[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 15173]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        THE PASSING OF AL CASEY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the order of the House of 
January 20, 2004, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Frost) is recognized 
during morning hour debates for 1 minute.
  Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I rise this morning to mark the passing of a 
great and unique American, my friend Al Casey. Al died at his home in 
Dallas Saturday at the age of 84.
  Few people have led more productive and significant lives. Al Casey 
was chairman and CEO of American Airlines when the company made the 
decision to move its corporate headquarters from New York to north 
Texas in 1979. That single decision did more for the economy of the 
Dallas/Fort Worth area than anything that has happened in the last 25 
years. Today American Airlines is the largest single employer in the 
DFW metroplex. The ripple effects of its move will continue to be felt 
for many years.
  Al Casey was more than just a successful CEO of a major U.S. company. 
He served our country's president and chief executive of the Resolution 
Trust Corporation from 1991 to 1993. This was the entity charged with 
cleaning up the savings and loan mess in the southwestern part of our 
country. He served as Postmaster General of the United States in 1988 
and was Distinguished Executive in Residence at the Cox School of 
Business at SMU.
  Al Casey was my friend. Even though he was a committed Republican, he 
always had a kind and encouraging word for me whenever we saw each 
other at the many public functions he attended in Dallas. He was the 
most optimistic and genuine person I knew and made everyone feel better 
when they were in his presence.
  Though we came from different religious traditions, I do not think Al 
would mind if I used a Yiddish word to describe him. Al Casey was a 
mensch. We will all miss him.

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