[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 17]
[House]
[Page 24291]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



        TRIBUTE TO JOHN H. KRAMER, DISTINGUISHED PUBLIC SERVANT

  (Mr. HOLDEN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. HOLDEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a 
distinguished public servant from my Congressional District, former 
Berks County Sheriff John Kramer. John has been a legend in local 
politics in my district for many years and has become my close personal 
friend and mentor.
  John served as Chief Deputy Sheriff in Berks County, Pennsylvania, 
until 1975, when he was elected to his first term as county Sheriff. 
John won the primary election by nearly 10,000 votes, and later that 
year defeated his opponent by 20,000 votes in the general election.
  Following that first election in 1975, John was reelected Berks 
County Sheriff four times, and in three of those elections was top 
voter of any candidate for office in the county. In 1995, after 20 
years in office, he announced he wanted to retire and would not seek a 
sixth term.
  John was also a sports figure. He bought the Rising Sun Hotel from 
his father in 1955 and founded the Rising Sun Athletic Association in 
1965. The association sponsored bowling, basketball and softball teams. 
The Sunners softball team won the national softball championship in 
1975, and in 1976 the team became co-world champion.
  In office and in politics, John Kramer valued loyalty. He enjoyed 
bipartisan support and was well respected by Republicans and Democrats 
alike.
  He is a fine supporter of the Reading Phillies and Philadelphia 
Phillies and counts among his friends Mike Schmidt, Pete Rose and Gregg 
Luzinski.
  John and his lovely wife, Doris, have been married for 47 years and 
reside in Reading, Pennsylvania.

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