[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 74 (Wednesday, May 11, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E672]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   REMEMBERING JUDGE THOMAS A. RYMER

                                  _____
                                 

                          HON. STENY H. HOYER

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 11, 2016

  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the memory of the Hon. Thomas 
A. Rymer, who passed away on April 15. He was ninety-one years old and 
had dedicated his career to public service on behalf of the State of 
Maryland and Calvert County.
  I was privileged to be Tom's friend for decades, and I was deeply 
saddened by his passing. He served in the Maryland House of Delegates 
from 1971-1987 and was Majority Whip for a good portion of that time. 
During part of that period, I served as President of the Maryland State 
Senate, and we worked together on a number of occasions. During his 
tenure, Tom fought for school funding that invested in education for 
students in Calvert County. He spearheaded efforts to build roads and 
infrastructure and encourage development in what was then a very rural 
part of our state. Tom was also a tireless advocate for justice and 
equal opportunity.
  Judge Rymer was born in Asheville, North Carolina, and he moved with 
his family to Washington, D.C., in 1939. A student at the University of 
Maryland when World War II broke out, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and 
was commissioned as an Ensign. After serving our nation honorably, he 
returned stateside and finished his degree at Cornell University in New 
York in 1948. He then went on to earn his law degree from the George 
Washington University in 1955.
  During the 1950's, Tom worked as an engineer with the Washington 
Suburban Sanitary Commission and served in a number of civilian roles 
with the Navy, Air Force, and Secretary of Defense's office. When he 
left the Pentagon in 1964, he was serving as chief of the Air Force 
Military Construction Program.
  From 1966-1970, Tom served the people of Calvert County as State's 
Attorney before running for the House of Delegates. In Annapolis, he 
chaired the Calvert County delegation and served as Chair of the Tri-
County Council for Southern Maryland from 1979-1982. He also Chaired 
the Joint Ethics Committee. Tom was well respected in the Assembly, 
lauded for his integrity and honesty and for his mentorship of younger 
lawmakers. After leaving office, Tom was appointed to sit on the 
Calvert County Circuit Court. He served until his retirement in 1995.
  Mr. Speaker, I extend my condolences to his beloved wife of four 
decades, Grace Mead Rymer. My thoughts and prayers are also with his 
sons Gary Rymer, Ronald Rymer, and Thomas Rymer Jr.; his stepchildren, 
Grace Mary Brady, Robert Manual Garrett, John Michael Garrett, Nell-
Marie Chaney, William Francis Garrett, and Allan Garrett; his fifteen 
grandchildren and step-grandchildren; and his ten great-grandchildren. 
Sadly, his stepson Thomas Garrett passed away last year. Many of the 
Rymers and Garretts continue to live in Calvert County, on which their 
father and stepfather leaves a lasting impact that will surely benefit 
generations to come. I join in thanking Judge Thomas A. Rymer for his 
service to Calvert County, to the Fifth District, to the State of 
Maryland, and to our nation, and I hope my colleagues will do the same.

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