[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 4 (Wednesday, January 8, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E20]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      ``E. CLAY SHAW: A CONGRESSMAN WHO MATTERED,'' BY JIM MARTIN

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                           HON. JOHN L. MICA

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, January 8, 2014

  Mr. MICA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share with my colleagues a 
eulogy Jim Martin, a good friend and former Chief of Staff to the late 
Senator Edward Gurney (R-FL), wrote recalling the great and influential 
life in public service of former Florida Congressman E. Clay Shaw, Jr. 
As all remember, our friend Clay passed away on September 10, 2013. His 
legacy will transcend generations, as you can see in the words shared 
by Jim, the founder and chairman of the 60 Plus Association.

                E. Clay Shaw: A Congressman Who Mattered

                            (By Jim Martin)

       The barber nearly lopped off the congressman's ear, but it 
     wouldn't have been his fault if he had. For years, the tacit 
     agreement that exists between every barber and customer to 
     sit still as a statue when the clippers are humming was 
     fiercely observed. But the barber said something that 
     startled the normally reserved lawmaker to suddenly spin his 
     head around mid-snip.
       ``Congressman,'' the barber offered, ``I've been voting for 
     you a long time, but this year I'm making a donation to your 
     campaign.'' In a world of big campaign contributions, a 
     modest offering of a few dollars is hardly noteworthy, unless 
     you consider the source. Rep. Eugene Clay Shaw, Jr.'s 
     hometown barber in Fort Lauderdale, FL was 68 years old and 
     closed his shop the last few months of the year. Far from 
     rich and not particularly political, his pronouncement all 
     but floored his long-time customer.
       But this was a special occasion. Under Shaw's leadership, 
     Congress had just passed historic legislation, signed into 
     law by President Bill Clinton in 2000, that removed a 
     Depression-era law that cut Social Security benefits for 
     seniors who earned more than $17,000 per year. Though little-
     regarded by some, this legislation had a huge impact on 
     working seniors, and further struck a blow for American 
     productivity and common-sense, bipartisan solutions to 
     intractable government inertia.
       With Shaw's passing this month at the age of 74, the 
     tributes honoring his 26-year career in Congress invariably 
     focus on his welfare reform legislation, implementing a 
     federal missing-child registry and various environmental 
     protections, all of which were monumental in their own right. 
     But seniors are forever grateful for the dogged determination 
     Shaw displayed as chairman of the House Social Security 
     Subcommittee when he took on a law long past its expiration 
     date.
       As chairman of a national seniors organization, and having 
     grown up in the Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood part of Rep. Shaw's 
     district, and having testified on his legislation, I was at 
     the front lines cheering when this law passed, and recall 
     that Shaw shared with me many of the reactions from working 
     seniors. ``People would think I was rich and off fishing 
     somewhere,'' Shaw's barber told him at the time, ``because my 
     shop was closed the last months of the year. It just made no 
     sense to stay open, as I was essentially working for free. 
     This way, thanks to your legislation, I can continue to earn 
     money which I can then happily spend at Christmas on gifts 
     for our grandkids.''
       Upon his return to Washington after a routine recess, Clay 
     related to me not only his barber's reaction, but also the 
     response he received from a 66-year-old waitress who served 
     him breakfast one morning. ``Mr. Shaw, I had to tell my 
     manager I couldn't work the last months of the year, as I 
     made no money. Fixing this law is a huge relief to me, my 
     boss and my regular customers who often ask for me during my 
     absence.''
       While Congress is always an easy target at which to aim our 
     nation's considerable political frustrations, it's important 
     to remember and honor dedicated public servants like Clay 
     Shaw who got up every day intending to use their clout to 
     bridge the aisle to make life better for the people back 
     home. Shaw was also congressman to my favorite senior, my 
     mother.
       His career harkens back to a day--just a few decades ago 
     though it seems like ages--when institutional knowledge meant 
     something, and political clout was more frequently a tool of 
     bipartisan cooperation. Shaw is in the company of congressmen 
     such as Republican Henry Hyde of Illinois and Democrat Dante 
     Fascell of Miami, and many others now long gone who didn't 
     mind a good fight, but would never let their differences 
     prevent them from banding together to do the right thing on 
     behalf of the people back home.
       America has 60 million senior citizens with more than 
     10,000 joining our ranks every day. All of them, as well as 
     those soon to join our ranks, owe a debt of gratitude and 
     thanks to the gentleman from Broward County. He and his kind 
     are sorely missed.

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