[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 15215-15219]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            A CELEBRATION OF THE LIFE OF DR. JAMES DAVID FORD

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. STEPHEN HORN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 25, 2002

  Mr. HORN. Mr. Speaker, Chaplain Jim Ford had a positive influence on 
every member of the House of Representatives, and I was privileged to 
know him and grateful to have his friendship for nine years. As 
Chaplain, Jim had the rare quality of being able to relate to everyone 
regardless of religious affiliation or background. As a friend, he was 
there for anyone needing help through life's inevitable ups or downs. 
As a family man, his loving and accomplished wife and children are a 
testament. As a human being, he had an exuberant zest for living and 
caring, for adventure, for knowledge, and for jokes.
  When I had surgery for prostate cancer, Jim visited me in the 
hospital. He was a survivor himself, and his humor and his 
irrepressible positive attitude filled the room. My wife and I were 
fortunate to have traveled with Jim and Marcy in the Middle East and in 
Europe, where we had the benefit of Jim's companionship and his vast 
store of historical anecdotes. He had an impressive understanding of 
the world's three great religions centered in Jerusalem. Although Jim 
was modest about his eloquent daily prayers in the House of 
Representatives, it is the wish of his many colleagues and friends that 
they should be published. Chaplain Ford's prayers covering 21 years are 
a powerful commentary on the spirit of the people's House through times 
of tranquility and turmoil. They are prayers for all people in all 
seasons and form a rich legacy for generations to come.

     PRELUDE:
       Mrs. Judy Snopek, Pianist.
     INVOCATION:
       The Reverend Daniel P. Coughlin, Chaplain, United States 
     House of Representatives.
       Reverend COUGHLIN: Members and staff and friends, today we 
     gather to remember, memorialize and celebrate the life and 
     service of Dr. James David Ford as Chaplain to the House of 
     Representatives for over 21 years. I wish also to acknowledge 
     the Parliamentarian, Charlie Johnson, and Reverend Ron 
     Christian, both very close friends to Dr. Ford, for their 
     efforts to assure this event would happen after the 
     cancellation of the memorial service first planned for 
     September 11. That tragic event affected all of us and only 
     deepened the pain of our loss of Jim Ford when terrorism 
     robbed us even of the freedom to assemble and grieve as well 
     as thank God for this gifted pastor, counselor and friend of 
     so many here in the House which he loved so much and which 
     was honored by his years of faith-filled service. We are 
     indebted also to the Honorable Jeff Trandahl and the Clerk's 
     office for their detailed arrangements for today.
       As the first Lutheran pastor to serve in the House as 
     Chaplain, Dr. Ford was rooted in the Word, and so I thought 
     it only fitting to begin with a short reading from Saint 
     Paul:
       If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not 
     spare his own Son, but handed him over for us all, will he 
     not also give us everything else along with him? Who will 
     bring a charge against God's chosen ones? It is God who 
     acquits us who will condemn. It is Christ Jesus who died, 
     rather was raised, who also is at the right hand of God and 
     indeed intercedes for us all. What will separate us from the 
     love of Christ? Languish or distress or persecution or famine 
     or nakedness or peril or the sword? No, in all these things 
     we conquer overwhelmingly through him who loved us. For I am 
     convinced that neither death nor life, nor angels nor 
     principalities, nor present things nor future things, nor 
     powers, nor height nor depth, nor any creature will be able 
     to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
       So as we begin, let us call to memory first impressions, 
     wisdom sayings, poignant moments and compassion and joyful 
     laughter which he usually left with us.
       Let us pray for Jim Ford.
       Lord God, you chose our brother James to serve your people 
     as a minister and so share the joys and burdens of their 
     lives. Look with mercy on him and give him the just reward of 
     his labors. Continue to console his family and all those he 
     loved. Grant him now the fullness of life promised to those 
     who preach your good news, your holy gospel. We ask this 
     through Christ our Lord, Amen. We would like now to hear from 
     a good friend.

[[Page 15216]]

