[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 4720-4721]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




TRIBUTE TO THE REV. DR. MARTIN KING JR. ON THE ANNIVERSARY OF HIS DEATH 
                        BY ALBERT CAREY CASWELL

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TOM LANTOS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 16, 2002

  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I invite my colleagues to join me in paying 
tribute to the memory of the late Reverend Martin Luther King Jr., who 
was assassinated thirty-four years ago on April 4, 1968. Dr. King's 
short life was spent and lost in the pursuit of justice and equality 
for all men, regardless of gender, creed or race. His life was a 
testament to the fact that we can effect profound changes in our laws 
and society through peaceful and non-violent means. Dr. King's spirit 
will forever live on in our collective continuous efforts to uphold 
human rights for all people, a cause that is particularly dear to my 
heart.
  Mr. Speaker, I submit for the Record, a poetic tribute to Dr. King, 
composed by Albert ``Bert'' Carey Caswell. Bert Caswell received a 
Masters degree in education and taught science in our nation's public 
schools. He currently works as a tour guide at the United States 
Capitol. He is an enthusiastic guide in this great building, and he 
particularly enjoys the opportunity to provide tours for children from 
the ``Make-A-Wish'' Foundation, as well as all other children. He has 
also given tours for some of our country's fire fighters who suffered 
severe burns while saving lives and protecting property. When he guides 
visitors in our nation's Capitol, he also makes a point of sharing 
inspiring stories of Members of Congress who have overcome difficulties 
and hardships in life, to serve in one of the highest offices of trust 
and responsibility which the citizens of our land can offer.

                            A King Among Men

                       (By Albert Carey Caswell)

     What is a king? But a man who sits upon a throne,
     Who by birthright, bloodline and good fortune, is born of a 
           royal home
     As is so within our earthly zone,
     While up in heaven real kings and queens, in our Lord's eyes 
           are those who stand alone--
     A man of peace, a man of love, who will lay down his life 
           leaving all he loves--shall sit high atop our Lord's 
           throne.

     A day in August 1963,
     As a ``King Among Men'' would write history
     As our nation heard of this, his great dream to be.

     Speaking to all
     upon a mall,
     of the dream he saw, as a nation awoke to freedoms call,
     as heaven awaited him Godspeed.

     His words now etched upon our minds,
     To this day as we hear them tears we find,
     Words ringing throughout time and history

     On this great day of freedom and of peace,
     The defining moment in a nation's civil rights movement to 
           say the least,
     As they traveled from far and wide,
     To hear freedom's cry, from all across this countryside,
     North, south, west and east.

     For freedom rang out loud that day,
     Yet, knowing he'd not see his children growing,
     Stayed and still he spoke of peace.

     In this our short lifetimes,
     How is one to measure or define?
     What is the true essence of man kind,
     In this, his lifetime?

     Men walk our earth, big and small,
     Black and white, short and tall,
     Rich and poor.
     How then the more can one measure and define?
     What is the true sum of a person's worth,
     here upon mother earth?
     The answer we find,
     Within one's deeds of a lifetime.

     Generations have come and gone,
     As one in our hearts now lives ever on,
     As all realize this the more as Martin is gone.

     In this our sweet ``country tis' of thee,''
     A man rose up a king to be,
     A true son of liberty
     For his life's work lives on.

     Reverend Dr. King,
     As across this nation, let freedom ring,
     As his courage and spirit would help to sing
     A new day's dawn!

     Equality for all, as he'd create,
     As straight up to heaven for his life's work his fate
     As heaven could not wait.
     Martin's dream, a world devoid of hate,
     Where black and white children would relate,
     This clarion call his golden fate.
     Now, up in our Lord's kingdom on high,
     His place found in heaven so divine,
     All because he preached love, not hate.

     This man of God,
     Who to our nation and to our world had so taught to all
     Of love and freedom as he had preached.
     A minister of God,
     A reverend for the Lord, the prince of peace,
     As out to all Martin, His envoy, had so reached.
     His message strong, his message beautiful and sweet,
     Non-violence in the fight for equality, as to all he'd 
           beseech.

     A beautiful man, a prince of peace, a Nobel Peace Prize he 
           reached,
     A heart of gold inside, as he battled all the lies.
     An educated man, who's dream of justice for all was his 
           life's plan.
     His vision was not forsaken, even as he died
     Traveling across our nation far and wide
     To preach peace and love to all, he strived,
     As one man helped turned the tide.

     Marching north to south, hand in hand,
     Praying and championing equality time and again,
     All led by this courageous man
     Freedom fighters, who upon buses chose
     To stand tall against the racism they opposed.
     As their courage would stand
     In his heart a great burning,
     His desire for equality and dignity for all were his life's 
           yearning,
     Spreading across the land.

     Marching down city streets,
     Armed with only courage,
     As hate and bigotry they would meet,
     So liberty could stand.
     Beaten, bloodied and arrested time and again
     His beautiful message they could not put to an end.
     They tried to take his freedom away,
     Inflicting pain in every way,

[[Page 4721]]

     As his freedom train traveled far across our land.

     Our nation torn, weary and worn,
     Fighting in a far off war
     As his message scored,
     Was so simple and so very pure:
     Nonviolence and dignity,
     The love of fellow woman and man
     And to be free. Justice our Lord's plan,
     He helped insure.
     Up in heaven on those dark days of hate,
     Our Lord watched and stood proud of the freedom he'd create,
     and his spirit endured.

     Then that dreaded day,
     As shots rang out in Memphis taking our breath away,
     As a nation wept on her darkest day
     As all who knew of his true worth,
     Understood the great blessings to our mother earth
     His life conveyed.

     A monumental loss;
     To our nation the greatest of all costs
     Tears flowing,
     As all knowing
     A hero was lost this day.

     We live in a far better world today,
     All because of our great American hero,
     This king among men who showed the way!
     His way of love, his way of peace,
     His road to equality beseeched,
     Leading us to love and peace,
     As the course he stayed.


     Stop this day and look around,
     Before you now as is found
     Our far better world of now,
     All for our children today.

     Still, his great works are not done,
     Look around you. The battle against racism is a long hard 
           fought one.
     Those seeds of freedom he had sown,
     All planted by our great American hero, have grown, from his 
           dream begun.
     ``I've been to the mountain top and I've looked down,''
     A bright future for our children he found,
     As he saw a rising sun.

     ``Free At Last'' in the kingdom of our Lord.
     Let it be told,
     Where hearts of pure gold
     Up to heaven shall surely pass,
     Foreever upon this earth, this wonderful man in history shall 
           come first
     As ``A King Among Men'' as his dye is cast
     In our Lord's eye he is ``A King Among Men,''
     There in our hearts ever a hero and a true friend,
     to worship from the past.

     Today, walking with child in hand,
     Respect and ever honor this blessed man
     For our world, this hero would transcend.
     His gift was great my friend,
     As a far better world devoid of hate
     From earth and heaven to our children he would send.
     Upon a mall
     Close your eyes and recall,
     Listen still we hear his words of freedom ring
     ``I Have A Dream''--A King, Among Men.

       To The Entire King Family and to Our Great American Hero, 
     The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, May Our Lord Bless 
     you.

     

                          ____________________