[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 140 (Tuesday, September 20, 2011)]
[House]
[Page H6239]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          HONORING THE LIFE OF FORMER SENATOR CHARLES H. PERCY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Dreier) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, it was with great sadness that we received 
the news this past weekend of the passing of one of my long-time family 
friends and one of the most dedicated public servants I've ever had the 
privilege of knowing or serving with. I'm referring, of course, to 
Senator Charles Percy, who passed away on Saturday morning at the age 
of 91.
  Senator Percy was someone whom I first met when I was a kid at summer 
camp in Colorado. Tragically, his daughter Valerie had been murdered. 
And, of course, her twin is Sharon Percy Rockefeller, who serves with 
great distinction as the head of the WETA board and who has many other 
civic duties here in Washington, DC.
  I met Senator Percy when we were at Valerie Lodge, which was named 
for his daughter, the camp in California; and at that moment, Mr. 
Speaker, I saw someone who was clearly very dedicated and 
extraordinarily principled. His entire life was dedicated to public 
service and to doing everything he possibly could to ensure that life 
was better for all around him.
  I came to Congress a little more than a decade after I'd met him when 
I was at summer camp. He immediately took me under his wing, and he 
made the pilgrimage from the Senate here to the House of 
Representatives, and visited me in my office several times. I took my 
first trip with him to Mexico, and it was the U.S.-Mexico 
Interparliamentary Conference. I remember very vividly nearly three 
decades ago--well, actually, three decades ago--what it is that he 
said, Mr. Speaker.
  He talked about the challenge and the relationship between the United 
States and Mexico, and he characterized his remarks as it related to 
his twin daughters, Sharon and Valerie. In that speech, he said, So 
many people talk about twins and the similarities. He said, For me, the 
greatness is to look at the differences between the two.
  He carried that personal message as he referred to the challenging 
relationship between the United States of America and Mexico, and I was 
struck by that. He was chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations 
Committee, and I was privileged to serve two terms here in the House 
while he served in the Senate.
  So I want to say to his wonderful wife, Loraine, and to all of the 
other children and relatives and friends of Senator Charles Percy that 
he lived an amazing life. It was one that was an inspiration to me, and 
I will greatly miss him.

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