[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 150 (Wednesday, November 17, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H7507-H7508]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       MOMENT OF SILENCE IN MEMORY OF FORMER MEMBER OWEN PICKETT

  (Mr. NYE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. NYE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor a former colleague today, the 
late Congressman Owen Pickett, who passed away on October 27 of this 
year. Congressman Pickett dedicated his life to service to our 
military, to our veterans, and to his constituents.
  Mr. Speaker, Congressman Pickett served in Congress representing the 
Second District of Virginia for 14 years, from 1987 to 2001, prior to 
that serving in the Virginia House of Delegates. He passed away on 
October 27 of this year at the age of 80.
  Owen Pickett will be remembered as a man of resolve who understood 
that the best way to get things done was to work with people from both 
sides of the aisle. Congressman Pickett always put his constituents 
first. He stayed out of the partisan bickering that so many politicians 
fall prey to and instead focused his energy on how best to serve the 
people he represented.
  A member of the Armed Services Committee during his entire tenure, he 
distinguished himself as an outspoken advocate for a strong, advanced, 
and superior military, an improved quality of life for our military 
personnel and their families, and enduring support of military 
facilities for the Greater Hampton Roads region.
  Congressman Pickett was a friend of mine, a mentor, and a champion 
for our warfighters, and there are some here today who had the honor of 
serving in this body with him.
  At this time I would like to yield to my colleague from Virginia.
  Mr. WOLF. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, we are saddened about the passing of our former 
colleague, Representative Owen Pickett, who served the Second 
Congressional District of Virginia from 1987 to 2001.
  Owen was a respected and principled leader. Sometimes we really never 
get to know each other in this institution, and sometimes it is at the 
latest, sometimes almost never.
  Owen was a good man, a decent man, very honest, very ethical, and 
very, very committed to the military. He was a tireless representative 
of the best interests of the Norfolk and Virginia Beach areas.
  We extend our deepest sympathies to his wife, Sybil, his three 
daughters, and his family. I just want to say ``Well done, thou good 
and faithful servant.''

               [From the Virginian-Pilot, Oct. 29, 2010]

                     Owen Pickett: A Practical Man

       Tributes to Owen Pickett poured forth from members of both 
     political parties after his death Wednesday at the age of 80.
       That was testament to the respect that Pickett commanded 
     from Republicans and Democrats across Hampton Roads and 
     Virginia. For decades, he persuaded people of all persuasions 
     to set aside their differences and accomplish important tasks 
     with courage and good humor.
       His ecumenical politics and practical bent attracted fans 
     of every stripe and generation. No name comes up as 
     consistently in Editorial Board interviews when candidates 
     are asked which local leader they admire.
       ``I am deeply saddened to learn of the passing of my good 
     friend Owen Pickett,'' said Gov. Bob McDonnell. ``Owen 
     dedicated his life to public service. He was a patriot. He 
     served the commonwealth in the House of Delegates and our 
     nation in the House of Representatives. That was his passion: 
     service.''

[[Page H7508]]

       A centrist Democrat and fiscal conservative, Pickett spent 
     14 years representing Virginia Beach in the House of 
     Delegates. In 1986, he won election to Congress as the 
     representative for Virginia's 2nd District, succeeding the 
     similarly moderate G. William Whitehurst, a Republican.
       In Washington, as in Richmond, Pickett burnished a 
     reputation for being steady and unassuming, courtly and 
     nonpartisan. Colleagues described him as an effective 
     legislator who toiled behind the scenes as an advocate not 
     just for military service members but for all of Hampton 
     Roads.
       Proof isn't limited to the 2nd District. The U.S. 
     Customhouse in downtown Norfolk, for example, wasn't even 
     part of Pickett's territory, but that didn't stop him from 
     securing the federal funds needed to renovate it. Today, the 
     building bears his name.
       After leaving Congress in 2001, Pickett devoted himself to 
     the community, spreading around some $200,000 in leftover 
     campaign funds to local charities and causes.
       In Virginia Beach, where he made his home for more than 
     half his life, Pickett helped found the Meals on Wheels 
     program, the Virginia Beach Hospice and the Oceana Lions 
     Club. He was president of the Princess Anne Rotary and 
     Ruritan clubs and in 2003 was honored with the Virginia Beach 
     Jaycees' First Citizen award.
       But even outside elected office, Pickett retained 
     influence. He spent his final years offering advice to any 
     who sought it, whether they were Democrats, such as U.S. Sen. 
     Jim Webb and Rep. Glenn Nye, or Republicans, including 
     McDonnell and state Sen. Jeff McWaters.
       ``When I was trying to decide whether to run for state 
     Senate, I called Congressman Pickett and he encouraged me to 
     do so,'' McWaters said. ``Though we sit on different sides of 
     the political aisle, this never seemed to matter as much to 
     him as getting the job done.''
       For a practical man like Pickett, there may be no higher 
     praise.
                                  ____


                [From the Virginian-Pilot Oct. 29, 2010]

           Former 2nd District Congressman Owen Pickett Dies

                           (By Julian Walker)

