[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 17]
[House]
[Pages 24976-24982]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



        FATHER THEODORE M. HESBURGH CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL ACT

  Mr. BACHUS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 1932) to authorize the President to award a gold medal on 
behalf of the Congress to Father Theodore M. Hesburgh, in recognition 
of his outstanding and enduring contributions to civil rights, higher 
education, the Catholic Church, the Nation, and the global community.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 1932

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Father Theodore M. Hesburgh 
     Congressional Gold Medal Act''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       The Congress finds that--
       (1) Father Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C., has made 
     outstanding and enduring contributions to American society 
     through his activities in civil rights, higher education, the 
     Catholic Church, the Nation, and the global community;
       (2) Father Hesburgh was a charter member of the United 
     States Commission on Civil Rights from its creation in 1957 
     and served as chairperson of the Commission from 1969 to 
     1972;
       (3) Father Hesburgh was president of the University of 
     Notre Dame from 1952 until 1987, and has been president 
     emeritus since 1987;
       (4) Father Hesburgh is a national and international leader 
     in higher education;
       (5) Father Hesburgh has been honored with the Elizabeth Ann 
     Seton Award from the National Catholic Education Association 
     and with more than 130 honorary degrees;
       (6) Father Hesburgh served as co-chairperson of the 
     nationally influential Knight Commission on Intercollegiate 
     Athletics and as chairperson, from 1994 to 1996, of the Board 
     of Overseers of Harvard University;
       (7) Father Hesburgh served under President Ford as a member 
     of the Presidential Clemency Board, charged with deciding the 
     fates of persons committing offenses during the Vietnam 
     conflict;
       (8) Father Hesburgh served as chairman of the board of the 
     Overseas Development Council and in that capacity led 
     fundraising efforts that averted mass starvation in Cambodia 
     in 1979 and 1980;
       (9) Father Hesburgh served from 1979 to 1981 as chairperson 
     of the Select Commission on Immigration and Refugee Policy, 
     which made recommendations that served as the basis of 
     congressional reform legislation enacted 5 years later;
       (10) Father Hesburgh served as ambassador to the 1979 
     United Nations Conference on Science and Technology for 
     Development; and
       (11) Father Hesburgh has served the Catholic Church in a 
     variety of capacities, including his service from 1956 to 
     1970 as the permanent Vatican representative to the 
     International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna and his service 
     as a member of the Holy See's delegation to the United 
     Nations.

     SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL.

       (a) Presentation Authorized.--The President is authorized 
     to present, on behalf of the Congress, a gold medal of 
     appropriate design to Father Theodore M. Hesburgh in 
     recognition of his outstanding and enduring contributions to 
     civil rights, higher education, the Catholic Church, the 
     Nation, and the global community.
       (b) Design and Striking.--For purposes of the presentation 
     referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury 
     (in this Act referred to as the ``Secretary'') shall strike a 
     gold medal with suitable emblems, devices, and inscriptions, 
     to be determined by the Secretary.

     SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS.

       The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of 
     the gold medal struck pursuant to section 3 under such 
     regulations as the Secretary may prescribe, at a price 
     sufficient to cover the cost thereof, including labor, 
     materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses, and 
     the cost of the gold medal.

     SEC. 5. NATIONAL MEDALS.

       The medals struck pursuant to this Act are national medals 
     for purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United States Code.

     SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS; PROCEEDS OF SALE.

       (a) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized 
     to be charged against the Numismatic Public Enterprise Fund 
     an amount not to exceed $30,000 to pay for the cost of the 
     medal authorized by this Act.
       (b) Proceeds of Sale.--Amounts received from the sales of 
     duplicate bronze medals under section 4 shall be deposited in 
     the Numismatic Public Enterprise Fund.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Alabama (Mr. Bachus) and the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Waters) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Bachus).
  Mr. BACHUS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, we are not only here to honor a great American, a great 
university president, but in doing that, this Congress is also saluting 
and paying tribute to the Catholic higher education in America and its 
significant contribution.
  Catholic universities and colleges constitute an extraordinary 
variety of institutions. The high quality of the education they provide 
is well known to most Americans, and the contribution they make to the 
life of this Nation and the world is tremendously positive. So we not 
only salute a great American, but the gentleman from Indiana, the chief 
sponsor of the bill, the gentlewoman from California and I and the 
entire Committee on Banking and Financial Services in doing so wish to 
salute Catholic higher education in America.
  Mr. Speaker, I will be talking about some of those great institutions 
as we consider this coin.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. WATERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of bestowing the Congressional Gold 
Medal of Honor to a very worthy and outstanding American. Father 
Hesburgh was educated at Notre Dame and the Georgian University in 
Rome, for which he received a bachelor of philosophy degree in 1939. He 
was ordained a priest by the congregation of the Holy Cross in Sacred 
Heart Basilica on the Notre Dame campus June 24, 1943 by Bishop John F. 
Knoll of Fort Wayne.

