[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 15274]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO AN AMERICAN PATRIOT

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. CURT WELDON

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 26, 2002

  Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening to pay 
special tribute to one of the finest public servants in the history of 
Pennsylvania politics.
  I was deeply saddened to learn that the Dean of the Pennsylvania 
Senate and my State's longest serving member, Senator Clarence Bell, 
passed away today at the age of 88.
  Senator Bell, a tireless advocate for his constituency and working 
families across Pennsylvania will be fondly remembered and sorely 
missed.
  Senator Bell served a total of 48 years in the Pennsylvania 
legislature. First serving in the Pennsylvania House Representatives in 
1954, Clarence Bell was elected to serve as a Senator in 1961. Serving 
under 11 Governors, Senator Bell served as a member of the 
Appropriations, Rules, Transportation, State Government Committee, 
Military and Veterans Affairs Committee and most recently Chairman of 
the Senate Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure Committee and 
the chairman of the Joint Legislative Budget and Finance Committee.
  Senator Bell led the effort to construct the Commodore Barry Bridge 
spanning the Delaware river and connecting Pennsylvania and New Jersey. 
However, the Senator took the most pride in his unyielding desire to 
remain in touch with each of his constituents--he always referred to 
them as his ``neighbors''. The Senator personally signed each piece of 
mail answering his ``neighbors'' questions or addressing their 
concerns, congratulating them on their graduations or additions to 
their families. Throughout his career he also personally wrote a weekly 
newsletter. A man of incredible energy and determination, Senator Bell 
chaired a committee hearing as recent as this past Tuesday.
  Before his career as a politician in Harrisburg, Clarence Bell served 
for five-and-a-half years in active duty in World War II and was also a 
Major General in the Pennsylvania National Guard. Senator Bell served a 
total of 38 years in the military.
  Born in Upland, Pennsylvania in 1914, Senator Bell attended and 
graduated from Swarthmore College and Harvard Law School, Senator 
Bell's constituency in the 9th Senatorial District encompassed portions 
of Delaware and Chester Counties. Throughout his career Clarence Bell 
was a visible and accessible legislator that was responsive and 
approachable to those he served.
  A member of numerous professional and service organizations, Senator 
Bell was regularly recognized by these organizations and countless 
others that valued his input and leadership during his life as a public 
citizen.
  A dedicated husband, father of two children, grandfather and great-
grandparent three times over, I call upon my colleagues to recognize 
the unselfish commitment to public service that Clarence Bell 
possessed. I would also like to extend my deepest sympathies to the 
Bell family, especially his wife Mary James, his friends, staff and the 
residents of the 9th Senatorial District. We have lost a true champion 
in Harrisburg, however, Pennsylvania is a better place thanks to the 
extraordinary life and wisdom of Clarence Bell.

                          ____________________