[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 6]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 7097-7099]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  IN TRIBUTE TO THE HONORABLE ED PEASE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. PETE SESSIONS

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 20, 2004

  Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the work of an 
outstanding individual, the Honorable Ed Pease, former Congressman to 
the people of the 7th District of Indiana, on the conclusion of his 
second term as the volunteer International President of the North 
American Interfraternity Conference (NIC). I am proud to have known and 
worked with Ed Pease in a number of roles as a former colleague, a 
fellow Eagle Scout and Boy Scout leader, a friend for life and a 
fraternity brother.
  Ed Pease graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Indiana University and the 
Indiana University

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Law School. After a period of private practice, he was elected to the 
Indiana State Senate and served for 12 years, where he chaired the 
Judiciary Committee and was responsible for major reform of the state's 
criminal justice system. Outside the legislature, Ed worked for Indiana 
State University in Terre Haute as General Counsel and later became the 
University's Vice President for Advancement.
  From 1997 to 2001, I had the pleasure of working alongside Ed Pease 
in the U.S. House of Representatives, where Ed was considered one of 
the GOP's rising stars. During his time in Congress, Ed was a valuable 
member of both the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the 
Judiciary Committee. At the conclusion of the 106th Congress, Ed 
retired from the House so he could spend more time with his family and 
friends. His retirement was a loss for this House, for the people of 
the seventh district of Indiana, and for our country. During his time 
in Congress, Ed Pease was widely hailed by his peers as a smart, hard 
working, unassuming Member who cared more about getting the job done 
than getting credit for his achievements.
  Mr. Speaker, Ed Pease might have retired from the House in 2001, but 
he has not retired from a career of selfless public service. It is this 
second career of volunteer service that I have come to praise today. 
Throughout his career, regardless of the significant time demands of 
his professional life, Ed has always made it a priority to serve as a 
community leader in organizations that build the values and morals of 
America's young men and women. Ed has a long history of service to the 
Boy Scouts of America both at the national council level and here in 
Washington for the National Capitol Area Council. Ed has also been 
Chairman of the Boy Scouts' National Order of the Arrow Committee. He 
has been President of the Philmont Staff Association which supports the 
Philmont Scout Camp in New Mexico, the Boy Scouts of America's premier 
high-adventure camp that has taught thousands of young men valuable 
lessons that last a lifetime.
  Ed Pease's commitment to the moral development of young men has 
extended past scouting to working with college fraternities, the 
organizations that build the character and leadership skills of tens of 
thousands of college men every year. Mr. Speaker, it is Ed's 
exceptional work for fraternity men nationwide that I rise to recognize 
today. Ed and I share the bond as brothers of the Pi Kappa Alpha 
Fraternity. He was initiated into the Delta Xi chapter of Pi Kappa 
Alpha Fraternity at Indiana University on February 26, 1971. Ed's 
membership in Pi Kappa Alpha shapes the values that would direct his 
career of public service. In 1973, he was named the national 
fraternity's outstanding undergraduate member before serving on the 
staff on the national organization. He has a long history as a chapter 
advisor to Pi Kappa Alpha's Indiana State chapter, and in 1983, Ed 
Pease was named Pi Kappa Alpha's national chapter advisor of the year. 
From there, Ed has served in a number of leadership roles at the 
national level, including four years as National Vice President and two 
years as National President of Pi Kappa Alpha. Ed is currently serving 
as the Secretary/Treasurer of the Pi Kappa Alpha Educational 
Foundation.
  Ed Pease has not been content to serve just his own brothers for he 
has had a larger mission of improving the collegiate experience of all 
men and women who join a college fraternity. For that reason, Ed Pease 
was elected to the North American Interfraternity Board of Directors in 
1995. The NIC is the umbrella group for 66 national fraternities that 
have 350,000 undergraduate members and 4.2 million living alumni 
worldwide. In 1999, Ed Pease was elected President of the NIC and 
served the organization in that capacity for one year.
  Now Mr. Speaker, it is hard to explain Ed Pease's contribution to the 
fraternity world without explaining what fraternity life is all about. 
There are those in today's society who like to belittle the virtue of 
the college fraternity experience but they don't really understand how 
important a role these organizations play in positively influencing the 
development of tomorrow's leaders. The critics hold up the actions of a 
few people as an indictment of a system that has done much for our 
nation. Nine million Americans are proud fraternity and sorority alumni 