     REMARKS:
       The Honorable Charles W. Johnson III, Parliamentarian, 
     United States House of Representatives
       CHARLIE JOHNSON: Mr. Speaker, I am honored to be here today 
     as Jim's friend representing the staff. As Jim used to say, 
     ``Johnson, you never were invited to be a public speaker 
     because you couldn't if you were.'' He said, ``All you can do 
     is this.'' ``This'' means whisper and ``this'' means hit the 
     mute button at the same time.
       Last year around this time, my beloved predecessor, Bill 
     Brown, passed away. There was a Quaker gathering for Bill in 
     Lincoln, Virginia. It was a beautiful service. Jim used to 
     commend Quaker prayer hour to the House on occasion, not 
     publicly, but there were long periods of silence and then I 
     felt so inspired to talk about Bill's public service and I 
     said, Bill never lobbied for anything, except for one 
     resolution, and that was on January 15, 1979, the opening of 
     the 96th Congress, when the new Chaplain had just been 
     elected and the new Chaplain was going to be the first full-
     time Chaplain and he had five children and the word came 
     down, although Bill didn't know and had not met the new 
     Chaplain, that he needed a pay raise. So the Parliamentarian 
     took it upon himself to make sure the floor was clear of all 
     potential objectors and at the appropriate time H. Res. 7 
     came up, called up by Jim Wright on January 15 and, boom, the 
     Chaplain's salary was tripled. I mentioned that at Bill's 
     Quaker meeting. And some further period of quiet intervened 
     and Chaplain Ford, retired, was in the congregation. He stood 
     up and said, ``I was the recipient.'' It was the spontaneity 
     of it. It was not orchestrated. I don't think he can 
     orchestrate Quaker meetings, at least for that event, but 
     there he was Chaplain in 1979 and befriending people left and 
     right.
       He had his own separate chaplaincy right at the rostrum of 
     the House. I will allude to certain little anecdotes as I go 
     along here. But come 1985, 6 years into his chaplaincy, it 
     was his 53rd birthday. Tip O'Neill was proud to sponsor a 
     resolution, we called it House Res. 53, and he handed it to 
     him from the rostrum. The resolution would have amended rule 
     VII to read as follows. Rule VII is now somewhere else as a 
     result of recodification, but don't ask me where. The 
     resolution would have said, ``The Chaplain shall attend at 
     the commencement of each day's sitting of the House and shall 
     open the same with prayer, and shall personally attend, 
     without benefit of guest Chaplain, at the adjournment of each 
     day's sitting of the House, including all special orders, and 
     close the same with a benediction.''
       Here is a photograph of two people a lot younger. Jim Ford, 
     this is H. Res. 53, there is a preamble, a series of 
     ``whereas'' clauses explaining why it was necessary to 
     require the first full-time Chaplain to stick around full-
     time. His predecessors, Bernard Braskamp and Ed Latch, were 
     part-time, lovely, wonderful ministers to the House but they 
     weren't full-time. But here was Jim Ford full-time. Tip was 
     lobbying for this. And so this picture was taken. On it, it 
     says, ``Charlie, would you buy a used prayer from this man?'' 
     Addressed, ``Best Wishes, Jim Ford, July 25, 1985.''
       Jim Ford never wanted his prayers printed as his 
     predecessors' prayers had been in a little document because 
     he felt some of them were used. He would grab a psalm or a 
     hymn, he did hundreds of prayers and so they weren't always 
     original, but they were always meaningful. That was why he 
     never had his prayers printed.
       But then that ministry at the rostrum as I talked about it, 
     we started to lobby for support of House Resolution 53 and 
     that lobbying, and I think some Members past and present, Mr. 
     Speaker, got wind of this, so would Members support this 
     resolution, and it was almost unanimous. Everyone felt that a 
     full-time Chaplain should be there to do a personal 
     benediction. You can't rely on guest chaplains for that, with 
     one exception, and I will never forget when I asked Henry 
     Gonzalez whether he would support it, the champion of special 
     orders, he said, ``No, that is my definition of cruel and 
     unusual punishment.'' I won't forget that.
       That banter at the rostrum was not just for the fun of it 
     but it was a ministry in and of itself, and there are folks 
     here today, and I am here as a spokesperson for the people at 
     the rostrum and other employees in the Capitol whose lives 
     were enriched every day by Jim's presence. He was a larger-
     than-life person in a lot of ways. But the great thing about 
     it, he had this self-deprecating humor about this adventurous 
     part of him and he could laugh at himself. By doing that he 
     would make everyone else's life richer. The power to laugh at 
     yourself was embodied in Jim Ford.
       For example, he had this proclivity to jump off ski lifts 
     backwards. There was a Parade, one of those Sunday Parade 
     insertions in the Washington Post that Tip O'Neill happened 
     to notice. The next day the Chaplain offered the prayer. No 
     sooner was that prayer over but the Chaplain was walking off, 
     ``Hey, Monsignor, come over here.'' ``Monsignor'' was 
     Chaplain Ford. He said, ``I never knew you were such a 
     wacko.'' Direct quote from Tip O'Neill. The microphone was 
     on. So from that day on, he was Wacko to some of us.
       And then his trans-Atlantic sail. You have all heard about 
