[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 21]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 28785]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        IN MEMORY OF HANK GROVER

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. RALPH M. HALL

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, December 15, 2005

  Mr. HALL. Mr. Speaker, I am saddened to announce the passing of a 
great Texan, Henry Cushing ``Hank'' Grover, a man of singular vision 
and integrity. Born of humble roots in Corpus Christi, Texas, and 
raised in San Antonio during the Great Depression, Hank understood what 
it was to be humble and poor.
  The middle child of eight, Hank was raised with solid grounding in 
those values Americans hold dear. His mother was a German immigrant, 
and his father was a descendent of Irish roots. Hank was a sixth 
generation Texan, whose family predated even the Republic of Texas. His 
great-great grandfather was the first European doctor on Texas soil, 
and his studies of Kickapoo medicine are archived in The University of 
Texas library. His ancestor was a Minuteman in the Revolutionary War. 
His great uncle fought at San Jacinto. Another great uncle was a 
founder of Lawrence, Kansas, and ran an underground railroad out of his 
barn. Hank's father was a childhood friend of Jesse James and Harry S. 
Truman, in Independence, Kansas.
  With this family background, it is no surprise that Hank studied 
history as an undergraduate at the University of Saint Thomas and 
received his master's degree from the University of Houston. He taught 
history at Lamar High School in the 1950s, where he had such a profound 
effect on his students that many entered public service, becoming 
attorneys, judges and legislators. His students encouraged him to run 
for office, and he first stood for the Texas House in 1959 and was 
first elected in 1961. He served three terms as a Democrat in the Texas 
House, then switched to the Republican Party in 1965, a radical move in 
Texas at that time, and won three more terms as Senator from District 
15.
  In 1972 Hank ran for governor of Texas and came within 200,000 votes 
of victory--an amazing accomplishment in a state that had not elected a 
Republican Governor since Reconstruction. Hank's race helped strengthen 
the Republican Party in Texas and set the stage for Republican Mark 
White to be elected Governor. He also was the largest private 
contributor in the effort to elect Ronald Regan as President in 1980.
  Hank believed deeply in limited government and fiscal responsibility. 
He sought to limit federal power and to rein in deficit spending both 
at the state and federal level. His was a moral and ethical view, 
grounded in the history and culture of America. Hank also was devoted 
to his family--his wonderful wife of 56 years, Kathleen Downey Grover, 
and his children, Bernard Downey, Bridget Cushing, Joseph Courtney, 
Hilary Helen, Laetitia Jane, and Patrick Fleming (who served on my 
staff).
  Mr. Speaker, as we complete the Nation's business today, let us do so 
in honor and in memory of this great American who dedicated his life to 
upholding the values on which America was founded and whose legacy will 
live on through his family, his friends and the many students whose 
lives he influenced. Let us pay our last respects to Henry Cushing 
``Hank'' Grover.

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