[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 1]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 283-284]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               IN MEMORY OF THE HONORABLE JOHN HENRY KYL

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. FRANK R. WOLF

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, January 7, 2003

  Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, I want to call to the attention of our 
colleagues the passing of the Honorable John Henry Kyl, who served as a 
member of the House of Representatives for six terms in the 1960s and 
1970s from the state of Iowa. He was 83 years old and the father of 
Arizona Senator Jon Kyl, and I know firsthand how proud he was of his 
son's own public service.
  I count myself fortunate to have known and worked with John Kyl. He 
was a hardworking, decent, and honorable man who was widely respected 
on both sides of the aisle, especially for his work on the Interior and 
Insular Affairs Committee. I met him in that capacity when I served as 
an assistant to then Interior Secretary Rogers C.B. Morton in the early 
1970s.
  The Interior Committee was a perfect fit for John Kyl, who deeply 
respected America's public lands and Native Americans. In Congress, he 
sponsored a bill that ultimately led to the creation of the Lewis and 
Clark National Historic Trail. When his service in Congress ended in 
1972, he was named assistant secretary for congressional and 
legislative affairs at the Department of the Interior, where I was 
proud to work by his side. He served there from 1973 to 1977. Before 
retiring to Phoenix, Arizona, in 1985, he was executive vice president 
of Occidental International Corporation. He also had been a public 
school teacher before beginning his political career.
  Mr. Speaker, I will include following my remarks an obituary from the 
January 6, 2003, edition of Roll Call, headlined, ``Kyl Viewed Life 
Through Lens of Camera.'' In addition to his dedication to public 
service, John Kyl was an accomplished amateur photographer who captured 
on film the everyday scenes of life that we often overlook in what has 
become our too hurried paces.
  We offer our condolences to John's wife, Arlene, of Phoenix, 
daughters Jayne Kyl, of Phoenix, and Jan Martin, of Des Moines, and, of 
course, his son, Senator Kyl. He is also survived by a brother and a 
sister, six grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.

                     [From Roll Call, Jan. 6, 2003]

                 Kyl Viewed Life Through Lens of Camera

                           (By Bree Hocking)

       When it came to appreciating life's simple beauties, no 
     aspect was too small for the gimlet eye of former Republican 
     Rep. John Kyl (Iowa).
       The 83-year-old Kyl, the father of Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz), 
     died in his sleep just two days before Christmas from 
     complications of heart disease and diabetes.
       During his decades-long career in Washington--first as a 
     Hawkeye State Congressman and later as an assistant secretary 
     at the Interior Department--Kyl was seldom without his Canon 
     camera, snapping everything from the monuments at night to 
     the ordinary scenes that make up the day-to-day Washington 
     tableau.
       While his photographs of the capital's loftier sites still 
     warm the walls of the Capitol Hill Club's Grill Room--and a 
     picture he took of the Capitol holiday tree once graced the 
     cover of the National Republican Club's magazine--it was the 
     quotidian that particularly intrigued him.
       ``He was always a photographer . . . and a lot of [his 
     subjects] were the out-of-the-way places that most people 
     probably never realized existed. We whiz by these things as 
     we are driving or walking, but we don't stop to take a 
     look,'' said Sen. Kyl.
       ``I just came across an album as we were looking through 
     his things--a very large album of all Washington, D.C., 
     photos and most of them, probably 80 or 90 percent, were 
     street scenes: street people, storefronts with a lot of 
     graffiti on them, or just a park bench right after a 
     snowstorm,'' Kyl added.
       While his father initially advised him against running for 
     Congress, Sen. Kyl credited the lessons learned at the feet 
     of the elder Kyl with his own political success. For example, 
     the former public school teacher insisted his son be equipped 
     to operate effectively in the public arena.
       ``He got some of my friends and me together when we were in 
     high school . . . and he said, `You all need to learn to do 
     public speaking, so I'll teach you what I can here.'''
       ``My father was [also] a kind of frustrated farmer. We 
     always lived in town but we always leased land and we always 
     had livestock. He was really proud when I showed the grand 
     champion steer at the county fair,'' the Senator recalled 
     fondly.
       The elder Kyl--who lost his first bid for Congress in 1958 
     but won a special election for a seat in 1959--went on to 
     serve five additional terms, though not consecutively.
       While in Congress, Kyl devoted himself to his work on the 
     Interior and Insular Affairs Committee, which included 
     significant contributions to the genesis of the Lewis and 
     Clark trail project, the younger Kyl said.
       ``He always stressed to me his ability to work on a 
     bipartisan basis. . . . He was proud that Wayne Aspinall 
     [then Democratic chairman of the Interior and Insular Affairs 
     Committee] would turn the gavel over to him or turn a bill 
     over to him to manage on the floor as if it were not a 
     partisan matter.''
       After losing his 1964 re-election bid, Kyl came back to 
     triumph in 1966, then won seats in the two succeeding 
     Congresses and served as a deputy to then-Minority Leader 
     Gerald Ford (R-Mich.).
       However, in 1972, redistricting forced him to run in a more 
     Democratic district, and he was bested in a Member-versus-
     Member Contest by Rep. Neal Smith (D-Iowa).
       ``If he was defeated, he understood,'' noted Kyl. ``It 
     wasn't the end of his life.''
       Soon after, the Nixon administration tapped Kyl as 
     assistant secretary for Congressional and legislative affairs 
     at the Interior Department, where he served from 1973 to 
     1977.
       In 1977, he joined the Occidental International Corporation 
     as executive vice president, a post he held until retiring to 
     Phoenix, Ariz., in 1985.
       Shortly thereafter, he had the pleasure of seeing his son, 
     now the junior Senator from Arizona, win a seat in the House 
     of Representatives.
       ``There aren't many father-son combinations from different 
     states. Most of the father-son combinations are from the same 
     state,'' Kyl noted.
       In addition to his Senator son, Kyl is survived by his wife 
     Arlene, two daughters, one sister, one brother, six 
     grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.