     his adventures to sail the Atlantic. He said, ``Johnson, are 
     you a sailor?'' I said, ``No.'' He said, ``Well, let me take 
     you out on the Chesapeake and I'll show you how to sail.'' So 
     he and Bill Brown and myself went out. It was a windy day. He 
     got on his boat. He put on this engineer's cap. Peter, you 
     remember, who he sailed the Atlantic with. Suddenly this gust 
     of wind comes up, boom, the hat is gone forever and the sail 
     is ripped. It was in our first half-hour. He spent the rest 
     of the day getting his sail sewn up. It could have been very 
     humiliating for him, but he saw the humor in it. It just was 
     the way he could laugh at himself during this adventurous 
     part of his life.
       Then in his later years, he flew ultralight airplanes, as 
     some of you know. He would always brag, ``I'm the only one in 
     our group who hasn't crashed yet.'' And one day 2 years ago, 
     Bill Brown and I and our wives would celebrate New Year's Eve 
     at Bill's log cabin. I said, ``Jim, why don't you fly over, 
     and I'll just kind of tell people that you're going to do a 
     flyover of Bill's farm on New Year's Day.'' He said, ``All 
     right.'' So we went out. I said, ``Let's go out for a walk.'' 
     It's New Year's morning, we are out there, I don't hear 
     anything. It's a beautiful 1st of January. Someone said, 
     ``Charlie, forget it. He's not coming. The dream is over.'' 
     Just then this sound of an ultralight. He had to come across 
     Dulles airspace to get to Bill's farm. He had said he didn't 
     want to land because it would disturb the neighbors. Bill had 
     300 acres. He didn't know how to land. But he showed up. He 
     showed up and he dipped his wings as a token of friendship.
       And then there were these civility retreats to which some 
     of you Members, Ray and others, have attended. He would come 
     in on a motorcycle or on horseback, and there was this one 
     video that he showed of himself emerging from the statuary in 
     Statuary Hall, as if he were one of the statues, intoning the 
     history of the House of Representatives. He showed me this 
     video. He knew I was just going to laugh and laugh at it, 
     that he would subject himself to this kind of thing. And I 
     said, ``What would Will Rogers have said to you, Jim, in 
     Statuary Hall?'' He thought that was very funny.
       In a more serious way, he was a listener. He used to say, 
     ``Text without context is pretext.'' He would come up and sit 
     on the floor of the House during 1-minutes and guest 
     chaplains by the hundreds would come and he would be with 
     them. Then he would spend a lot of time with them after they 
     had preached. And then he would come back after listening to 
     some very provocative 1-minutes and he would come back and 
     sit on the rostrum with me day in and day out, and we would 
     just kind of try to pull together the thoughts that these 
     guest chaplains might have had, what their impressions were 
     of the House, and then the theme of the day and the 
     personalities involved in the 1-minutes. He could bring to me 
     a context of the humanity of the House viewed from his own 
     eyes and from the eyes of visiting clergy. It was a 
     tremendous sense of inspiration when he did that for me.
       But what I really want to honor today, and I think we all 
     do, is really the way Jim brought a modern chaplaincy to the 
     House. As the first full-time Chaplain, he was available. He 
     may not have always been here for a benediction, but he was 
     here into the evenings, and he would come onto the floor and 
     he would be available to Members. He always said, ``You know, 
     Johnson, you'll never get that resolution through on the 
     benediction.'' I said, ``Why?'' ``Because I have 218 votes.'' 
     I said, ``Well, how do you know that?'' And he pulled out a 
     red book and that book had the names of his appointments, 
     past, present and future. There were a lot of Members' names 
     in that book. He said, ``I've got names. I've got enough on 
     these various names in this book that they will never support 
     this resolution.''
       Chaplain, you saw that red book. Every time he held it up, 
     I got the message. But his pastoral, his being a pastor to 
     Members and staff was the modern chaplaincy, full-time, in 
     confidence, a priest-penitent relationship, the full 
     confidentiality of it where he could say things to me that 
     wouldn't reveal a confidence but would give me a better 
     perspective.
       His notion of inclusiveness. He loved to have people from 
     other faiths or from no particular faith be part of a 
     dialogue with himself. Not many people know this. I see a 
     couple. He did pretty well on the honorarium circuit. Every 
     one of those honorarium checks as far as I know went to the 
     Luther Place homeless shelter. Thousands of dollars. 
     Thousands of dollars. Very generous. He never mentioned it.
       In a very personal way, obviously you can tell we were 
     friends, but he at my behest went to a place called Camp 
     Dudley in Westport, New York, 13 summers to preach. It is the 
     oldest boys camp in the country. He would go up and do a 
     great sermon for young boys on the shores of Lake Champlain 
     in an outdoor chapel. His recurring theme, he would talk 
     about adventure and all this, was the attitude of gratitude. 
     I remember that little saying that he would use, and when he 
     used it with young people it was especially impressive, but 
     the fact that he went 13 years, and one time he came in on a 
     motorcycle cross-country with Peter just to be

