that many of us have to do better. Bob could reply and 
     understand because he listened. He listened intently to 
     anything you had to say.
       I liked to call him a foxhole guy. And I measure people 
     `Are they a foxhole guy.' In other words can I get into a 
     foxhole with this guy in the middle of the worst battle you 
     can imagine and know not only would he not jump out of that 
     foxhole to run and preserve himself, but he would jump out of 
     that foxhole and fight to help you. Oh, he was a great 
     foxhole guy.
       Friendship. Today in the age of a media culture, fleeting, 
     situational, conditional, tattered--not with Bob. His 
     friendship had nothing to do with situations and conditions, 
     he would be friend to you through thick and thin. And frankly 
     when we think about it we can learn so much about what 
     character and principle and tenacity is when we study the 
     life of Bob Franks.
       There is no question he left the world a better place. 
     Earlier today in the private ceremony, I wish you all could 
     have heard the testimonies to Bob. And under all of them was 
     a deep and abiding love and a sense that he made everybody 
     better because he believed in them. He made this world a much 
     better place. He inspires us. And I was inspired this morning 
     listening to the testimony of his dearest friends and family 
     and the young people that he raised. They're going to leave 
     their mark on the world and they're leaving it right now as 
     one of the top aides to the governor of the State of New 
     Jersey. Yeah, I'm going to miss Bob. I'm going to miss those 
     calls. But you know I'm going to remember this day, the 
     testimonies this morning, and this crowd, which is all about 
     how great his life was and about how many lives he impacted 
     and affected in a real way.
       You know, Reverend, the Lord gives us a big promise. I've 
     never known the Lord, as I've studied it, to break his 
     promises. Fran, he promises in the next life, no more tears, 
     no more heartache, no more broken relationships, no more war, 
     no more death, and only happiness and fulfillment to be put 
     under the wings of the Lord.
       I believe it. That's where Bob's today. God, Bless you Bob. 
     We love you, we miss you. We'll see you soon.

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