[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 98 (Tuesday, June 6, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E527-E528]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING THE LATE WILLIAM V. MEYERS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. STENY H. HOYER

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 6, 2023

  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, on September 24, 2022, we lost my dear 
friend, William ``Bill'' Meyers: a principled attorney; a proud alumnus 
of Suitland High School, the University of Maryland, and Georgetown 
University Law Center; and a dedicated husband, father, grandfather, 
and great-grandfather. We will always mourn his loss and miss his wit, 
candor, and conviction. But we will also continue to honor Bill's 
memory and to give thanks for the many ways he touched our lives and 
improved our community. In that spirit, I ask that all my colleagues 
join me in honoring Bill and in praying for his wife Karen, his 4 
children, his 6 grandchildren, and his great-granddaughter. I also want 
to pay tribute to Bill by including in the Record the prepared remarks 
I delivered at Bill's memorial service.

            Remarks for William V. Meyer's Memorial Service

            Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer--October 5, 2022

       Today, as we mourn the loss of our dear friend, Bill, I 
     understand some of the same feelings that Thomas Jefferson 
     wrestled with after parting with a friend when he left France 
     in 1786.
       In a letter to that friend, he mused that upon first 
     glance, one might see friendship as a burden. After all, we 
     volunteer to participate in our friends' pains, to devote our 
     time and energy to caring for them, and to suffer immense 
     grief when we eventually lose them.
       Ultimately, however, he realized that these duties were not 
     burdens but benefits, as we receive our friends' care, 
     attention, and company in return. Indeed, Jefferson 
     concluded: ``friendship is precious, not only in the shade, 
     but in the sunshine of life.''
       Today, we reflect on all that we gained from our bond with 
     Bill throughout the shadows and sunshine of our own lives.
       Over the sixty-seven years of our friendship, I came to 
     admire Bill's abilities: his character and his talent as a 
     lawyer, his charisma as lead drummer of Maryland's marching 
     band, and of course, his penchant for pushups. Bill of course 
     had other critically important traits that I admired and that 
     made him the principled individual that he was.
       The first was his loyalty. Above all else, Bill was a 
     family man. He displayed deep devotion to his wife and life 
     partner, Karen, and to his children, grandchildren, and 
     great-grandchild, all of whom he loved greatly and without 
     reservation.
       His loyalty was not limited to his family. Whether at 
     Suitland High School, the University of Maryland, or 
     Georgetown Law School, and throughout my life, I always knew 
     that I had Bill in my corner. No matter the milestone, I knew 
     Bill would always be there to both celebrate and grieve with 
     me.

[[Page E528]]

       An important part of that loyalty was another vital trait: 
     Bill's generosity. Bill was always willing to devote his time 
     and energy to helping his friends. In 1966, he served as the 
     treasurer of my first campaign for the Maryland State Senate. 
     Our victory in that election altered the trajectory of my 
     life, and it would never have been possible without Bill's 
     work behind the scenes--not to mention the generosity of his 
     father, Mike.
       As many of you know, Bill was also there for me when my 
     wife, Judy, passed away more than twenty years ago. He helped 
     me get through that time of sorrow.
       More than that, by serving as the treasurer of the Judith 
     P. Hoyer Foundation, he took an active role in ensuring that 
     Judy's legacy and her work supporting young children and 
     their families would continue, and he saw the Judy Centers 
     grow from the initial six to now sixty-nine in our state, 
     soon to be 100. So many others benefited from his generosity, 
     as well.
       And then there was his honesty! It is an understatement to 
     say that Bill wasn't a ``yes man.'' You could rely on him to 
     tell you what you needed to hear. Some called it candor; some 
     called it other things. His honesty, at times, was heard 
     through his blunt sense of humor, sometimes as uncomfortable 
     truth. He took his beliefs very seriously.
       I want to read his statement, which was his conviction and 
     his law firm's credo:
       ``Since I was very young, I have realized that the law is 
     the glue which binds society together and prevents its 
     descent into anarchy. Law, however, can only serve this 
     laudable objective if it is directed by citizens with the 
     highest ethical standards and the intelligence and training 
     to discern the ethical path and to follow it without regard 
     to personal gain or power. Since the founding of Meyers, 
     Rodbell, and Russenbaum in 1975 our guiding policy has been 
     to adhere strictly to the rules of court and professional 
     conduct and to be fair and candid in our interactions with 
     clients and others as well as opposing counsel. Our motto has 
     always been that being ethical is not just the best policy--
     it is the only policy.''
       His dedication to his principles informed his 
     representation of his clients, standing up for them and the 
     law itself.
       It is rare to find someone who possesses all these traits--
     loyalty, generosity, courage, honesty, conviction, integrity, 
     and truthfulness--but when you do, you know that you've found 
     a person of great worth. Jack Bailer, Judy, and I all 
     recognized that integrity in Bill, and that's why we became 
     such close friends so early in our lives--and for the rest of 
     our lives.
       When I look back on my sixty-seven years as Bill's friend, 
     it's easy to see that true friendship is not a simple 
     transaction or a list of obligations. Instead, it is a sum 
     that is far greater than its parts.
       As Jefferson wrote in that same letter I mentioned, not 
     only do we cherish friendship in both the light and dark 
     chapters of our lives, but ``thanks to that benevolent 
     arrangement the greater part of life is sunshine.''
       We are all together today because Bill enriched our lives 
     in some way, so we celebrate his life as much as we mourn his 
     Loss. May we cherish and celebrate a life to be honored, 
     respected, and emulated.
       William V. Meyers was one of a kind, and he will be greatly 
     missed. And we can thank God that he was in our lives.
       Thank you.

                          ____________________