[[Page 15217]]

     there. He knew he had to be there. He started in Washington 
     State, came across country, but he was there, bearded and 
     all. Just wonderful.
       And so let me just close by remembering his final days, 
     days of obvious distress for him, but there was a tree 
     planting on the Capitol grounds in August of last year.
       Speaker Hastert arranged it. It was a hot day. It was about 
     98 degrees. His whole family was there. It was wonderful.
       There was a little reception afterwards. Then I went away 
     for a couple of weeks, and while we were away, we learned 
     that he passed away. I got back, and on my desk was the most 
     beautiful letter of thanks from Jim.
       And so on behalf of all the employees, rostrum, police 
     force, the folks whom he counseled during that terrible 
     shooting, I am here as a staffer to honor Jim and the way he 
     brought a true chaplaincy which lives to this day to the 
     House of Representatives.
     REMARKS:
       The Honorable Martin Olav Sabo, United States House of 
     Representatives
       Mr. SABO. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Leader, family and friends of 
     Chaplain Ford, wasn't that beautiful?
       The rest of us, I think, should really sit down, because 
     that really captured Jim Ford.
       I came here as a freshman in 1979. I immediately read 
     someplace that there was a new Chaplain being appointed. He 
     was from Minneapolis. I didn't recognize the name. I 
     wondered, who knows? It's great. I've never heard of him, I 
     don't know anything about him, but pretty soon I got to meet 
     this wonderful person.
       He had some flaws. He was a Swede. I'm Norwegian. He went 
     to college with his Swedish background. I went to college 
     with a Norwegian background. But everything that Charlie said 
     about him, that ski jump really does exist. The park is still 
     there. I discovered he grew up in Northeast Minneapolis. His 
     name, family name, originally was Anderson and sometime along 
     the way it changed to Ford. He always told me if his 
     ancestors would have kept Anderson, he would have been a 
     Member of Congress, not I. He came from Northeast. I always 
     reminded him he came from up on the hill, not down in the 
     valley where the real Democrats were.
       But I got to know just this wonderful person. Charlie 
     really captured that zest of life that he had. It was unique. 
     I think that is what caught the attention of all of us. He 
     was clergy but he most certainly wasn't pompous or self-
     righteous. He related to all of us. I suppose in some ways 
     for me, despite the fact that he was a Swede, we were both 
     still Midwestern Lutherans, and it was rather easy and simple 
     to do. On the other hand, I watched in amazement his 
     relationship with the totality and the diversity of the 
     House. He was there. From the minute he walked in he was 
     probably the most beloved member around the House, and I 
     think that is accurate. I think the membership just had 
     tremendous respect for him as an individual, but also as a 
     clergy and knowing that they could visit and talk to him 
     about whatever might be bothering them in life and they knew 
     that with this exuberant, zesty person, that whatever that 
     relationship was, it was very professional. He was a pro who 
     really enjoyed life. I suppose for most of us when it simply 
     came down to it, he was most fundamentally a friend.
       So today, to the family, to everyone, I would simply say we 
     remember Jim Ford as somebody who was the ultimate pro, 
     somebody who had a life of public service, who thoroughly 
     enjoyed life but ultimately, most important, was simply a 
     friend to all of us.
     REMARKS:
       The Honorable Lois Capps, United States House of 
     Representatives
       Mrs. CAPPS. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Leader, Peter, Sarah, family 
     and friends, today as we celebrate the life of Chaplain Jim 
     Ford, we are thankful to God and to his family for sharing 
     him with us, with our beloved House, with a grateful Nation. 
     There are many family connections that have made Chaplain Jim 
     Ford a very special person to the Capps family and these 
     connections go back to 1959.
       Reverend Sodergren, Marcy Ford's father, was the pastor of 
     a Lutheran church in Portland, Oregon. One September morning 
     over 40 years ago, Walter and I arrived at his doorstep. The 
     good reverend was exasperated because we were late even 
     though the hour was very early. We were tardy in picking up 
     his son, Marcy's brother Jack. He and Walter were to drive 
     together across the country to Augustana Lutheran Seminary in 
     Rock Island, Illinois. Only when we explained that we had 
     just that very morning, only a few minutes earlier, become 
     engaged did Reverend Sodergren's countenance soften into a 
     congratulatory smile. And when my husband came to Washington 
     with the 105th Congress and met Marcy's husband, the two 
     became fast friends.
       Walter loved Jim, as I did and do, as one does a brother or 
     a lifelong friend. And when Sarah called me with the sad news 
     of Jim's death, I confessed that my first thought was that he 
     and Walter are now having a fine time telling Lars and Oley 
     jokes. They are livening the proceedings in heaven just as 
     they did on the House floor. In fact, Jim told several of 