[[Page 24977]]

  Following his ordination, Father Hesburgh continued his study of 
sacred theology at the Catholic University of America, Washington, 
D.C., receiving his doctorate in 1945. In 1952 he was named the 15th 
president of Notre Dame, where he served until retiring in 1987, ending 
the longest tenure among active presidents of American institutions of 
higher learning.
  Father Hesburgh has held 15 presidential appointments over the years, 
most recently to the U.S. Institute for Peace, and they involved him in 
virtually all of the major social issues: civil rights, peaceful issues 
of atomic energy, campus unrest, and Third World development, to name 
only a few.
  His stature as an elder statesman in American higher education is 
reflected in his 133 honorary degrees, the most ever awarded to any 
American. Highlighting a lengthy list of awards to Father Hesburgh is 
the Medal of Freedom, the Nation's highest civilian honor, bestowed on 
him by president Lyndon Johnson in 1964.
  Notre Dame's president emeritus has served four Popes, three as 
permanent Vatican city representative to the International Atomic 
Energy Agency in Vienna from 1956 to 1970.
  Justice has been the focus of many of his outside involvements. He 
was a charter member of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, created in 
1957, and he chaired the Commission from 1969 to 1972, when President 
Nixon replaced him as chairman for his criticism of the 
administration's civil rights record.
  Among his more recent and visible off-campus activities has been as 
co-chairman of the nationally-influential Knight Commission on 
Intercollegiate Athletics, and his involvement with the Center for 
Civil and Human Rights.

                              {time}  1645

  There are 292 cosponsors of this legislation, and, of course, it is 
led by my colleague and friend the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Roemer), 
who has done a magnificent job in helping to organize and focus us on 
the fact that this human being has contributed so much we need to give 
him special recognition.
  Mr. BACHUS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Iowa 
(Mr. Leach), the chairman of the Committee on Banking and Financial 
Services.
  Mr. LEACH. Mr. Speaker, I thank my distinguished friend, the 
gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Bachus) for yielding me this time, and also 
thank him for his leadership and that of the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Waters) and, of course, the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. 
Roemer), for bringing this bill before us.
  The United States Congress rarely authorizes gold medals. In this 
case, it is choosing to do so for a man who symbolizes the most 
profound of American values, a faith-based commitment to civil rights, 
to quality education, to peace and the processes needed to produce a 
more civil world. Father Hesburgh is a man of and for all seasons. His 
life is worthy of admiration and, more importantly, replication. Heroes 
are many kinds, but if there is such a thing as a hero of faith, it is 
Father Hesburgh. He has ennobled his church, his university, his 
country. With this Congressional Gold Medal, we honor his life and his 
contribution to our times. By so doing, we also pay homage to the role 
of Catholic education and church leadership in America.
  Mr. BACHUS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, there are approximately 230 Catholic institutions of 
higher education in our country. There are 600,000 students enrolled in 
those institutions; and, as I said, there is extraordinary variety in 
these institutions. They literally are spread across the map of the 
United States. If one goes to Maine, one will find Saint Joseph's 
College. If one goes to Honolulu, one will find Chaminade University; 
if one goes to Florida, one will find Barry University; St. Thomas in 
Miami. If one goes to Washington State, one will find Gonzaga in 
Spokane; Seattle University in Seattle, a tremendous number of these 
institutions making a tremendous contribution.
  One of the premier institutions is Notre Dame and it is the president 
of that institution that we honor today.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. WATERS. Mr. Speaker, I proudly yield such time as he may consume 
to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Roemer), the chief sponsor of the 
bill.
  Mr. ROEMER. Mr. Speaker, first of all, we would not be here without 
the strong bipartisan support of the Committee on Banking and Financial 
Services that has jurisdiction over this issue. I want to thank the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Waters) for her dedication and her 
commitment to bringing this bill honoring Father Hesburgh as a Holy 
Cross priest and the University of Notre Dame to the floor today.
  I want to thank the chairman, the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Bachus) 
for his strong support and his commitment to Catholic education. I want 
to thank the chairman, the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Leach), who just 
had those eloquent words to say. I want to thank the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. LaFalce), our ranking member. I also want to thank the 
Members who helped me get this resolution started. The gentleman from 
New York (Mr. King) was very helpful, a Republican; the gentleman from 
Georgia (Mr. Lewis), a Democrat; the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. 
Visclosky), a Democrat; the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Souder), a 
Republican, those were the people that started talking about many of 
these issues, and with my good friend who served with Father Hesburgh 
on the Civil Rights Commission, the gentleman from California (Mr. 
Horn), who took the case to the United States Congress to honor with 
distinction, with dedication, with integrity this great man and we now 
have 292 cosponsors on this bill.
  It is interesting, and I say to my colleagues, about the history of 
the Congressional Gold Medal of Honor, that we have awarded it 
initially and primarily to military leaders for their bravery. We 
honored notables in science and math, explorers and space pioneers 
going up into the heavens. We have honored athletes and we have honored 
authors and poets and we have honored humanitarians and public 
servants. People such as George Washington, adorned right here on this 
wall; John Paul Jones and Charles Lindbergh; Thomas Edison and Jonas 
Salk garnered this high honor.
  What is so unusual about Father Hesburgh, what is so unique about 
what he brings to this award is not just his devotion and passion for 
people and for equality and civil rights, it is not just his dedication 
to public service or his strong feelings about the importance of higher 
education and ethics and integrity and teaching those things at a 
Catholic University, but it is the three things that he has done with 
his life that we honor here today.
  It is public service. It is devotion to higher education. It is 
passionate commitment to religion as a Holy Cross priest.
  Now, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Waters) and the gentleman 
from Iowa (Mr. Leach) and others have talked about these three areas. 
Let me just spend a bit more time on each of them.
  First of all, his dedication to public service. He has held 15 
different presidential appointments, and I think among them, the most 
proud times that I have spent with him at lunch and dinner he has 
talked so passionately about his charter membership on the U.S. 
Commission on Civil Rights and how he fought so diligently in the 
1960s, with the Kennedy and the Johnson administration, for the passage 
of the historic 1964 Civil Rights Act. That is something that Father 
Hesburgh continues to fight hard for and feels passionately about those 
civil rights for each and every American.
  He also joined, in 1971, the Board of the Overseas Development 
Council; and he led fund-raising efforts on that council in 1979 and 
1980 that averted mass starvation in Cambodia. He saved thousands of 
lives with his commitment to try and prevent starvation and trying to 
encourage more access to

