[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 73 (Wednesday, May 25, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E953-E954]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        IN MEMORY OF KEN MORGAN

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. MICHAEL H. MICHAUD

                                of maine

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 25, 2011

  Mr. MICHAUD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a great 
voice for labor, a great Mainer and most importantly, a great friend, 
Ken Morgan.
  For 35 years, Ken worked at the AFL-CIO fighting for the rights of 
Maine's hard-working men and women. As a union brother of the 
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1837, Ken 
believed that united in solidarity, we could all move our society 
forward.
  In the late 1960s, Ken's principles led him to refuse his doctorate 
from Northwestern University because of a dispute regarding the 
extension of civil rights based upon sexual orientation. Ken carried 
this strong commitment to justice and solidarity into all aspects of 
his life and was a trail blazer in the civil rights community. During 
his long career, Ken served as a member of the U.S. Commission on Civil 
Rights, was an award-winning member of the Maine Gay and Lesbian 
Political Alliance and a member of the Board of Directors of the Maine 
Center for Economic Policy. These are only a few of the many 
organizations Ken was involved with, all of which worked to help those 
who might otherwise be forgotten.
  However, Ken is best remembered by his friends and family as a great 
man, with a mind that was deep, broad and keen. His heart was huge. He 
was a gentle soul who leaves a huge void and who so richly filled the 
lives of his many friends and family. Above all, Ken was a loving 
friend, mentor, brother, son and partner.
  On the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther 
King, President Obama declared, ``Dr. King once said that the arc of 
the moral universe is long but it bends towards justice. It bends 
towards justice, but here is the thing: it does not bend on its own. It 
bends because each of us in our own ways put our hand on that arc . . 
.'' Ken's work and life embodied this active engagement with our 
nation's, and our world's, struggle to be a place of equality and 
freedom.
  Ken leaves behind his partner of more than three decades, Rick 
Strout, his brother Charles, his sister-in-law Jerie, and many cousins, 
nieces and nephews.
  Mr. Speaker, please join me in remembering a great American, Ken 
Morgan.

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