[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 18]
[Senate]
[Page 26636]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                    THE LATE FREDERICK ``RICK'' HART

  Mr. THURMOND. Mr. President, one of the most unpleasant tasks we 
carry-out is to come to the Senate Floor in order to mark the passage 
of friends who have died. Today, it is my sad duty to share my memories 
of a man who was not only a valued friend, but one of the nation's 
treasures, Mr. Frederick ``Rick'' Hart, who passed away unexpectedly in 
August.
  All recognize that Washington is the capital of the United States, 
and almost all also recognize it as a beautiful city, with impressive, 
inspiring and humbling architecture and monuments. People from all over 
the world travel to the District of Columbia to see and visit places 
such as the Capitol, the White House, the Vietnam War Memorial, and the 
National Cathedral. Through their explorations of Washington, millions 
of people have been exposed to, and moved by, the art work of Rick 
Hart.
  Rick Hart was one of the world's most talented and appreciated 
sculptors who created many impressive pieces during his career, but it 
is two pieces in particular with which visitors to Washington are most 
familiar. Though they may have never known that these two pieces were 
created by Rick Hart, countless individuals have been taken by the 
``Creation'' at the National Cathedral and ``Three Soldiers'' at the 
Vietnam War Memorial.
  It is appropriate that one of Rick's most famous sculptures is to be 
found at the National Cathedral, for it was there that he began his 
career as an apprentice stone carver, working on the gargoyles that 
adorn the gothic structure. From the beginning of his involvement in 
art, it was obvious that Rick was a man of tremendous talent and 
creativity. This was proven unquestionably when at age thirty-one his 
design for a sculpture to adorn the west facade of the Cathedral was 
picked after an international call for submissions.
  One decade after his design for the National Cathedral was accepted, 
his emotion evoking sculpture of ``Three Soldiers'' was dedicated in 
November of 1984 as a supplement to the Vietnam War Memorial. It 
certainly must have been a challenge for this artist to go from 
creating a work that helped to express the glory of creation and God 
with a work that stands as a reminder to those who served and died in 
Vietnam. Not surprisingly, Rick rose to the challenge and sculpted what 
has become one of the most recognized and respected military sculptures 
in the world, and one that helps to pay appropriate homage to all those 
who participated in that conflict.
  All that Rick accomplished in his life is that much more impressive 
given his humble and hard beginnings. Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Rick 
lost his mother at an early age and was reared in rural South Carolina 
for much of his young life, until he and his father moved to 
Washington. Rick was a bright man with both his hands and his mind, and 
his exceedingly high Scholastic Aptitude Test scores allowed his 
entrance in college at the young age of sixteen. Just as many who have 
been born and raised in the South have done, Rick chose to return 
``home'', and he enrolled in the University of South Carolina as a 
philosophy student. Rick's higher education also include studies at the 
Corcoran and American University, where ironically, he was scheduled to 
give the commencement address at next year's graduation and to be 
awarded an honorary degree.
  My chief of Staff, R.J. ``Duke'' Short, his wife Dee, and our good 
friend Harry Sacks have been friends of Rick for many year, and it was 
they who introduced me to Rick back in 1995. Rick generously and 
graciously volunteered to create a bust of me which has been donated to 
he United States Senate and is on display not far from this Chamber, in 
Senate-238, also known as ``The Strom Thurmond Room.'' In order to 
script by bust, Rick and I spent a considerable amount of time 
together. Rick was a warm, outgoing, and humble man and it was obvious 
that creating works of art was a passion for him.
  Though still very young, only in his fifties, Rick suffered a serious 
health setback last year when he was felled with a stroke. Strong and 
vital, Rick was making an impressive recovery when he was admitted to 
Johns Hopkins Hospital in August to be treated for pneumonia. 
Tragically, doctors discovered that his body has been overtaken by 
cancer and he had quite literally only days to live. His death was 
sudden, unexpected, and tragic, and has left all of us pondering how 
someone so vital could be taken at such a young
age. His passing saddens all who knew him and his death leaves a 
tremendous void in the American art community. My condolences and 
sympathies are with his wife Lindy and sons Alexander and Lain. While 
their husband and father may no longer be here, Frederick ``Rick'' Hart 
has achieved a kind of immortality through his great works of art.

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