[[Page 24978]]

food and relief around the world, especially for Third World nations. 
He also has been strongly committed to higher education, where he 
served for 35 years as the President of the University of Notre Dame.
  When he came to Notre Dame, I think some had said it was a very good 
school, with a great football team. Well, today it is an 
internationally recognized research and teaching institution that 
attracts the best students and the best faculty and also, by the way, 
still has a great football team. He continues to emphasize the 
important things such as moral and intellectual dimensions and faith-
based learning at the University of Notre Dame.
  He also encourages the students at the University of Notre Dame 
through the center for social concerns to volunteer in the local 
community and around the United States, and globally in the world to 
help fight through volunteerism to make a difference with their lives, 
not only at Notre Dame but after they leave that institution.
  By the way, 80 percent of Notre Dame graduates have volunteered in 
some capacity before they graduate from the University of Notre Dame.
  Finally, the third area that Father Hesburgh has devoted so much of 
his life to, as a Catholic priest, as a CSC priest and his religious 
beliefs, he has taught the value of volunteering. He has stressed the 
issues of social justice, not just in South Bend, Indiana, not just in 
the United States but in Cambodia, in Africa, in the Middle East, where 
he continues to be very involved in trying to gain peace and tolerance 
there.
  Father Hesburgh, through fighting for social justice, has always been 
amplifying the voice of the homeless, has always been advocating the 
concern of the poor and has always been trying to put a voice out there 
for those that are voiceless and poor and not able to lobby the 
government of the United States.
  So I have deep admiration for Father Hesburgh, and it is with great 
joy that this bill, H.R. 1932, comes to the House Floor and that we 
recognize Father Hesburgh's achievements over the many years.
  In conclusion, Father Hesburgh probably was a man for all seasons, a 
man of many causes, a man of deep devotion to the Catholic church, a 
man of dedication to higher education, a man of overwhelming commitment 
to public service and to justice for all.
  I thank this body for bringing this bill to the House Floor.
   Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1932, to award the 
Congressional Gold Medal to Rev. Theodore Hesburgh, C.S.C. Since I 
introduced this legislation with Representatives Peter King, John 
Lewis, Pete Visclosky, Mark Souder, Anne Northup and 85 original 
cosponsors in the U.S. House of Representatives, it has enjoyed strong 
bipartisan support. Currently, my legislation is cosponsored by 292 of 
my colleagues.
  This bipartisan legislation recognizes Father Hesburgh for his many 
outstanding contributions to the United States and the global 
community. The bill authorizes the President to award a gold medal to 
Father Hesburgh on behalf of the United States Congress, and it also 
authorizes the U.S. Mint to strike and sell duplicates to the public.
  The public service career of Father Hesburgh, president emeritus of 
the University of Notre Dame, is as distinguished as his many 
educational contributions. Over the years, he has held 15 Presidential 
appointments and he has remained a national leader in the fields of 
education, civil rights and the development of the Third World. 
Highlighting a lengthy list of awards to Father Hesburgh is the Medal 
of Freedom, our Nation's highest civilian honor, bestowed on him by 
President Lyndon Baines Johnson in 1964.
   Mr. Speaker, justice has been the primary focus of Father Hesburgh's 
pursuits throughout his life. He was a charter member of the U.S. 
Commission on Civil Rights, created by Congress in 1957 as a compromise 
to end a filibuster in the U.S. Senate to prevent passage of any and 
all legislation concerning civil rights in general and voting rights in 
particular. Father Hesburgh chaired the commission from 1969 to 1972, 
until President Nixon replaced him as chairman because of his criticism 
of the Administration's civil rights record. Additionally, Father 
Hesburgh was a member of President Ford's Presidential Clemency Board, 
charged with deciding the fate of various groups of Vietnam offenders.
  In 1971, he joined the board of the Overseas Development Council, a 
private organization supporting interests of the underdeveloped world, 
and chaired it until 1982. During this time, he led fund-raising 
efforts that averted mass starvation in Cambodia in 1979-80. Between 
1979-81 he also chaired the Select Commission on Immigration and 
Refugee Policy, the recommendations of which became the basis of 
Congressional reform legislation five years later. In 1979, Father 
Hesburgh was appointed Ambassador to the United Nations Conference on 
Science and Technology for Development--the first time a priest has 
served in a formal diplomatic role for the U.S. government.
  He was involved during the 1980s in a private initiative which sought 
to unite internationally known scientists and world religious leaders 
in condemning nuclear weapons. He helped organize an 1982 meeting in 
Vatican City of 58 world class scientists, from East as well as West, 
who called for the elimination of nuclear weapons and subsequently 
brought together in Vienna leaders of six faith traditions who endorsed 
the view of these scientists.
  Father Hesburg stepped down as head of the University of Notre Dame 
in 1987, ending the longest tenure among active presidents of American 
institutions of higher learning. He continues in retirement as much as 
he did as the Nation's senior university chief executive officer--as a 
leading educator and humanitarian inspiring generations of students and 
citizens, and generously sharing his wisdom in the struggle for the 
rights of man.
  During the period of unrest on American campuses, a time when 
educational leaders were at a loss to understand or deal with the 
inexplicable reactions of students, people like Father Hesburg stepped 
forward to explain the ethical purpose and goals of the campus: 
``Education is essentially a work of the spirit--the formation of 
intelligence, the unending search for knowledge. Why then be concerned 
with values? Because wisdom is more than knowledge; man is more than 
his mind, and without values man may be intelligent but less than fully 
human.''
  As a member of the U.S. Institute of Peace Board is presently working 
to find solutions for Middle East tensions as well as those in Eastern 
Europe. He recently participated in a fact-finding trip to Kosovo with 
the U.S. Association for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, to 
view first-hand conditions facing refugees in the aftermath of last 
spring's NATO bombing campaign and subsequent UN-peacekeeping efforts. 
He met with senior members of the UNHCR missions and conducted 
briefings with NATO, Red Cross and other officials in Pristina. They 
also traveled in the countryside near Pristina to assess the rebuilding 
process. He recently collected his 140th and 141st honorary degrees 
this year, the most every bestowed upon one person, according to the 
Guinness Book of World Records. The latest came from the State 
University of New York and Connecticut College.
  I am personally grateful to Father Hesburg for his friendship and 
guidance during my years as a student at the University of Notre Dame. 
My family shares my gratitude. My grandfather, William Roemer, was a 
professor of philosophy during the early years of Father Hesburg's 
presidency, and my parents, Jim and Mary Ann Roemer, also worked during 
his tenure at the University.
  Mr. Speaker, I once asked Father Hesburg for advice about how to 
raise a happy healthy family with children. His reply was helpful, 
insightful and advice I continue to follow today: ``Love their 
mother.'' I strongly believe Father Hesburg's response here was just 
one of many shining examples illustrating that his contributions to 
family values in American society are as numerous and meaningful as his 
devoted contributions to human rights, education, the Catholic Church 
and the global community.
  Mr. Speaker, the Congressional Gold Medal has been awarded to 
individuals as diverse as George Washington, Bob Hope, Joe Louis, the 
Wright Brothers, Robert Frost, and Mother Teresa. These people, along 
with 250 individuals and the American Red Cross, share the common bond 
of outstanding and enduring contributions to benefit mankind. Through 
the award, Congress has expressed gratitude for distinguishing 
contributions, dramatized the virtues of patriotism, and perpetuated 
the remembrance of great events. This tradition, or authorizing 
individually struck gold medals bearing the patriots of those so 
honored or images of events in which they participated, is rich with 
history.
  I believe that this is the most appropriate time for Congress and the 
entire Nation to join me in recognizing this remarkable man and living 
legend of freedom in America. I strongly encourage my colleagues to 
support this bipartisan legislation and urge the House of

