[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 10 (Tuesday, January 25, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E111-E112]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING ROGER MILLIKEN

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. MICHAEL H. MICHAUD

                                of maine

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 25, 2011

  Mr. MICHAUD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Roger 
Milliken, a dear friend and true champion of American workers and 
manufacturing. Roger passed away on December 30 after a long life of 
hard work and passionate advocacy. His passing signals the end of an 
era when corporate leaders valued more than profits and when American 
companies did not jump at the first chance to ship jobs overseas just 
to save a buck.
  Milliken was larger than life in many ways. He had many passions and 
lived vibrantly. We are fortunate for this, because it means his legacy 
will still be here to inspire us to do more and work harder. It will 
also remind us to never give up on U.S. manufacturing and the idea that 
you can make things in America.
  In fact, it was Roger's commitment to American manufacturing that 
sparked our friendship. About six years ago, Roger came to my office on 
Capitol Hill without any previous introduction. He walked into my 
office nearly unannounced at the respectable age of 90 to shake hands 
and talk about our common concerns with U.S. trade policy's impact on 
our manufacturing sector. He introduced himself and forged a friendship 
with me, a new and far-from-senior Member of Congress, simply because 
he wanted to thank me for my attention to manufacturing and trade and 
to encourage me to continue the fight to make U.S. policy on both 
issues better.
  One funny anecdote in particular speaks to Roger's honest, friendly 
character. I couldn't be at an event one morning, so one of my staff 
went in my place. Roger was at the event, and listened to my staffer's 
speech, which she had to give sitting down because she didn't feel 
well. After her remarks, Roger

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went up to her and seeing that she wasn't feeling very good and knowing 
she had recently gotten married, said, ``have you considered the 
possibility that you're pregnant.'' My staffer had not even considered 
that idea but a few days later confirmed that Roger's prediction had 
been right. And that's the kind of guy he was, compassionate and honest 
in the best way. Now everyone knows Roger Milliken had enormous 
foresight, but this took it to a whole new level.
  Our friendship was not an obvious one. Roger was a mill owner, and 
before I came to Congress I was a mill worker. Roger was a Republican, 
and I am a Democrat. He lived a long life in South Carolina, and I come 
from Maine. Still, Roger was the kind of guy who looked for 
commonalities, regardless of the number of differences. And we shared a 
commitment to fixing U.S. trade policy and promoting U.S. 
manufacturing.
  Roger truly believed in innovation and hard work as the keys to being 
good at making things. And he believed in a corporate code of morals. 
He rolled up his sleeves, got involved in the day-to-day workings of 
his company and pushed his employees to do the best work they could. 
And through these qualities, he created the largest privately held 
textile empire in the world. He also became a pioneer of corporate 
patriotism and firmly held the belief that profits didn't have to come 
at the expense of American jobs. He believed the strength of our nation 
relied on a strong manufacturing base. He lived what he preached.
  One story is very telling about Roger's commitment to his country and 
to his employees. In 1995, one of his plants in LaGrange, Georgia 
burned to the ground. This tragedy happened right after NAFTA had 
passed, and it would have been a perfect opportunity to move his plant 
to Mexico to take advantage of lower labor costs. But he did not do 
that. Instead, Roger found temporary jobs for all of his employees and 
said he would have the plant up and running again in 6 months. He moved 
down to LaGrange to personally oversee the rebuilding of the plant, and 
in true Roger form, the plant was back up and operational right on 
schedule.
  It's unlikely there will ever be another Roger Milliken. He was truly 
one-of-a-kind. But our country needs more leaders like him who are 
guided by principles and not by profits. It needs more corporations who 
are committed to their country. More who believe that the best solution 
is not always the easiest solution but that hard work and creativity 
will forge a better, more sustainable path. We need more corporations 
to carry Roger's torch of corporate patriotism and a commitment to 
making things in America.
  I urge all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to work with 
me to remember Roger Milliken. Through bipartisan, collaborative 
efforts to promote American manufacturing and to fix our trade policy, 
we can make the most of the paths he forged and the standards he set. 
We can honor him in the way he would have wanted to be honored: by 
being more innovative, working harder and advancing the notion that 
corporate patriotism is better and more sustainable for all Americans.
  Mr. Speaker, please join me in expressing sincerest condolences to 
Roger's family, Milliken Company and Associates, all of his community 
in South Carolina, to his co-advocates in the manufacturing and trade 
community and all those who were blessed to know him. He will be 
missed.

                          ____________________