[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 19]
[House]
[Page 27062]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



             WELCOME TO THE REVEREND DR. GEORGE GRAY TOOLE

  (Mr. CARDIN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. Speaker, it is my great honor to welcome Dr. George 
Toole as our guest chaplain today. He is here along with his wife, 
Donna. We are certainly honored to have him here with us. He is the 
senior minister at the Towson Presbyterian Church in Maryland.
  His parents were Scottish immigrants. They loved their new country. 
His father attempted to enlist in the Navy during World War II but was 
told he was too old. That did not stop his father. He tried two other 
times and finally was allowed to enlist in the Navy just before the 
statutory age limit and served his Nation, his new Nation, with 
distinction because of his love of our Nation. It was that inspiration 
that has led Dr. Toole to his public service.
  Dr. Toole has been very active in community service. In New York as a 
police commissioner, he helped successfully to convince an armed 
individual to release his spouse in a hostage situation. And in 
Maryland he is a familiar face in community service.
  We thank Dr. Toole for his public service and for being with us 
today.
  This is a great honor for me to follow Dr. George Toole, the senior 
minister at Towson Presbyterian Church, one of Maryland's finer 
churches. Before I begin, I would also like to recognize Dr. Toole's 
wonderful wife, Donna, who is in the gallery today.
  Dr. Toole tells me this is a great day for his family. After hearing 
his father's story you will understand why.
  You see, his parents were Scottish immigrants who fell in love with 
their new country. So much so that when World War II rolled around, Dr. 
Toole's father wanted to give back to the country that had opened up a 
new life of freedom for him and his family. ``This is my country and I 
owed her,'' he later explained to his son. He went to enlist in the 
Navy.
  But there were a few small problems. Dr. Toole's father was 38 years 
old. He had a wife. And he had two sons. The U.S. Navy said thanks, but 
no thanks.
  But that didn't stop the elder Toole. Remember: ``This is my country 
and I owed her.'' So Dr. Toole's father waited and tried again. Same 
response, thanks but no thanks.
  They say the third time's the charm. That certainly proved true in 
this case. Two weeks before the absolute age disqualification date for 
service in the Armed Forces, Pentagon brass relented and allowed Dr. 
Toole's father to join the Navy. He served proudly in the South Pacific 
and Dr. Toole tells me the younger men on-board his ship called him 
``Pop.'' If he treated them half as well as he treated his son who is 
here with us today, they were probably some happy sailors.
  Dr. Toole tells this story as a way of demonstrating what a 
difference it made to have such a caring and patriotic father. It 
probably goes a long way to explaining why the Baltimore County Police 
recognized Ensign Toole's son, today's guest chaplain, several years 
ago for bravery and community service. Dr. Toole, a former police 
commissioner in Bath, NY, spent over 4 hours negotiating with an armed 
man who had taken his wife hostage in their home. The man had been to a 
service at Dr. Toole's church a few days before the incident and told 
the police this was the only person he would talk to.
  Just like his father refused to give up on the Navy, Dr. Toole 
refused to give up on this distraught man. The man eventually gave up 
his gun and released his wife. We are a better country for both of 
these refusals. Thank you for your remarks today, Dr. Toole, and please 
keep up the good work in Towson.

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