[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 3]
[House]
[Page 3405]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     HONORING THE LIFE OF RAY BECK

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Gingrey) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. GINGREY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the memory 
of football all-star and community hero Ray Beck, who passed away 
recently in Cedartown, Georgia.
  Mr. Beck is a football legend both in my home State of Georgia and 
across the Nation. After 4 years as a star on the Cedartown High School 
football team, Ray attended Georgia Tech, my alma mater, to play guard 
for the legendary coach Bobby Dodd.
  In 1951, he was named an All-American by the American Football 
Coaches Association and the Football Writers Association. That same 
year, he helped lead Georgia Tech to an 11-1 record and an Orange Bowl 
victory over Baylor University.
  After college, Beck was drafted by the New York Giants. He was part 
of the 1956 World Championship Team. And Madam Speaker, that team 
included the likes of Y.A. Tittle, Kyle Rote and Sam Huff. They led the 
Giants to a 56-7 victory over the Chicago Bears, a far more lopsided 
score than the Indianapolis Colts achieved this past weekend.
  On the football field, Ray was known as a team player, someone who 
gave his all to the game. Because of his tremendous work ethic he was 
inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame and the College Football 
Hall of Fame.
  But Ray was more than just a football player. He was an active and 
enthusiastic supporter of the Cedartown community. The same attitude 
that made him a star on the field made him a hero in his community. 
There is hardly an organization in Cedartown that hasn't been touched 
by Beck's generosity.
  Madam Speaker, he was chairman of the Cedartown Development 
Authority. He was president of the Cedartown Chamber of Commerce, a 
member of the Polk Medical Center Advisory Board, a board member of the 
Georgia Motor Trucking Association.
  But perhaps he will be best remembered for a charity golf tournament 
he arranged with his long time friend, Doc Ayers. This annual event 
raised thousands of dollars for Polk County, for charities such as 
children's literacy and all the way to local food banks.
  It is a little wonder Beck was named Citizen of Excellence by the 
Cedartown Civic Arts Commission for his philanthropy to this great 
community.
  One of Ray's former teammates commented that he was, and I quote, 
``one of the people you could always count on.'' Ray took that attitude 
from the football field to the community of Cedartown, and his 
contributions to both will live on as his legacy. I send my deepest, 
deepest condolences to his wife, Claire, and to his whole family. I 
know all of Polk County mourns your loss.
  Madam Speaker, as a younger generation looks to sport stars as heroes 
and role models, I hope they come across men like Ray Beck. He was 
committed to his team and committed to his community. He gave his all 
on the field and then gave back to the town where he was raised. He was 
generous with his time, his wisdom and his energy, and Cedartown, 
Georgia, is a far, far better place because of him.
  Madam Speaker, I ask that you join me in honoring the legacy of Ray 
Beck.

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