[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 1]
[House]
[Page 120]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




           PAYING TRIBUTE TO JACK SHEA, OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Sweeney) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. SWEENEY. Mr. Speaker, this past weekend the 22nd Congressional 
District of New York, New York State and indeed our Nation and the 
world suffered a great loss when we experienced the untimely death of 
Mr. Jack Shea. Mr. Shea was a double Olympic speed skating gold 
medalist who died suddenly and tragically in an automobile accident 
less than one mile from his home. Mr. Shea was 91 years young and 
served this Nation in so many important and great ways that this loss 
will be felt for quite some time.
  In addition to the two Olympic Gold Medals that he earned at the Lake 
Placid Winter Olympic games in 1932, he was both the father and 
grandfather of Olympians. His son Jim competed in the 1964 Winter 
Olympics, and today, ironically enough and I think adding to the sense 
of tragedy to this unfortunate incident, his grandson Jim is set to 
compete in the Olympics at Salt Lake City, Utah.
  Also ironically, this weekend we will convene in Lake Placid for our 
annual Congressional Olympic Challenge. Mr. Shea was to serve as our 
keynote speaker on Saturday night, welcoming Members of Congress and 
citizens from throughout this Nation to the great Lake Placid and 
indeed showing them the important history that Mr. Shea was so much a 
part of and so important to, so much so, Mr. Speaker, that many in Lake 
Placid referred to Jack as Mr. Lake Placid. His untimely death is made 
particularly tragic by the loss that we will experience and the loss of 
his advocacy on behalf of Lake Placid and the Olympic movement. Without 
Jack there, I can say that there will be just a little bit missing from 
this weekend. But as Jack would tell us if he were here, the games must 
go on. The efforts to ensure that the Olympic movement in the United 
States and indeed throughout the world needs to be made strong. That is 
why we will embark.
  For those reasons, I intend to and will introduce a resolution into 
this House today to recognize and pay proper tribute to Jack Shea, a 
great man, a great Olympian and a friend who truly epitomized, Mr. 
Speaker, the greatness of America, the greatness of the Olympic 
movement, the greatness of competition in the Olympic movement. We will 
all dearly miss him. We are all deeply touched and have been deeply 
touched by his life.

                          ____________________