     those corny jokes when he spoke at Walter's memorial service 
     in 1997. And so it goes without saying that following the 
     death of my husband and then my daughter, Chaplain Ford 
     ministered to me and to my family, to Walter's and my staff 
     with utmost compassion, strength and sensitivity. I learned 
     in a very personal way the importance of the Chaplain to the 
     House of Representatives, and thus I was honored to serve on 
     the Speaker's search committee with my colleagues who are 
     here to find a new Chaplain and was reminded time and time 
     again during that process of the incredible skills that Jim 
     Ford brought to his job.
       On November 10, 1999, it was my privilege to help manage 
     H.Res. 373 to appoint Reverend James David Ford as Chaplain 
     Emeritus of the House of Representatives. I described him 
     with these words: ``He has infused this House with spiritual 
     strength in times of triumph and in times of tragedy. He has 
     spent countless thousands of hours providing pastoral care to 
     Members and staff who desperately need his guidance. He has 
     taught us to respect and to nurture the diversity of our own 
     religious faiths and in doing so has reminded us that one of 
     our Nation's greatest strengths is our religious pluralism.''
       Looking back, it is somewhat unsettling to realize that I 
     intended to use this quotation on September 11, the original 
     date of that service. Oh, well. I know how we all wished that 
     we had Jim Ford to shepherd us through that horrible day and 
     its aftermath. He would have calmed our fears, he would have 
     made us strong so that we could confront our Nation's 
     challenges, and he would have ensured that our justifiable 
     rage did not turn into hatred and intolerance.
       I will also never forget what Jim said at Walter's memorial 
     service. He quoted Martin Luther who said, ``Send your good 
     men into the ministry but send your best men into politics.'' 
     Our Chaplain was both. He was a good man. He was the best of 
     men. He walked the delicate and yet vital line between faith 
     and public life, between religion and politics. He did this 
     with unparalleled skill and devotion.
       I have wanted to reach out to Marcy as one widow to another 
     to share with her some of Jim's words of remembrance and 
     prayer which he shared at Walter's memorial service. He wrote 
     them about Walter, and so I am going to give them back with a 
     heart full of sadness and respect and love, and I will insert 
     Jim's name where he put Walter's. I very vividly remember the 
     Chaplain saying these words on that day at the Old Mission in 
     Santa Barbara:
       ``Ceremonies such as we have today are for the living and 
     the lessons we can learn from our friends. God has already 
     given to James David all of the good gifts of everlasting 
     life. He is in good hands. There is a Bible verse from Psalm 
     90, verse 12: 'So teach us to number our days that we may 
     gain a heart of wisdom.'Jim did so much with his days, his 
     time here on Earth and in this Congress. He was so at home 
     here in the House, so enthusiastic about doing the work of 
     being a Chaplain. No one knows how many days or years we will 
     be given but we can heed the words of scripture and make the 
     best use of our time. `So teach us to number our days that we 
     may gain a heart of wisdom.' James David Ford gained a heart 
     of wisdom and we all benefited from his great and wise and 
     loving heart.''
       And then Jim prayed this prayer, so I will now pray it for 
     him:
       ``We commend our friend and colleague to you, O gracious 
     God, and we do so in thanksgiving. We are grateful for his 
     presence in our lives and for the light that he gave us as a 
     father, a husband, a grandfather, as a teacher, and as our 
     beloved Chaplain. We saw the light of his spirit and we were 
     drawn to him in such a special way. How blessed we have been 
     and how grateful we are. Amen.''
       Thank you.
     MUSICAL INTERLUDE:
       Mrs. Judy Snopek, Pianist
     REMARKS:
       The Honorable Richard A Gephardt, Democratic Leader United 
     States House of Representatives
       Mr. GEPHARDT: On behalf of all the Members, we want to say 
     to the Ford family how sorry we are that Reverend Ford has 
     died and passed from our presence and that you have lost him. 
     We also want to celebrate his life, because we think that is 
     what today is really about. I enjoyed all of the speeches; 
     they were wonderful. I expected good speeches from Members of 
     Congress; I didn't quite expect what we got from the 
     Parliamentarian. When he did it, I realized I had never heard 
     him speak in public, other than ``say this, do that.'' It has 
     been a while since I have been able to get that from him, but 
     we are working on it. But I thought he caught the essence of 
     Reverend Ford as well as it can be done. I would note, 
     Charlie, that that speech is well over 5 minutes; but nobody 
     stood up, and there was no Parliamentarian to call you into 
     order.
       We are here today as the family of the House of 
     Representatives. We have not only the present Speaker of the 
     House, but two illustrious former Speakers of the House who 
     are here, and lots of others who have a myriad of connections 
     with this place. I have been here a quarter of a century now. 
     Time flies when you are having fun. And I must

