[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 3]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 3630]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




        HONORING THE LIFE OF ``SECRET SANTA,'' MR. LARRY STEWART

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                          HON. EMANUEL CLEAVER

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, February 8, 2007

  Mr. CLEAVER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Mr. Larry 
Stewart, more affectionately known as ``Secret Santa.'' He passed away 
January 12 of this year of complications from cancer of the esophagus. 
For 27 years during the Christmas season, he anonymously gave away more 
than 1.3 million dollars in cash to those that needed it most. Although 
he was a resident of Lee's Summit, Missouri in my Fifth Congressional 
district and was known as ``Secret Santa'' in the Kansas City area, he 
distributed his ``gifts'' from east coast to west coast and many areas 
of the country in between.
  He went to New York during the holiday season of 2001. He distributed 
$25,000 in $100 bills to the people of New York City who were still 
feeling the devastation of September 11. In 2002, he distributed cash 
``gifts'' in the Virginia area which was reeling from sniper attacks. 
In 2003, he visited the San Diego area which was being damaged by 
fires. And in 2004, he went to Florida where Larry gave nearly $30,000 
to those who had suffered damage from the hurricane. As can be seen, 
this man's generosity touched many of my colleagues' Congressional 
Districts. He also traveled to the Washington, D.C. area, Chicago, Las 
Vegas, and Mississippi, the state of his birth.
  Following the gifts in New York City, he appeared on the Oprah 
Winfrey show where he wore a Santa Claus costume to protect his 
identity. Only his family, and a handful of local law enforcement and 
fire officials knew his real identity, hence the name ``Secret Santa.'' 
Even though I was the Mayor of Kansas City, Missouri for 8 years during 
his gift giving escapades, I did not know who he was, and there was 
quite a bit of talk of who really was Secret Santa. As I said before, 
his ``gifts'' were of cash to the less fortunate. They were gifts from 
his heart and were never taken as a tax deduction. Much of the money he 
gave away was to people he saw on the street, at pool halls, pawn 
shops, and Laundromats--he went where the people were.
  This last holiday season, Larry came forward to reveal his real 
identity. For 26 years he was known only as ``Secret Santa,'' but he 
received word that the tabloids were about to announce who he really 
was. His final holiday season, he was able to give away $100,000 in 
memory of his late friend, the legendary ``Buck'' O'Neil, who had 
passed away in October 2006. This amount was increased by an additional 
$75,000 from ``elves'' who had come forward to carry on his program.
  Larry was a member of the Crime Commission Board, the Foundation 
Board for the St. Luke's Hospital, the Lee's Summit Economic 
Development Council, the Board of Directors of S.A.F.E., and the 
Eastern Jackson County Youth Court.
  Madam Speaker, please join me in expressing our heartfelt sympathy to 
his adult children, sons Joe, John, and Mark Stewart, as well as 
daughter Kimberly Stewart, and his many relatives and friends. He was a 
shining example of humanity and kindness. He gave of himself and asked 
nothing in return. I urge my colleagues to please join me in conveying 
our gratitude to his family for sharing this great man with us, and to 
accept our condolences for their tremendous loss. He was an inspiration 
to us all.

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