[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 147 (Friday, November 16, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1795]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   HONORING CONGRESSMAN CHARLIE ROSE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DAVID E. PRICE

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, November 16, 2012

  Mr. PRICE of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor a 
distinguished representative from my home state of North Carolina, 
Congressman Charlie Rose. Charlie passed away in September at the age 
of 73 in Albertville, Alabama. Along with many others in this body, I 
valued him as a mentor and friend, an innovative and effective 
legislator, and a member who combined international leadership with 
assiduous attention to agriculture and other North Carolina interests.
  Charlie was elected to Congress in 1972 after an early career in law, 
and he went on to serve North Carolina's 7th Congressional District in 
the House for 24 years. He ably represented a large district which at 
the time stretched from Wilmington to Fayetteville. In between those 
two cities there were farms, and lots of farmers, and Charlie took 
seriously the hard work of getting around to every community to talk 
about what he was doing in Congress to help them. He not only took 
seriously the hard work of explaining legislation to his constituents--
he relished it. Charlie was a man with the proverbial ``gift of gab.'' 
He had insights on important legislation before Congress, but also a 
way of explaining the complexities that led you to realize his position 
was the common-sense one.
  Even though he may have been more progressive than his constituents 
on some issues, such as civil rights, they knew that Charlie would look 
out for them. As the chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, 
Charlie forged bipartisan coalitions to help farmers time and time 
again. As a former Republican colleague recently recalled, ``Charlie 
was a master at building coalitions. A devout Democrat, he worked 
assiduously, often behind the scenes, with Republicans on matters of 
consequence.''
  Among his colleagues, Charlie was a favorite. He had a great sense of 
humor and could deliver a punch line with natural comedic timing. But 
he wasn't just fun to be around. Charlie worked hard, and he devoted 
much time and effort to the workings of this institution. As the 
chairman of the House Administration Committee, Charlie acquired the 
nickname ``the Mayor of Capitol Hill'' for running a tight ship and 
attending to detail. ``He hears the soup is bad in the kitchen, he goes 
in the kitchen with a spoon to find out why,'' a colleague told the 
Washington Post. ``You feel he's on your problem, no matter what it is. 
And you're grateful.''
  Charlie had an abiding fascination with technology and was 
instrumental in ushering in such innovations as live television 
coverage of House proceedings and computerized record keeping. Today we 
take websites, twitter, and social media for granted, but this 
heightened engagement with constituents started with Charlie's efforts 
to make the work of the People's House more transparent and more 
inclusive.
  Charlie was of great help to me when I joined him in the House in 
1987. He made certain I was warmly welcomed, gave much savvy advice, 
and especially encouraged my growing involvement in foreign affairs. 
Charlie's work with the NATO Parliamentary Assembly was not as well 
known as his other endeavors, but it was important to him and important 
to the organization. He organized our delegations to Assembly meetings 
very effectively, and I greatly enjoyed helping him gain election as 
Assembly President in 1991. It was instructive to see how little he 
altered his down-home style in dealing with European notables--and how 
well it worked!
  Shortly before leaving Congress in 1997, Charlie married Stacye 
Hefner, the daughter of our beloved North Carolina colleague, 
Representative Bill Hefner. They had a wonderful life together in DC 
and, in recent years, Alabama. Charlie is also survived by a brother 
and sister and five children, Charles, Louise, Kelly, Parker, and 
Joseph. To all of them we express our sympathy and good wishes, and our 
admiration for a life dedicated to public service.

                          ____________________