[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 147 (Tuesday, October 4, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1762-E1763]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING WILLIAM ENSIGN

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MARCY KAPTUR

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, October 4, 2011

  Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the life of 
William Ensign a respected and jovial Toledoan whose ethic of public 
service resulted in his being elected Mayor of Toledo in 1967, and then 
reelected again in 1971. We offer our condolences to his wife of 61 
years, Joan, their children Maria, Kimberly, Madonna, Christopher, Joel 
and Thomas, as well as their families.
  William J. Ensign was born in 1924. He grew up in Cleveland and went 
on to serve as a Marine in the Pacific Theatre in World War II. He 
earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees in sociology and 
criminology from the University of Notre Dame. He came to Toledo in 
1951 to work in the legal system until he became the director of the 
county welfare agency in 1963, a position he held until he was elected 
Mayor of Toledo in 1967. He was re-elected by a landslide in 1969. He 
resigned in 1971 after then Ohio Governor John

[[Page E1763]]

Gilligan appointed him Director of the Ohio Youth Commission. He then 
served for a year with the Ohio Department of Administrative Services. 
Beginning in 1975, he was the Director of the Criminal Justice program 
at Ohio Dominican University.
  Even as he raised his family and pursued his career, William Ensign 
developed his passion for music. He received his first drumsticks at 
age six, plated piano and was a drum major in the college band. He 
played with the Cleveland Philharmonic Orchestra and the Marine Corps 
band.
  William Ensign's legacy is well-described by a former political foe, 
``He was bright and engaging and never had a bad word about anybody.'' 
True testament to a life lived in service to others, his community and 
nation.

                          ____________________