[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 13]
[Senate]
[Pages 17128-17129]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       CONGRESSMAN ROBERT GIAIMO

  Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to a former 
colleague and dear friend, Robert Giaimo, who passed away on May 24 of 
this year. He served the people of Connecticut and the United States as 
a Member of the House of Representatives for more than 20 years, and I 
want to speak to my colleagues today about the life and legacy of this 
dedicated public servant.
  Bob Giaimo was born in North Haven, CT on October 19, 1919, son of 
the late Rose and Rosario Giaimo. He attended North Haven public 
schools, and graduated from Fordham University before receiving his law 
degree from the University of Connecticut in 1943. During World War II, 
Bob served as a commissioned officer in the United States Army. When he 
returned, he served as the chairman of the State of Connecticut 
Personnel Appeals Board, as a member of the North Haven Board of 
Education, North Haven Board of Finance, and as third selectman of the 
town of North Haven.
  Bob Giaimo's public service culminated with his tenure in the House 
of Representatives. Elected in 1958, Congressman Giaimo represented 
Connecticut's third congressional district until his retirement in 
1980. During his eleven terms in office, Representative Giaimo served 
as a member of the House Education and Labor Committee between 1959 and 
1963, and went on to serve on the House Appropriations Committee. When 
the House Committee on the Budget was established in 1974, 
Representative Giaimo was elected to serve as a member, and was elected 
chairman of that committee in 1979. He was the first Connecticut 
Democrat and the first Connecticut Member of Congress since 1931 to 
chair a congressional committee.
  One of Congressman Giaimo's greatest legislative achievements was 
undoubtedly his 1965 sponsorship of the bill that created the National 
Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities, 
separate grant-making agencies that support our nation's painters, 
sculptors, writers, poets, and historians, among others. His dedication 
to this legislation has made an enormous contribution to America's 
cultural heritage.
  When I was elected to Congress in 1975, Bob was already a senior 
member of the House. But he very graciously took an interest in showing 
this newcomer the ways of that institution. With me, as with all who 
knew him, Bob was a public figure who led by example. Never one to seek 
the spotlight, Bob remained dedicated to the working families, the 
poor, the elderly, and others who cannot afford to buy a voice in 
Washington and who instead rely on their elected officials to look out 
for them in the corridors of power. The quality and caliber of this 
leadership will be missed and continues to inspire those of us who knew 
him and who serve in public life.
  My wife Jackie and I offer our deepest condolences to his wife 
Marion, his daughter Barbara, and his granddaughter Tracey. They have 
lost a beloved member of their family. And the people of Connecticut 
and our Nation have lost a dedicated public servant and an exceptional 
man.
  I was honored to attend Representative Giaimo's memorial service on 
June 1, and found the eulogy, delivered by Reverend Hugh MacDonald, to 
be particularly moving. I ask unanimous consent that the text of the 
eulogy be printed in the Record.

                         Eulogy: Robert Giaimo

                (Reverend Hugh MacDonald, June 1, 2006)

