[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 55 (Thursday, April 16, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2257-S2258]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       REMEMBERING NORM BANGERTER

  Mr. LEE. Mr. President, I rise today to honor Gov. Norm Bangerter, 
who

[[Page S2258]]

served as Utah's 13th Governor from 1985 to 1993. He was truly an 
extraordinary man and an exceptional leader. He passed away this past 
Tuesday, April 14, at the age of 82.
  He loved Utah, and he loved this great Nation. As a veteran, a 
business owner, an elected official, a father, and a man of faith, he 
led a life of service to his community, to his church, and to his 
country.
  Norm Bangerter once described himself as ``just an old farmer and 
carpenter.'' And he was those things. While the qualities of a farmer 
and a carpenter may seem far removed from business and political 
leadership, his farmer's grit and determination saw him through many 
tough political battles, and his eye as a master craftsman ensured 
every step along the way he could not only start a project, but he knew 
how to put a fine finish on that project and see it through all the way 
to completion. His willingness to get his hands a ``little dirty'' 
enabled him to tackle difficult issues, the kinds of issues that 
required hard work and heavy lifting far from the spotlight and 
limelight of public praise. And he was, indeed, a builder. He was a 
builder of business, a builder of the great State of Utah, and, as I 
personally experienced, a builder of people.

  I, like so many others throughout my great State and elsewhere, have 
been blessed by Governor Bangerter's vision for building other leaders. 
He stood with me as a young candidate and as a new Senator and provided 
priceless insight, wisdom, and perspective. He taught me that it was 
never about me but always about the State, about the Nation, and about 
future generations. He proved his commitment to this principle when he 
described his decision not to seek a third term as Governor. When he 
made that announcement, he said:

       We have not concentrated on image or on protecting our 
     popularity in the polls. We have taken the problems as they 
     came, head on, and we have proposed the best solution we knew 
     regardless of political consequences. . . . I want to go down 
     in history as the Governor who didn't spend eight years 
     worrying about how he would go down in history.

  All of us in Congress could benefit from this kind of approach. All 
of us in Congress could learn a great deal from this man's 
extraordinary example.
  Governor Bangerter was one of the most unassuming, kind, honest, 
genuinely decent people I have ever met. He was the kind of man and was 
the kind of great Governor who, like a great farmer and a great 
carpenter, left the world much better than he found it.
  Like the farmer planting oak trees for the next generation or the 
carpenter finishing a finely crafted masterpiece that becomes a 
treasured heirloom for generations to enjoy, Governor Bangerter spent 
his life planting the seeds for the extraordinary State of Utah and 
crafted a legacy of leadership that will be remembered and will be 
followed for many decades to come. Governor Norm Bangerter's leadership 
will be missed, and his friendship will be cherished forever.
  Thank you, Mr. President.
  I yield the floor.

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