[[Page 15218]]

     tell you, I am more in awe of the institution every day than 
     the first day I got here, and I know every Member here feels 
     the same way. This is a place where the hopes and dreams, 
     expectations, grievances of 260 million-or-so people get 
     channeled on a daily basis, for us to sort all of that out 
     and make decisions on their behalf.
       I am often saying that politics is a substitute for 
     violence. I used to get snickers at that and even some 
     laughing; and in recent days, as we see suicide bombers 
     blowing themselves up, people being assassinated around the 
     world, we know better, that that really is what it is. That 
     is the magic ingredient of this place. It takes a lot of 
     human effort to allow this institution to do what it is 
     supposed to do.
       Jim Ford was an important part of that mix that allows the 
     House to do its work and to do it as successfully as it is 
     done. First of all, he obviously had this wonderful sense of 
     humor. It was kind of what I always recognized was the 
     sparkle in his eyes when he would come up to you on the floor 
     and tell you some kind of silly joke that he had that he 
     thought was pretty funny. Sometimes it was, usually it 
     wasn't, but what the heck. It was the glistening in his eyes 
     and the way he got tickled himself about what he was saying 
     that made it fun. And humor can lubricate and get you over 
     any tough place that you are in, and he used it as well as I 
     have ever seen it done.
       He also understood that we all got elected by half a 
     million or so people, but that we are just people, the same 
     kind of people you would find anywhere in the United States; 
     the same problems, the same difficulties, the same failures, 
     the same high moments that anybody else has; and that we need 
     spiritual help and guidance and counseling and to have a 
     friend as much as anybody else. He provided that friendship, 
     that advice, that council, that help, that human caring that 
     Members often desperately need. He may have had a book, 
     Charlie, and he may have even had names in it; but he did 
     this for 21 years, and I don't know of a time ever that any 
     of the information that he was entrusted with got out 
     anywhere. He was totally in your confidence. He was there to 
     help you, not to do anything else.
       Finally, he, in every day of his life, I think exuded what 
     I have come to believe day by day as the most important power 
     in life, and that is simple human love. He really cared about 
     other people and, in truth, loved people, all people. He 
     exuded that and demonstrated that every day.
       Probably the most important thing any of us leave behind 
     are our children, and probably there is no greater reflection 
     of who we are and how we live our lives than the way our 
     children live their lives. In the last years, we in the 
     House, a lot of us, got to know Peter Ford because as part of 
     the diplomatic security service, he wound up on some of our 
     trips to foreign countries providing security as we went into 
     sometimes some difficult places. He was there on a number of 
     trips that Speaker Gingrich and I got to take together, and 
     we both got to know him pretty well. And if our children are 
     a guide to how we lived our lives, Jim Ford lived his life as 
     well as it can be done, because Peter Ford, in my view, 
     exemplifies all of the values that Jim Ford was really about.
       We were going to do this on September 11. I am glad we got 
     to do it. If we face grave difficulties since September 11, 
     and we do, then it is right for us to remember Jim Ford, 
     because it is going to take the kind of behavior and the kind 
     of values that he represented for us to meet the challenges 
     for America that are represented by September 11. We are 
     sorry. We celebrate his life with you, and we thank God that 
     we were given Jim Ford for such a long time.
     REMARKS:
       The Honorable J. Dennis Hastert, Speaker, United States 
     House of Representatives
       Mr. HASTERT: Well, you learn a lot of things sometimes at 
     these memorials. As a matter of fact, I didn't know that the 
     Parliamentarian and the Chaplain assessed people's 1-minutes 
     every day. Mr. Leader, I think it is probably--what were they 
     saying about the leadership's antics on both sides of the 
     aisle? So I am sure that they had a great deal of enjoyment 
     with that.
       You know, Reverend Ford opened the House every day with a 
     prayer. He was a man that you would find in the hallways 
     telling a story, commiserating with Members and staff, more 
     staff than I thought. But anyway, every day you would see him 
     on the House floor at all hours of the day and night when we 
     were there, and you saw him every Thursday morning in the 
     prayer breakfast that the Congress has. He was a participant. 
     That is where I probably got to know him best, because he 
     would tell me stories about being in the Fox Valley and being 
     in Illinois in my district, and he knew the places and some 
     of the people; and he even knew my old uncle who was a 
     Norwegian Lutheran minister in Illinois. But he was always 
     telling those stories too, stories about Norwegians and 
     Swedes, and the Norwegians never won. I am not sure why.
       He would also love to talk about Minnesota; and he talked 
     about West Point, a place that he loved and the men and women 
     that served there and the people that he got to know, and the 
     young chaplains that came up underneath him and who he 
     brought along the way and now have churches and ministries of 
     their own.
       But I remember his prayers on the House floor. His prayers 
     were like poetry. They were lyrical. They touched the soul. 
     And they made all of us think about what our duties were and 
     responsibilities as citizens and as leaders.
       When Jim told me that he was going to retire, I knew that 
     the opening of each session wouldn't be quite the same. Jim 
     Ford was an institution in an institution. He was part of the 
     family, and he was an important part of that family.
       We all know about Jim Ford's sense of adventure, of sailing 
     and flying and motorcycling and all of these things that, as 
     a matter of fact, he entranced a lot of Members in his 
     stories about these things; and he actually did them. We know 
     about his love of sailing and motorcycle riding, and we also 
     know that Jim was also a compassionate soul who worked hard 
     to minister to the Capitol Hill family. Really, when it comes 
     down to it, his friendship and his antics and the things that 
     he did and the stories he told endeared himself to Members of 
     this Congress, to people that he worked with every day. He 
     broke down those barriers that sometimes you find in these 
     political places, sometimes the things that stop us from 
     really talking about how we really feel about things and our 
     real appreciation for people.
       Through his many years of service, he touched many lives, 
     providing spiritual guidance to Members and staff of all 
     religions and political persuasions. I remember first as a 
     Speaker and in leadership, one thing that happens, you get to 
     go to a lot of funerals; and Jim was always there, and he 
     always had a kind word and a special story. He knew every 
     Member of this Congress. He knew their strengths, and he knew 
     their weaknesses.
       Jim Ford was a Lutheran minister, and he had an amazing 
     gift of delivering a positive message that resonated with 
     people of all faiths. He often told me the story over and 
     over again of how Tip O'Neill used to call him Monsignor just 
     because he wore the collar, and he thought that maybe Tip 
     really didn't know. I think maybe Tip really did know.
       We will always remember Jim Ford as a charming and an 
     honest man who dedicated himself to God, and he dedicated 
     himself to this Congress and its work with people. He served 
     this body with the utmost distinction. His loving spirit will 
     live in the hearts of all of our lives that he touched.
       I think it is fitting and, Peter, I would like to ask you 
     to come up here for a second; and I would like to present to 
     you a flag that was flown over this Capitol in honor of your 
     father and a letter to your mother.