       The great cathedrals of Europe are a glorious part of our 
     Christian heritage--towering testimonials to an Age of Faith. 
     But anyone who now visits these sublime buildings soon 
     realizes that they also have a history as cemeteries for the 
     celebrated.
       Whether interred in the basement crypts or encased in 
     magnificent tombs scattered around the sanctuary and aisles, 
     the famous dead almost vie for attention with our living 
     worship.
       My personal favorite among cathedral tombs is in the 
     Cathedral of Saint Richard in the city of Chichester on the 
     southern coast of England. In the north aisle of that elegant 
     church is a massive stone sepulcher containing the remains of 
     the fourteenth-century Earl of Arundel and his countess. Side 
     by side, atop the monument, lie their carved stone 
     likenesses.
       A famous warrior, he is clad in medieval armor, and his 
     feet rest up on a lion--the symbol of bravery. On his right, 
     his wife is shown in nun-like robes, her feet resting on a 
     small dog--symbol of fidelity.
       Purely as sculpture, the Arundel tomb is not all that 
     impressive, and six centuries have blurred the once precise 
     details of the carved faces. But what finally rivets your 
     attention is their hands! The universal custom in pious 
     monument-sculpture is for the hands to be stiffly folded on 
     the chest, pointing heavenward in a gesture of everlasting 
     prayer.
       Not so with the Arundels! His left arm lies at his side, 
     and in that left hand he holds the empty glove (or gauntlet) 
     for his right hand. So, immediately your eyes seek out that 
     right hand. His right arm is also relaxed at his side, and 
     the hand is thus concealed by the overlapping folds of the 
     countess's robe as she lies beside him. But if you go to the 
     foot of the monument and stoop down a bit, you can discover 
     their touching secret. Under the carved armor and the pleated 
     dress, their hands are clasped in tender love!
       I find that detail enormously moving. We know almost 
     nothing now about the once famous exploits of this heroic 
     earl and nothing whatsoever about his wife. And in the 
     cathedral that houses their bones, the centuries have 
     witnessed violent religious wars and the cruel ravages of 
     time. But through it all and despite it all, those clasped 
     hands are a reminder of what is noblest in our lives and in 
     our legacy. The poet Philip Larkin put it beautifully in the 
     final line of his meditation on the Arundel tomb when he 
     wrote: ``What will survive of us is love.''
       Those words sprang to my mind on Monday after I had talked 
     on the phone with Barbara about the shining love her parents 
     shared. Robert and Marion were married here at Saint Barnabas 
     sixty-one years ago. Sadly, poor health prevents Marion from 
     being here with us this morning for this Mass of Christian 
     Burial.
       But in fact every celebration of the Eucharist reminds us 
     that nothing can truly separate us from our love of the Lord 
     or our love of each other. Not miles or years or even death! 
     Love is always present tense, and love never comes to an 
     end!!
       Clearly, what God asks of us is not just theoretical love, 
     love-in-the-abstract. Not at all! God challenges you and me 
     to flesh out our love in acts of living prayer and lives of 
     authentic service. Unless our hands are clasped in love, 
     nothing else really matters.
       Robert Giaimo understood that challenge, and he lived that 
     faith with sincerity and simple conviction. Harry Truman (God 
     bless him!) once said that the politicians of his era used to 
     pour God over everything--like ketchup! (By the way, I don't 
     know what President Truman would have to say about the 
     current level of religiosity in our political discourse, but 
     I for one would dearly love to hear it!!!)
       But Bob Giaimo's faith was never showy or self-
     congratulatory. He didn't preach sermons, he just served 
     people.
       This was a man who regularly walked the corridors of power, 
     but never forgot his roots, his heritage, his humanity. His 
     towering stature made him an imposing presence, but his 
     genuine humility made him a caring person and a lasting 
     friend. And, of course, a deeply devoted husband, father, and 
     grandfather.
       The pulpit is not a place to assess his political 
     achievements, but I can't resist a heartfelt ``Thank you!'' 
     to the man who was so influential in creating the National 
     Endowment for the Arts and Humanities. He firmly believed 
     that the arts not only enrich our lives but actually instruct 
     us how to live. (That's one of the reasons I began this 
     eulogy with that Arundel anecdote.)
       Our brother has now passed beyond our sight but not at all 
     beyond our reach. He is quite literally only a prayer away. 
     And on each day of our continuing journey of faith, he will 
     continue through the power of his prayer to reach into our 
     lives: to touch us, to lead us, to help us. Because, for 
     Robert Giaimo it has always been quite personal!
       And isn't that precisely the point Jesus is making in 
     today's gospel selection? Notice the Lord did not say to His 
     anxious Apostle: ``Thomas, I will show you the way, I will 
     teach you the truth, I will give you life.'' No: it's 
     absolutely personal. ``Thomas, I AM the Way and the Truth and 
     the Life.''
       No one was ever saved by words or rituals, by laws or 
     creeds. We are saved by the powerful Person of the Lord, and 
     we show our acceptance of that great gift by cherishing all 
     the precious people who share our journey.
       So, when all is said and done, Bob Giaimo's gift to us was 
     not a legacy of laws but of loving service. Power passes, and 
     fame is fleeting. ``What will survive of us is love.''

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