[[Page 24979]]

Representatives to pass this important measure. I would like to thank 
my colleagues who have given their support and worked so hard to move 
this legislation forward. Additionally, I thank the leadership of the 
House and the Committee on Banking for their support and efforts to 
expedite consideration of this bill.
  Mr. BACHUS. Mr. Speaker, there are 24 Catholic colleges and 
universities in the State of New York and among them is Saint Francis 
College in Brooklyn. One of the original cosponsors of this bill is a 
graduate not only of Saint Francis but also of Notre Dame.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from New York 
(Mr. King).
  Mr. KING. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I want 
to commend him for the outstanding work he has done in bringing this 
resolution to the floor.
  I also have to pay tremendous gratitude and express a great debt to 
the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Roemer) for the absolutely tireless job 
he has done in procuring the signatures, of working hard, of making the 
case of just being relentless in making sure that this resolution went 
forward and he certainly has every reason to be proud of himself for 
the great job he has done.
  Most importantly, Mr. Speaker, I am very proud to stand up and speak 
on behalf of this resolution honoring Father Hesburgh. Father Hesburgh 
is an outstanding educator, an outstanding religious leader, and an 
outstanding American. As the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Roemer) and 
others have mentioned, he has done a truly magnificent job during the 
35 years that he was president of the University of Notre Dame. I had 
the privilege of being a law student during the time that he was the 
President of the university and had firsthand knowledge of the 
tremendous impact he had on the campus, on all the schools, all its 
efforts but most importantly of imparting to the students of Notre Dame 
the obligation of the sense that they had to make a difference, that 
they had to put into practice what they learned, that religion was not 
just something that one spoke about in church but something that one 
lived every day of their life in every endeavor in which one was 
engaged.
  Father Hesburgh did that. He did that by his commitment to civil 
rights, by his commitment to justice, by his commitment to peace, and 
by his dedication to his country which is why he is such an outstanding 
American serving President after President on so many issues, always 
making himself available to make this a better country and to make this 
a better world.
  Certainly, as a religious leader, he realized the importance of using 
religion to bring people together, not to divide them, of exemplifying 
the very best of Christianity, of Catholicism, indeed of all religions, 
in showing the one God that binds us all, that brings us all together. 
That was Father Hesburgh, a man who even to this day is a renowned 
leader.
  I was at the Notre Dame campus this weekend and even to this day his 
presence is still there, not just in the bricks and mortar of the 
enormous library that is named after him, not just the various programs 
that are named after him but as the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Roemer) 
said, in the spirit of volunteerism that the students at Notre Dame 
have accepted and have taken from the Hesburgh tradition; the 
acknowledgment, the realization that they have the obligation to go out 
and work among their fellow men and women, those who are not as 
fortunate as they are, to use the abilities and talents that were 
brought to fruition in Notre Dame on behalf of those less fortunate 
than themselves.