         Words of Appreciation From the Family and Benediction

       Reverend CHRISTIAN: Mr. Speaker and Mr. Leader, first, on 
     behalf of the family, I too wish to thank you and certainly 
     Charlie, as has been mentioned, for providing this 
     opportunity. I think it is the case that all of you, all of 
     us, needed a time where we could just be together, think 
     here, repeat here. I suspect that each one of you could tell 
     a story or two; and the biggest, hardest task of this whole 
     event probably for you, Charlie, as well as some of the rest 
     of us who had time for conversation, Jeff, to be sure as 
     well, was how many speeches of course to make.
       You have heard the stories, and there are many more that 
     could be said. But I am here as a representative, which I 
     surely cannot do and I understand that, but I am here as a 
     representative of the family just to bring a few closing 
     remarks on behalf of them to all of you.
       Mr. Leader, you did speak very kindly and strongly about 
     Peter as the son of Jim Ford, and I only wanted to add to 
     that that each one of the members of the family is an equal 
     to Peter. I have had the great opportunity to be a friend of 
     the family for 25 years and indeed have had a chance to share 
     frequently with Jim Ford, even on the House floor, as I have 
     participated with the opening prayers periodically.
       So on behalf of the Ford family, let me say that I know 
     they appreciate and offer to all of you their deep and 
     abiding thanks for your love and for your concern which you 
     have shown during these last months in many different ways, 
     each one appropriate and each one received gratefully. But 
     also, they want to thank you, and I know that is certainly 
     true from Mrs. Ford, Marcy, one and all, to thank you for the 
     joy and the happiness and the laughter and the fun that you 
     all and so many others provided Jim through the years, and 
     through Jim and, therefore, to the family.
       Speaking of the family, isn't it wonderful to have Hannah 
     here, sitting on the floor who will, one day, undoubtedly in 
     the great oral tradition of our own family lives, bring forth 
     the stories of the man we gather here to remember and to 
     honor and to give thanks.
       The family was all here on September 11, and you need to 
     know that. They came from all over the country and all over 
     really from many parts of the world; and of course many, 
     almost all, of course, are not here today for

[[Page 15219]]