       The three offices that former U.S. Rep. Owen B. Pickett 
     maintained during his 14 years in Congress--in Norfolk, 
     Virginia Beach and Washington--shared this feature: a sign 
     that read, ``This office belongs to the people of the 2nd 
     congressional district of Virginia.''
       That simple motto, said those who knew him, exemplified 
     Pickett's modest approach to elected office as a full-time 
     post in which addressing constituent concerns was a priority 
     and principle took precedence over partisanship.
       ``He took his job very seriously,'' said Jeanne Evans-Cox, 
     who worked for Pickett throughout his congressional career. 
     ``I used to call him the `quiet warrior' because he didn't 
     say an awful lot, but he took everything in. He was a great 
     listener. He would size up the issue, figure out his 
     strategy, give me directions, and we'd move forward.''
       Pickett, 80, died Wednesday due to complications from 
     congestive heart failure.
       The Democrat leaves behind scores of admirers on both sides 
     of the aisle after a lengthy career as a lawyer, an esteemed 
     state and federal legislator, and finally an adviser who 
     provided counsel to plenty of political hopefuls.
       A native of rural Hanover County in suburban Richmond, 
     Pickett was raised in humble conditions. His father died when 
     he was a young child, leaving his mother and an older brother 
     to help support the family, according to friends.
       It was evident early on that Pickett had a keen intellect, 
     but he never used it to avoid hard work, recalled his 
     lifelong friend George Campbell.
       The pair attended Virginia Tech together, beginning in the 
     late 1940s. Their paths separated when Pickett headed to law 
     school at the University of Richmond, but the friendship 
     endured. Campbell, who still lives in Hanover, routinely 
     checked on a tract of land Pickett owned in central Virginia.
       Campbell said that when they last spoke by phone about a 
     week ago, Pickett realized the end was near and was at peace 
     with it.
       ``We maintained a very close relationship, and I'd say he's 
     the best friend I ever really had,'' Campbell said.
       Many who knew Pickett had a similarly strong affection for 
     him.
       Ken Geroe, a Virginia Beach lawyer and longtime Pickett 
     ally, called the late congressman a ``dear friend and a 
     mentor,'' adding ``there's a hole in my life that won't be 
     filled.''
       Geroe said he came to Pickett's attention through his work 
     on Gerald Baliles' successful gubernatorial campaign in 1985, 
     a contest in which the former congressman had a leadership 
     role.
       ``He probably started talking to me because I was the only 
     person at his desk at 6:30 in the morning he could talk to,'' 
     said Geroe, a former Democratic chairman of the 2nd 
     Congressional District.
       Pickett failed in a 1967 run for Beach commonwealth's 
     attorney, but election success didn't elude him for long. He 
     won a House of Delegates race in 1971 and served 15 years in 
     the state legislature before his election to Congress in 
     1986.
       A Blue Dog Democrat with a sharp focus on military issues 
     because of the nature of his district, Pickett often 
     partnered with other House members regardless of party to 
     protect local interests, said Evans-Cox.
       Added former Pickett intern Walter Valencia: ``He didn't 
     mind crossing party lines if it benefited the district and 
     the state. . . . He just took care of his people.''
       Pickett retired in 2001, in part because he'd become 
     disenchanted with the growing rancor on Capital Hill, Evans-
     Cox said, noting that Pickett mused about a Congress that had 
     evolved from a place where ``people did things the right 
     way'' to one where officials worked ``against each other for 
     partisan purposes, not a common goal.''
       Pickett was more pithy when he announced in 1999 that he 
     would not seek re-election.
       ``When Washington, D.C., begins to look better in your rear 
     view mirror than it does in your windshield, you know it is 
     time to consider making a change,'' he said, according to an 
     account in The Virginian-Pilot.
       Stepping away from Washington didn't entirely keep Pickett 
     out of politics.
       He mentored candidates who sought his guidance, including 
     former state Finance Secretary Jody Wagner, who 
     unsuccessfully sought to succeed him, and more recently, 2009 
     Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe.
       Another post-retirement pastime was a weekly Saturday lunch 
     with friends at Black Angus Restaurant in the Beach that 
     featured lively discussions about everything except politics, 
     said eatery co-owner Michael Savvides.
       When the group met a few weeks ago, Savvides said, Pickett 
     confided that ``he had a wonderful life and he didn't mind if 
     he died, believe it or not. It's ironic, but he did say that. 
     . . . I guess he was ready. I guess he had enough.''

  Mr. NYE. I yield to the gentleman from Virginia.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, the citizens of Hampton Roads and 
the Commonwealth of Virginia lost a dedicated public servant. I had the 
honor and privilege of serving with Owen both in the Virginia House of 
Delegates as well as Congress, and I join my colleague Mr. Moran, in 
stating that Owen Pickett was a true statesman and effective legislator 
who enjoyed great respect on both sides of the aisle.
  As has already been pointed out, although he retired almost a decade 
ago, he remained an important, active voice on issues affecting Hampton 
Roads and the Commonwealth of Virginia. I thank my colleague from 
Virginia and all of my colleagues from Virginia for the great respect 
and admiration that they have shown to Owen Pickett.
  Mr. NYE. I yield to our distinguished majority leader, the gentleman 
from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer).
  Mr. HOYER. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  I want to join particularly with my friend Frank Wolf, who is my good 
friend. We work very closely together.
  Owen Pickett was the kind of Member that brought real respect to this 
institution. He worked on both sides of the aisle. He worked very 
strongly on behalf of our national security. He was a Member who was 
popular on both sides of the aisle. Owen Pickett and Norm Sisisky 
served together on this side of the aisle with Frank and me for many 
years.
  Owen Pickett was someone who this institution could have justifiable 
pride in. We could look to him and say that is the kind of Member, 
frankly, that we all ought to be, showing respect for one another, 
working with one another on behalf of the American people and their 
security.
  I rise to extend great sympathy to his family, but much more 
importantly than that, to give thanks on behalf of this institution and 
on behalf of our country for his extraordinary service.
  Mr. NYE. Mr. Speaker, I would ask that the House now observe a moment 
of silence to remember Congressman Owen Pickett, a former Member who 
will be dearly missed in southeast Virginia.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Will all Members please rise.

                          ____________________