                              {time}  1700

  So to present the Congressional Gold Medal to Father Hesburgh, it is 
a great moment for Congress, it is a great moment for Notre Dame, it is 
a great moment for Father Hesburgh, it is a great moment for all of us 
who have had the opportunity to know him, to work with him, to meet 
with him, and to realize that he is getting this recognition which he 
so much deserves. I urge the adoption of the resolution.
  Ms. WATERS. Mr. Speaker, I have no speakers, and I yield back the 
balance of my time.
  Mr. BACHUS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, we have several other speakers that wish to be heard. I 
also want to commend the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Roemer).
  As I read this statement, I attribute this to the gentleman from 
Indiana (Mr. Roemer) and his hard work, and that statement is that H.R. 
1932 complies with all rules of the Committee on Banking for coin and 
medal bills and exceeds the requirement that two-thirds of the Members 
of the House sponsor the bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. 
Horn), former president of Long Beach State University, who worked with 
Father Hesburgh.
  Mr. HORN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Alabama for the 
time.
  I thank the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Roemer) for his legislation 
to award a Congressional Gold Medal to a very distinguished citizen.
  Father Theodore ``Ted'' Hesburgh is one of the great citizens of 
America and the World.
  He has served at the call of Presidents of both parties.
  He was an original member of the United States Commission on Civil 
Rights, appointed by President Eisenhower in 1957. He served on that 
nonpartisan commission through the presidency of John F. Kennedy and 
Lyndon Baines Johnson and the first term of the presidency of President 
Richard M. Nixon.
  Nixon had urged the then President of Notre Dame to accept the 
directorship of the Office of Economic Opportunity, the anti-poverty 
program.
  When Father Hesburgh rejected the full-time offer because he wished 
to stay at his beloved Notre Dame, President Nixon then offered him the 
chairmanship of the Civil Rights Commission which was part-time.
  At that time, 1969, the President also appointed me to the Commission 
as the vice chairman. I had an opportunity to see Father Ted's 
leadership skills close at hand. Believe me, his leadership skills are 
many and effective.
  Father Ted is beloved by all who have known him. He spoke out for 
human rights and against dictatorships. He has secured the safety for 
individuals who had fought for human rights in different parts of the 
world.
  Working together with our other four colleagues on the Commission, we 
were able to begin a systematic analysis of the degree to which cabinet 
departments and independent agencies were obeying and implementing the 
great laws--such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Voting Rights 
Act of 1965.
  Father Hesburgh's inspirational leadership and steady optimism were 
appreciated by us all. We got things done. Presidents listened.
  Father Hesburgh has served his Nation well, not only on matters of 
civil rights here and abroad, and unemployment, poverty, hunger and 
agriculture for developing nations so they can feed their people.
  Although duties to American higher education off the campus, his door 
was always open to students when he was at Notre Dame. When the light 
was on, students knew he was in and climbed up the ladder or the stairs 
to his quarters for a 1 a.m. or 2 a.m. discussion on philosophy, 
ethics, and all the other things that he cared about in higher 
education.
  Of course, with great affection, the students kidded about Father 
Ted's absence. They would ask ``What is the difference between God and 
Father Ted?'' Answer: ``God is everywhere. Father Ted is everywhere but 
at Notre Dame.''
  Sometimes he would write the student body from ``high over the 
Andes.'' But the fact was they knew that he was always approachable, 
both to students and alumni.
  His goal was to serve as a parish priest. He had that role to help 
the veterans from the Second World War who returned or began at Notre 
Dame. Although he achieved many other accomplishments working with 
Presidents, Prime Ministers, potentates, kings,

[[Page 24980]]

