[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 135 (Friday, September 19, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1489-E1490]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              JIM OBERSTAR

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. RICHARD M. NOLAN

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 18, 2014

  Mr. NOLAN. Mr. Speaker, what an honor it is for me to convene this 
special order for our friend and colleague--Minnesota's longest serving 
Member of Congress and my predecessor in representing our state's 
Eighth Congressional District. . . . A giant of a man--the truly great 
former Chairman of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure--
Jim Oberstar.
  We can all take comfort--and some pleasure as well--in knowing that 
Jim was well aware of the respect and esteem we ALL had for him--
Republicans, Democrats, liberals and conservatives.
  That was evident when he quietly entered this chamber in January of 
last year--for the first time as a former Congressman.
  First one member spotted him--then another and another--and within a 
few seconds everyone was standing, cheering, and applauding 
spontaneously.
  It was a truly unforgettable moment--a gesture I haven't seen in this 
historic place since Hubert Humphrey addressed a joint session of 
Congress shortly before he passed away some 36 years ago.
  When I think of Jim Oberstar, four big words come to mind. The first 
word is accomplishment.
  He was the son of a miner who grew up in a little House in Chisholm, 
Minnesota--whose career in public service and as a leader on the 
Transportation Committee touched every great city, every town, and 
every small community in our great nation . . . .
  With a road--a bridge--a park--a harbor--an airport--a public 
building. Tens of millions of people have a better, safer quality of 
life thanks to Jim Oberstar.
  And those accomplishments were genuinely bipartisan in nature.
  As Chairman, Jim believed a good idea is a good idea regardless of 
who proposes it.
  So Committee debates were wide open, with plenty of give and take. If 
you had an idea, Jim made sure it was heard and debated--and that it 
received an up or down vote after all was said and done.
  The second big word that applies to Jim is work--hard work.
  Regardless of how early you showed up--you couldn't arrive early 
enough to beat Jim to the office every morning. And his light was 
always the last one to go out after the rest of us had left for the 
night.
  Of course, Jim didn't worry about DC traffic.
  This man, who presided over hundreds of billions of dollars in 
transportation projects--and who understood more about the intricacies 
of transportation policies than most of the rest of us combined--just 
wove through the traffic jams riding his bike to work every morning.
  And by the way, thanks to Jim's ``Safe Routes to School'' program, 
millions of kids are walking and biking to work every day across our 
nation.
  The third word for Jim is intellect. To paraphrase President 
Kennedy--Thomas Jefferson was the smartest American to ever dine 
alone--except perhaps when Jim Oberstar was grabbing a bite to eat in 
the Rayburn cafeteria.
  Jim was simply brilliant He spoke six languages fluently--from French 
to Creole to that strange combination of Finnish and English we call 
``Range Speak'' up north on Minnesota's Iron Range.
  There was no detail to small--and no vision to grand--for Jim to 
comprehend--and then articulate in a manner everyone else could 
understand as well.
  Last but not least--when I think of Jim, I think of home.

[[Page E1490]]

  Home on the range. Minnesota's Iron Range and Minnesota's Eighth 
District.
  Jim loved our great northland--our lakes--our timberlands--our great 
mining industry--the port of Duluth--Superior National Forest and the 
beautiful Boundary Waters.
  His heart was always back there--as well as here in this Chamber and 
in this House he loved so well.
  We loved him dearly. We will miss him terribly. And we will do our 
best to carry on in his great work in a spirit of bipartisan respect 
and decency.

                          ____________________