[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 65 (Thursday, May 12, 2011)]
[House]
[Pages H3224-H3225]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             HONORING THE LEGACY OF WILLIAM DONALD SCHAEFER

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Maryland (Mr. Hoyer) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the legacy of an 
extraordinary Marylander, Maryland Governor William Donald Schaefer. He 
died just a few weeks ago after a long time of public service.
  William Donald Schaefer was one of the great American mayors. Few 
mayors can ever say that they transformed a city as thoroughly as did 
William Donald Schaefer transform Baltimore.
  But over his 16-year tenure as mayor of Baltimore, he led a dramatic 
and

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historic turnaround. In 1971, when his mayoralty started, Baltimore was 
a struggling city, a city plagued by population flight, crime, and 
decaying urban infrastructure. When so many had given up on Baltimore, 
Mayor Schaefer made it his mission to stand up to that decay. And we 
can still see his legacy today. It is a legacy that includes physical 
landmarks like Camden Yards, the National Aquarium, Baltimore's Harbor 
Place, and an outstanding light rail system, projects that he saw 
through to completion as both mayor and Governor of our state.
  Just as importantly, Mayor Schaefer's legacy came in thousands of 
gestures that showed just how deeply he cared about the people he 
represented and how seriously he took his work: Personally addressing 
illegal dumping in alleys or broken equipment at parks, driving through 
the city at night on the lookout for everything from potholes to crime 
trouble spots, and even jumping into the aquarium's seal pool, complete 
with a rubber ducky, when the city failed to complete the aquarium on 
time.
  My colleague from Oregon is shaking his head because we all know that 
famous picture.
  Above all, his colorful, passionate, and dedicated leadership added 
up to the change, not just in Baltimore's appearance and 
infrastructure, but in the mindset of the words of the Baltimore Sun 
when they said he ``changed the way the city felt about itself.''
  How important leaders are to make that happen in the minds of their 
people. We have an agenda, by the way, that is Make It In America, that 
is trying to change that psychology as well, that we're going to make 
it, we're going to succeed, we're going to expand.
  William Donald Schaefer brought that same dedication to his two terms 
as Maryland Governor. His trademark, no-nonsense style--``do it now'' 
was his byword--was on display in Annapolis, where he pursued an agenda 
focused on job creation, strengthening Maryland's schools, which, by 
the way, now rank number one in the country, and protecting Maryland's 
natural heritage, including our beloved Chesapeake Bay.
  After reaching the highest point in Maryland politics, many would 
have ridden off into the sunset. But not William Donald Schaefer. He 
couldn't get enough of the work he loved, and he ran for State 
Comptroller, and won twice. In his last job he was one of our State's 
most respected voices for fiscal responsibility.
  Before he died, Governor Schaefer was asked how he'd like to be 
remembered, and he answered, ``There are two words: `He cared.' 
People,'' he said, ``mock me and make fun of it. But it's the truth.''
  And as someone who worked closely with William Donald Schaefer 
throughout his years as mayor and Governor and comptroller, I can say, 
without any hesitation or fear of contradiction, William Donald 
Schaefer cared. He was a man of the people. He listened, he acted.
  It is the truth and it mattered because, at the time when so many 
wrote off our cities, caring took remarkable courage and strength.
  A great architect, Mr. Speaker, was once laid to rest in a building 
he himself had designed. His tombstone read, and I quote, ``If you seek 
his monument, look around you.'' Those words apply just as well to 
William Donald Schaefer, and I hope that the people he served will bear 
him in mind whenever they enjoy the best of the city of Baltimore and 
the best of the State of Maryland.
  Well done, our good and faithful servant.

                          ____________________