queens, dictators, he always remembered that all human begings should 
have human rights.
  America and the World gained much from the dedication and the 
devotion of the man who saw his role as the local parish priest.
  Mr. BACHUS. Mr. Speaker, I yield to myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I will enter into the Record a rollcall of the 230 
Catholic institutions of higher education in our country. Among these 
colleges is Georgetown University, our oldest Catholic university, 
which celebrated its 250th birthday.
  The gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Roemer), the sponsor of this bill, I 
told him that I once heard a debate between two of my friends as to 
which was the premier Catholic university, and it was between Holy 
Cross and Georgetown. I asked them which one of those universities was 
the premier Catholic university. He told me both of them were wrong, 
that it was Notre Dame. Of course, the gentleman is from Indiana.
  Among these colleges and universities is Spring Hill College in 
Mobile, Alabama. Spring Hill College was the oldest Catholic college in 
the Southeast, the fifth oldest in the United States. Among the 
original cosponsors of this bill today is the gentleman from Georgia 
(Mr. Lewis). Spring Hill was praised by Martin Luther King, Jr., as one 
of the first colleges in the South to integrate racially. As an 
Alabaman, I am proud of that distinction.
  Mr. Speaker, let me mention some of the universities and colleges 
throughout the Nation which contribute so mightily to the life of this 
Nation and to the world. I mentioned Georgetown and Holy Cross; Fordham 
University in New York; St. Louis University; Boston College; Catholic 
University here in Washington; University of Detroit; the three Loyolas 
in New Orleans, Los Angeles, and Chicago; DePaul University in Chicago; 
Marquette University, Creighton University in Omaha; the University of 
Santa Clara; Villanova, of Saint John's University in New York.
  A college that one of my friends went to, and I saw it listed, I take 
sort of personal privilege in saying Manhattan College, a college that 
gave many youth on limited income a chance to get ahead with the 
scholarship.
  Many fine women colleges, Catholic colleges for women: St. Mary's 
College, Notre Dame's sister institution; Trinity College here in 
Washington, D.C.; and a college that a good friend of mine attended, 
that being Manhattan in New York.
  There are many, many others, but I will simply introduce into the 
Record all 230.
  Mr. ROEMER. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. BACHUS. I yield to the gentleman from Indiana.
  Mr. ROEMER. Mr. Speaker, I will not object to the gentleman from 
Alabama entering into the Record all 230 universities as long as Notre 
Dame is the first university entered in. Is that all right?
  Mr. BACHUS. Mr. Speaker, he had told me that. The gentleman from New 
York (Mr. King) has requested that Notre Dame also be first on the list 
with St. Francis College in Brooklyn to be added second. So I will 
consent to that request.
  So I offer the list referred to into the Record, moving Notre Dame to 
the front of the list.

     [From the association of Catholic Colleges and Universities, 
                            Washington, DC]


                u.s. catholic colleges and universities

       Albertus Magnus College, Allentown College of Saint Francis 
     de Sales, Alvernia College, Alverno College, Ancilla College, 
     Anna Maria College, Aquinas College, Aquinas College, Inc., 
     Assumption College, Assumption College for Sisters, Avila 
     College, Barat College, Barry University, Bellarmine College, 
     Belmont Abbey College, Benedictine College, Benedictine 
     University, Boston College, Brescia University, Briar Cliff 
     College, Cabrini College, Caldwell College.
       Calumet College of Saint Joseph, Canisius College, Cardinal 
     Stritch University, Carlow College, Carroll College, Castle 
     College, Chaminade University of Honolulu, Chatfield College, 
     Chestnut Hill College, Christendom College, Christian 
     Brothers University, Clarke College, College Misericordia, 
     College of Mount Saint Joseph, College of Mount Saint 
     Vincent, College of New Rochelle, College of Notre Dame, 
     College of Notre Dame of Maryland, College of Our Lady of the 
     Elms, College of Saint Benedict, College of Saint Elizabeth, 
     College of Saint Francis, College of Saint Mary, College of 
     Saint Rose, College of Saint Thomas More, The College of 
     Santa Fe, College of St. Catherine.
       College of St. Joseph, College of St. Scholastica, College 
     of the Holy Cross, Creighton University, D'Youville College, 
     DePaul University, Divine Word College, Dominican College of 
     Blauvelt, Dominican College of San Rafael, Dominican 
     University, Donnelly College, Duquesne University, Edgewood 
     College, Emmanuel College, Fairfield University, Felician 
     College, Fontbonne College, Fordham University, Franciscan 
     University of Steubenville, Gannon University, Georgetown 
     University, Georgian Court College, Gonzaga University, 
     Gwynedd-Mercy College, Heritage College, Hilbert College.
       Holy Cross College, Holy Family College, Holy Name College, 
     Immaculata College, Iona College, John Carroll University, 
     King's College, La Roche College, La Salle University, 
     Laboure College, Le Moyne College, Lewis University, Loras 
     College, Lourdes College, Loyola College in Maryland, Loyola 
     Marymount University, Loyola University New Orleans, Loyola 
     University of Chicago, Madonna University, Manhattan College, 
     Manor Junior College, Maria College, Marian College, Marian 
     College of Fond du Lac, Marian Court College, Marist College, 
     Marquette University.
       Marygrove College, Marylhurst University, Marymount 
     College, Marymount Manhattan College, Marymount University, 
     Marywood University, Mater Dei College, Mercy College of 
     Northwest Ohio, Mercyhurst College, Merrimack College, Molloy 
     College, Mount Aloysius College, Mount Carmel College of 
     Nursing, Mount Marty College, Mount Mary College, Mount Mercy 
     College, Mount Saint Clare College, Mount Saint Mary College, 
     Mount Saint Mary's College, Nazareth College of Rochester, 
     Neumann College, Newman University, Niagara University, Notre 
     Dame College, Notre Dame College of Ohio.
       Ohio Dominican College, Our Lady of Holy Cross College, Our 
     Lady of the Lake College, Our Lady of the Lake University, 
     Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico, Presentation 
     College, Providence College, Queen of the Holy Rosary 
     College, Quincy University, Regis College, Regis University, 
     Rivier College, Rockhurst College, Rosemont College, Sacred 
     Heart University, Saint Anselm College, Saint Gregory's 
     University, Saint John's University, Saint John's University, 
     Saint Joseph College, Saint Joseph's College, Saint Joseph's 
     University, Saint Leo College, Saint Louis University, Saint 
     Mary College.
       Saint Mary's College, Saint Mary's College of CA, Saint 
     Mary's University of Minnesota, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods 
     College, Saint Michael's College, Saint Norbert College, 
     Saint Peter's College, Saint Vincent College, Saint Xavier 
     University, Salve Regina University, Santa Clara University, 
     Seattle University, Seton Hall University, Seton Hill 
     College, Siena College, Siena Heights University, Silver Lake 
     College, Spalding University, Spring Hill College, 
     Springfield College, St. Ambrose University, St. Bonaventure 
     University, St. Catharine College, St. Edward's University, 
     St. Elizabeth College of Nursing, St. Francis College.
       St. Francis College, St. John Fisher College, St. Martin's 
     College, St. Mary's University, St. Thomas Aquinas College, 
     St. Thomas University, St. Vincent's College, Stonehill 
     College, The Catholic University of America,
       Thomas Aquinas College, Thomas More College, Trinity 
     College, Trinity College of Vermont, Trocaire College, 
     Universidad Central De Bayamon, University of Dallas, 
     University of Dayton, University of Detroit Mercy, University 
     of Great Falls, University of Mary, University of Notre Dame, 
     University of Portland, University of Saint Francis, 
     University of San Diego, University of San Francisco, 
     University of Scranton, University of St. Thomas, University 
     of St. Thomas, University of the Incarnate Word, University 
     of the Sacred Heart, Ursuline College, Villa Julie College, 
     Villa Maria College of Buffalo, Villanova University, Viterbo 
     College, Walsh University, Wheeling Jesuit University, Xavier 
     University, Xavier University of Louisiana.

