[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 128 (Tuesday, July 21, 2020)]
[House]
[Page H3591]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               THANKING DAVID, JOSHUA, AND DANIEL SHIMKUS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Shimkus) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I rise again, this time to thank my boys, 
now young men, for their love, support, and understanding during my 
time as a Member of Congress.
  As I stated yesterday, when I was sworn in for my first term in 
January 1997, David was 3 years old, Joshua was 1 year old. In 1999, 
Daniel was born.
  After completing this term, I will have served 24 years. My sons will 
be 28, 25, and 21, respectively. So their entire lives have been having 
their dad as a Member of Congress.
  I always joked that, in the early days, the boys were packageable. In 
the district, we just packed them up and hauled them around. Yes, this 
meant diapers, changes of clothes, Lunchables. Well, you get the idea.
  Yet they had a chance to visit county and State fairs. They also had 
to sit through more than their fair share of political dinners, and, 
oh, the parades in every season and in every weather condition. 
Fruities and Tootsie Rolls were our chosen candy. A child can only eat 
so many.
  As they grew, they started to be involved in other activities. I 
tried to be as supportive as possible. Whether it was recreational 
soccer, singing in the St. Louis Children's Choirs, Suzuki violin 
lessons, or activities at church and school, I tried to pick up the 
slack where and when I could.
  I am still burdened by the events missed. One particular troubling 
time was missing an entire baseball season. David's games were on 
Tuesdays and Thursdays, and in that year, we were either traveling to 
D.C., in D.C., or returning home. Because of a fluke in the schedule, I 
had a chance to make a game, so I hopped on a plane, just to find out 
that, while I was landing, it was raining.
  I did help coach Joshua's soccer team 1 or 2 years. Sometimes I was 
that good example and sometimes I was not.
  I cheered loudly and supportably for Daniel. Sometimes I was that 
good example in the stands and sometimes not. I think my problem was 
trying to make up for missed time, becoming too engaged in their 
competitions.
  Having one type A parent is challenging, but having two can be 
overwhelming. You have to ask my sons how they perceived their father. 
To me, they continued to be supportive and knew that I was making every 
effort to share in their life activities. This is something that I try 
to do even today, much to their chagrin.
  David now works for a major utility as a computer programmer. Joshua 
is here on the Hill after a stint in the Peace Corps. Daniel is 
attending a major university closer to home. We check in frequently and 
continue to have each other's backs.
  The boys, now young men, continue to be close and also check in with 
each other. They probably spend much of their time talking about their 
parents.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to publicly thank them for their support over the 
years. I want to apologize for the times that I placed work over family 
and ask their forgiveness.
  I am very proud of them.

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