 PAYING TRIBUTE TO: DURANGO-LA PLATA EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS CENTRAL 
                                DISPATCH

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. SCOTT McINNIS

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, January 8, 2003

  Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride that I rise today to 
recognize the Durango-La Plata Emergency Communications Central 
Dispatch for their service and dedication during one of Colorado's most 
formidable fire seasons. Last summer, the Central Dispatch played an 
integral role in containing the Missionary Ridge forest fire that 
burned over 70,000 acres in Southwestern Colorado. Today, I would like 
to pay tribute to their heroic efforts before this body of Congress and 
this nation.
  When the Missionary Ridge fire first erupted last June, the citizens 
of Durango, Bayfield and the surrounding communities, the Durango-La 
Plata Central Dispatch worked to protect the homes and lives of their 
loved ones and community members from what would become the worst fire 
in area history. The fire began in a ditch beside Missionary Ridge 
Road, just 15 miles northeast of Durango, and grew to consume more than 
70,000 acres, 56 residences, and 27 outbuildings.
  Although the Missionary Ridge fire was a devastating reminder of how 
destructive forest fires can be, it also served to remind us of the men 
and women who dedicate their lives to protecting their fellow citizens 
on a daily basis. The Durango-La Plata Central Dispatch has roots 
reaching back to 1976, when it consolidated the dispatch communications 
for area agencies. Others have looked to Durango-La Plata Central 
Dispatch as a model for combining dispatch functions. Today, its 17 
employees and technicians routinely handle 11,000 calls and 6,000 fire, 
medical, and law enforcement incidents per month. During the Missionary 
Ridge Fire, several organizations stepped up and volunteered to help 
manage the 60% increase in calls. Throughout the 22 days of the fire, 
the Colorado Mountain Rangers, Search and Rescue, Civil Air Patrol, and 
concerned citizens voluntarily manned the Emergency Operations Command, 
as well as the Fire Information Line. The Durango-La Plata Central 
Dispatch's guidance and coordination helped manage over 5000 donated 
man-hours, handling an estimated 35,000 to 50,000 fire related calls. 
The expertise and leadership from the Durango-La Plata Central Dispatch 
illustrate the dedication and readiness with which these men and women 
serve the citizens of Durango.
  Mr. Speaker, it is with sincere admiration that I recognize the 
Durango-La Plata Central Dispatch before this body of Congress and this 
nation. I want to commend all of the Durango-La Plata Central 
Dispatch's personnel for their determination, courage, and resolve 
during last summer's efforts on Missionary Ridge. Without the help of 
the Durango-La Plata Central Dispatch and others, the added devastation 
to our community, environment, and quality of life would have been 
unimaginable. Their tireless commitment throughout

[[Page 284]]

the summer's exhaustive fire season has served as an inspiration to us 
all and it is an honor to represent such an outstanding group of 
Americans in this Congress.

                          ____________________