     many obvious reasons. But two of the family, direct family 
     members, are Peter and Sarah; and I know you carry with you 
     the thoughts, the spirit in your hearts of your sisters, 
     spouses, grandchildren, and certainly your mother who is 
     visiting one of those children and grandchildren this very 
     day in Brussels.
       So they thank you; and on behalf of them, I wish to bring 
     those thanks to you. Peter is here and Peter did receive the 
     honor of the flag and the letter; but maybe, is there 
     anything you would like to add or just say to the group?
       Mr. PETER FORD: Yes. I do want to say thank you all for 
     coming. You loved my father, and he loved you all. My father 
     was a giver. He loved a couple of things about this place. He 
     loved religion, of course. You were his flock. He didn't have 
     a church. He always talked to Pastor Steinbrook, because he 
     had a church. He said he was always down there for churches. 
     He felt like he was in a command post here. You were his 
     flock, and also the fact that he loved democracy. When he 
     would go out and speak, I would try to come along with him as 
     often as possible, because he was gone a lot at night. I 
     loved to hear him when he talked about religion, and then 
     afterward he would talk about democracy and talk about the 
     rancor of this place and the debate, and he would talk about 
     loudness. And he thought this was a very honorable profession 
     to be up here.
       If you are ever up at West Point, Rear Admiral Carrigan up 
     at West Point, and he is buried 30 feet, 30 yards--the many 
     people he buried in the 1960s during the Vietnam War. So it 
     was sort of interesting to see that. If you see the 2-hour 
     special on West Point, they interviewed him and he talks 
     about MacArthur coming up; and at the beginning, they show my 
     father's face, and they go into the West Point cemetery, and 
     he is buried in plot 34. So if you are ever up there, that is 
     interesting.
       He loved you all. Thank you for being very nice to him. 
     This is closure, and we do appreciate it as a family. After 
     September 11, we didn't feel that it was appropriate, so we 
     are glad this happened. I did learn something myself today. 
     My father always told me he didn't want to print his prayers 
     because he wanted to save taxpayer money. But I wish he would 
     have printed them, because right now they are going through 
     the whole house, and my mother saved every prayer. Every day 
     he would bring home the Congressional Record and she would 
     tear it out, and she would put them all in one place. I wish 
     he would have printed them.
       I want to say thank you very much. You were his flock. If 
     my father came back right now, my family, we are a totally 
     loving family, and we wouldn't have one question for him. We 
     would just be happy that he was back, but we will see him 
     some day. So thank you from him.
       Mrs. SARAH FORD STRIKE: I am Sarah Ford Strike, and I just 
     got married just 4 weeks ago, so I am still getting used to 
     my last name. But I am the youngest of the five kids, and 
     again I want to say thank you very much for putting this 
     together. You have all been so honorable to us and to our 
     family, because after September 11, we thought since there 
     are so many other tragedies in this world, let us not do 
     this, we will honor our dad in our own special way; and you 
     all are very nice to continue this, and we appreciate that.
       My mom is in Brussels visiting our sister Marie and her 
     family, so she is not here today. But I want to say that we 
     are his family; but you are also his family, because you made 
     his past 21 years here so happy. He didn't tell us about his 
     counseling and his times of need with people, but he did tell 
     us about the friendships; and that is what made us happy. He 
     would come home, and it was just great.
       Being five kids, almost all of us working in the District, 
     we were able to come and visit Dad from time to time, and we 
     would just laugh because you could not get five feet in the 
     hallway without him stopping and talking to somebody. It 
     didn't matter who you were or what you did. He knew everybody 
     by name, and that is what I just hope that I have that gift, 
     because he would just say, just remember something about that 
     person; and it just was so special and such an intimate 
     conversation, and then we would walk five more feet and we 
     would get stopped again. So we cherish that.
       We miss his bad jokes and we miss his humor, and we love 
     him very much; but we are very happy because who we are is 
     because of our dad. And we are happy that he is healthy and 
     happy. I know he is up there. I got married, and at our 
     wedding his spirit was with us. If you ever saw him at the 
     White House balls or somewhere, he danced very badly, and he 
     would do this; and I know he was up there doing the same 
     thing, and I know he is doing it now; and I know he is happy 
     as can be. So thank you from our family.
       Reverend CHRISTENSEN: Just to bring this then to a close, 
     Mr. Speaker, you did talk about the fact that you remember 
     Jim Ford's prayers. I would like to ask us now to stand, and 
     I am going to read the last prayer that Jim Ford gave at the 
     House of Representatives. These are those words of his final 
     prayer, and then I will conclude with the benediction. Let us 
     pray:
       ``We are grateful, O merciful God, that you are with us 
     wherever we are and whatever we do. We know that Your spirit 
     gives us forgiveness for the ways of our past, direction for 
     the path ahead, and the comforting assurance that we are 
     never alone. We gain strength from the words of the Psalmist: 
     be still and know that I am God. I am exalted among the 
     nations; I am exalted in the earth, the Lord of hosts is with 
     us, the God of Jacob is our refuge. May Your good word, O 
     God, be with all Your people and give them the peace and 
     confidence that You alone can give. In Your name we pray. 
     Amen.''
       The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face 
     shine upon you and be gracious unto you. The Lord give up His 
     countenance upon you and give you peace.
       Amen.

                            A WONDERFUL MAN

                           (By Stephen Horn)

                         Thursday, May 9, 2002

       Mr. HORN. Mr. Speaker, this afternoon we honored a 
     Celebration of the Life of Dr. James D. Ford, the Chaplain 
     Emeritus of the House of Representatives.
       When we traveled to meeting with the delegations of the 
     European Parliament, we found that Jim was a very fine 
     companion. Jim Ford was a great teacher. When we met 
     diplomats and officers, Jim was able to lighten up some of us 
     who were stressed from negotiations and differences among 
     various factions.
       Jim was a fine scholar of the Bible. When we were in 
     Israel, Jim was well versed in three of the great religions 
     which are in Jerusalem. Before Chaplain Ford came to the 
     House, he had been for 18 years as the Chaplain of the United 
     States Military Academy at West Point. As a result of his 
     experiences at West Point, he knew about youth and how they 
     grow to be leaders for our country. When a delegation of the 
     House met with General Wesley Clark, the Supreme Commander of 
     the North Atlantic Treaty Organization [NATO]. When the 
     General met the Chaplain there was a warm hug. We saw a four 
     star General, but, Dr. Ford remembered him as the very bright 
     senior who was President of the Bible Society during Clark's 
     senior year at West Point.
       Dr. Ford was an effective counselor of members that work 
     hard and often needed to be working with people under stress.
       One of Jim's great adventures was when he and three 
     volunteer cadets from West Point navigated a boat with sails, 
     guided by the stars. The waves tossed the small boat in the 
     North Atlantic Ocean. It was a great experience.
       Jim was a people-person. When colleagues had medical 
     operations at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Jim would 
     come out to see us. He brought us cheer. His humor was 
     delightful.
       He will not be forgotten. Our condolences to Marcie, his 
     wife, and Peter his eldest son, and the Ford family.

     

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