  Mr. Speaker, I want to comment on one other thing about Father 
Hesburgh, something I did not know about him until I studied about this 
coin bill, but something that I think is very striking to any of us 
that were on college campuses in 1969. In fact, not only was I 
attending the University of Alabama at that time, but I was also a 
member of the Army Reserves. So this really comes home to me.
  Father Hesburgh has received numerous awards from educational groups 
and from others. We have heard about some of those. Among those was the 
prestigious John Nickel award given to him in 1970 by the American 
Association of University Professors. This award, which honors those 
who uphold academic freedom, recognizes Father Hesburgh's crucial role 
in blunting the

[[Page 24981]]

attempt of the Nixon administration in 1969 to use Federal troops to 
quell campus disturbances.
  Now, as someone who was both a university student and also a member 
of the Army Reserve, I want to commend Father Hesburgh personally. I 
know that there are a lot of other Americans that applaud his stand on 
this who know, looking back at this time in history, how great a 
contribution that was. But we know that it obviously could have avoided 
some tragic times in our country.
  This is one of many, many contributions that he made.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman 
from New York (Mr. Gilman), Chairman of the Committee on International 
Relations.
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I want to commend the gentleman from Alabama 
(Mr. Bachus), the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Roemer), the initial 
sponsor of this measure, and for introducing this legislation and for 
affording me this opportunity to speak today.
  I want to commend the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Waters) for 
her support on this measure honoring Father Hesburgh.
  As a priest, the university president, and a public servant, Father 
Theodore Hesburgh dedicated his life to providing a better life for all 
of us and for the development of an improved society. Throughout his 
lifetime, Father Hesburgh has served on 15 presidential commissions, 
most recently to the U.S. Civil Rights Commission, peaceful uses of 
atomic energy, campus unrest, treatment of Vietnam offenders, Third 
World development, and immigration reform, to name just a few.
  Father Hesburgh has significantly contributed to our Nation as a 
national leader in the field of education, serving on many commissions 
and study groups, examining matters ranging from public funding of 
independent colleges and universities to the role of foreign languages 
and international studies and higher education.
  Father Hesburgh's stature as an elder statesman in America's higher 
education is reflected in his 135 honorary degrees, the most degrees 
ever awarded to any one American.
  Throughout my tenure in the Congress, it has been a pleasure to work 
with Father Hesburgh to value his distinguished leadership on a number 
of worthy causes throughout the international spectrum. Accordingly, I 
am pleased to join with my colleagues in commending Father Hesburgh for 
his outstanding efforts and accomplishments. I strongly support this 
recognition of his achievements for our Nation with a Congressional 
Medal of Honor.
  Mr. BACHUS. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to how much time we have 
remaining.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Shimkus). The gentleman from Alabama 
(Mr. Bachus) has 1 minute remaining.
  Mr. BACHUS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, when we think of Notre Dame, many of us think of Knute 
Rockne. They think of the 1913 game when an obscure team from an 
obscure college at that time, at least obscure to most Americans, 
played Army and upset them 35 to 13. They think of Knute Rockne and the 
fighting Irish. They think of that great coach. But that is what we 
think about on Saturday.
  But there is another man we honor today, and that is a man that left 
his mark on the institution from Monday through Friday, which built 
Notre Dame into a great academic university. His contributions deserve 
to be discussed today.