and their experiences in these organizations helped them become better 
students and better citizens of our great nation. While only three 
percent of the nation's population has been a member of a fraternity or 
sorority, these organizations are proven leadership laboratories for 
developing the next generation of American leaders. For proof, you need 
look no further than this Congress itself, where 110 current Members of 
the House of Representatives are alumni of fraternities and sororities, 
as are 45 current Senators.
  College fraternities and sororities are one of the most successful 
leadership development programs available to college students today, 
helping members graduate with the management and interpersonal skills 
needed to excel in today's society. These fraternities are the nation's 
largest networks of student volunteers, providing 10 million hours of 
service a year and preparing members for a lifetime of community 
involvement. Fraternity housing is the largest not-for-profit housing 
market outside of the host colleges and universities themselves. The 
250,000 students living in fraternity housing today at 8,000 chapter 
houses nationwide have an unparalleled opportunity to live and work 
together on a daily basis with students from different cultures, 
religions and life experiences. Fraternities are now the largest, most 
visible, and most active values-based organizations on college campuses 
today. The men and women who are fraternity members today learn how to 
incorporate the principles and values of their organization into their 
daily lives to form the moral foundation for their future actions. In 
2002, the NIC was undergoing some dramatic and fundamental 
restructuring of its Board of Directors, with an eye on improving its 
ability to serve its student and alumni members. In need of a leader 
with a steady hand and an outstanding vision for the future, the NIC 
turned to Ed Pease who was re-elected President.
  In the past two years, the NIC has undergone some major changes that 
better position it to advocate for and enforce higher standards for the 
men who join its fraternal organizations. As part of that change, Ed 
Pease has focused the NIC's efforts on asking Congress to help college 
fraternities provide a better experience for their members. Ed's focus 
has been on issues such as freedom of association, membership 
standards, infrastructure improvements, tax law, leadership 
development, and scholastic excellence. He has helped restart the 
Congressional Fraternal Caucus, an organization I am proud to chair, 
along with Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones. Through Ed Pease's 
efforts and outreach to his former colleagues, the Collegiate Housing 
and Infrastructure Act has been introduced and sponsored by 65 members 
of the House and 15 members of the Senate. Last September, this House 
included the Collegiate Housing and Infrastructure Act as part of the 
Charitable Giving Act of 2003 that passed with overwhelming bipartisan 
support. If that bill becomes law, it will allow all student 
associations on college campuses to use a private market approach to 
upgrade and replace their facilities in the future, thus making it 
possible for these student groups to continue to thrive for decades to 
come. These initiatives are so typical of Ed and his accomplishments in 
the public arena over the past 30 years: He creates lasting legacies 
that leave institutions better than he found them.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to share with you some representative 
remarks from Ed's peers in the fraternity world, for they show how 
deeply he is respected for his work on behalf of college students 
everywhere. Ray Orians is the Executive Vice President of the Pi Kappa 
Alpha Fraternity, of which Ed Pease and I are members. Ray Orians says 
``Ed Pease personifies leadership with integrity. Ed's favorite role in 
the fraternal world, despite his many achievements, was that of chapter 
advisor, for it was in that position where he could be a respected and 
influential teacher who is constantly rewarded by his students' 
accolades and responses well into life.'' Jon Williamson is the 
Executive Vice President of the North American Interfraternity Council 
and has worked closely with Ed Pease for several years. He describes Ed 
Pease as a dignified, articulate consensus builder who ``sees his goal 
as a servant leader with the ultimate goal the greater good of the 
college student and he envisions the college fraternity as the vehicle 
to accomplish that.''
  Mr. Speaker, at the end of April, Mr. Jim Estes of Kappa Alpha Order 
will be sworn in as the new National President of the North American 
Interfraternity Conference. I welcome Mr. Estes and look forward to the 
opportunity to work with him to improve the fraternal experience for 
today's college students. But as I welcome Mr. Estes to his new 
position of responsibility, I ask this chamber to join me in 
recognizing our friend and former colleague Ed Pease for his 
outstanding decades of service to the college fraternity world. I know 
he will continue to be an active and visible part of the fraternity 
movement in the future, but now is the moment to thank Ed Pease for his 
dedication, his vision and his selflessness in leading the fraternal 
community to better days.

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