                              {time}  1715

  It is for that reason, Mr. Speaker, that this Congress fittingly 
honors this man, Father Hesburgh.
  I would just close by again thanking the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. 
Roemer); his companion, the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Visclosky) in 
the Indiana Congressional delegation; the gentleman from New York (Mr. 
King); the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Souder); the gentleman from 
Georgia (Mr. Lewis); and also the gentlewoman from Kentucky (Mrs. 
Northup).
  Mr. SOUDER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of legislation to 
award a Congressional Gold Medal to Reverend Theodore Hesburgh in 
recognition of his outstanding and enduring contributions to civil 
rights, higher education, the Catholic Church, and the nation. I want 
to thank my colleague from Indiana, Tim Roemer, for his initiative in 
introducing this bill. It has been a pleasure to co-sponsor this 
legislation.
  Father Hesburgh is a man known for the wide scope of his influence. 
However, for me personally as a graduate of the University of Notre 
Dame, Father Hesburgh will remain etched in my mind as a legendary 
figure in the field of higher education. The tenacity and passion that 
he continues to carry into the academic arena are clearly evident.
  Serving as Notre Dame's president from 1952-87, Father Hesburgh led 
the University in its rise to national prominence. When he stepped down 
as head of Notre Dame--after nearly 35 years--he ended the longest 
tenure among presidents of American colleges and universities. His 
position as a fixture in American higher education is reflected in his 
135 honorary degrees, the most ever awarded to an American.
  Father Hesburgh's influence as an educator goes far beyond measurable 
successes. His unique vision of the contemporary Catholic university as 
an institution responsible for touching the moral, as well as the 
intellectual dimensions, of scholarly inquiry has benefited countless 
university students--myself included. ``The Catholic University should 
be a place,'' he wrote, ``where all the great questions are asked, 
where an exciting conversation is continually in progress, where the 
mind constantly grows as the values and powers of intelligence and 
wisdom are cherished and exercised.'' Father Hesburgh instills in 
students that they have a moral obligation to make a positive 
contribution to society both inside the classroom as well as in the 
larger community. Today over eighty percent of Notre Dame students 
volunteer their time to serve those who are less fortunate.
  The public service career of Father Hesburgh is as distinguished as 
his many educational contributions. Over the years, he has held 15 
presidential appointments, served four popes, and he has remained a 
national leader in the fields of education, civil rights and the 
development of the third world. The lengthy list of awards honoring 
Father Hesburgh includes the Medal of Freedom, our nation's highest 
civilian honor, bestowed on him by President Johnson in 1964. Finally, 
social justice has been the focus of many of his involvements outside 
of the university. He was a charter member of the U.S. Commission on 
Civil Rights, created by Congress in 1957, and chaired the Commission 
from 1969 to 1972.
  Mr. Speaker, as an original co-sponsor of this bill, I strongly 
encourage my colleagues to join me in bestowing this high honor upon 
this excellent American.
  Mr. LaFALCE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1932, a 
bill to award a Congressional gold medal to Father Theodore M. 
Hesburgh, C.S.C., in recognition of his contributions to civil rights, 
higher education, the Catholic Church, the Nation, and the global 
community. Before saying more, I would like to commend the bill's 
author, the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Roemer), for his leadership on 
this bill.
  Father Hesburgh was the 15th president of the University of Notre 
Dame, holding that position from 1952 until 1987, and has been 
president emeritus since 1987. For half a century, Father Hesburgh has 
been one of our Nation's greatest public servants and his enormous 
humanitarian contributions have been widely recognized. In 1964, 
President Johnson awarded Father Hesburgh the Medal of Freedom, our 
nation's highest civilian honor.
  He has held fifteen U.S. presidential appointments in such areas as 
the peaceful use of atomic energy, Third World development, immigration 
(having chaired the Select Commission on Immigration and Refugee Policy 
from 1979 to 1981), and civil rights (having chaired the U.S. 
Commission on Civil Rights from 1969 to 1972). In each case, Father 
Hesburgh has served with distinction.
  It is not surprising, given this record of principled, dedicated 
public service, that the University of Notre Dame founded the Hesburgh 
Program in Public Service in 1987. The Hesburgh Program seeks to 
prepare Notre Dame students for an active life devoted to the pursuit 
of effective and just responses to issues in American society. In 
short, it encourages young men and women to emulate Father Hesburgh's 
years of selfless, devoted service.
  Moreover, two buildings on the Notre Dame campus bear the Hesburgh 
name. In 1987, the Memorial Library was renamed the Hesburgh Library in 
recognition of his active role in the establishment of the library in 
1959,

[[Page 24982]]

the fulfillment of its goals in the years since, and the personal 
example he has set for Americans young an old as a lifelong learner.
  The second building honored with his name is the Hesburgh Center for 
International Studies. Home to the Joan B. Kroc Institute for 
International Peace Studies and the Helen Kellogg Institute for 
International Studies, the Hesburgh Center reflects Father Hesburgh's 
vital contribution and desire to expand our understanding of the world 
around us, improve the resolution of violent conflicts, and promote 
human rights, equitable development, and social justice here and 
abroad.
  It is with the utmost respect and admiration for Father Hesburgh and 
his life's work that I support today's recognition of his 
accomplishments which have benefitted our nation and urge unanimous 
passage of H.R. 1932.
  Mr. BACHUS. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Shimkus). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Bachus) that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1932.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________