[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 4]
[House]
[Page 4740]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       HONORING THE LIFE AND SERVICE OF THE HONORABLE GENE SNYDER

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Yarmuth) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, like my colleague from Kentucky, I rise to 
honor former Congressman Gene Snyder. Because we find ourselves both as 
a Congress and a country working to dig ourselves out of a divisive 
partisan trench, which in recent years has been characterized by petty 
attacks and contentiousness, my constituents may be surprised to know 
that I counted Gene Snyder as a friend.
  Gene, who was always more interested in the public than publicity, 
told me a story about a persistent reporter who badgered him about a 
meeting he wanted to cover. Gene didn't want the reporter at the 
meeting and refused to disclose the location. So when Gene spotted the 
reporter in his rearview mirror tailing him to the meeting, Gene said 
to heck with it. He told his aide to head for the mountains, and led 
the reporter on a 100-mile wild goose chase through Virginia.
  Now, as a former member of the news media, I won't applaud that 
tactic, but I admire the competitive spirit it exemplified. In any 
event, that was the last time that reporter tried to get the best of 
Gene.
  Although Gene and I enjoyed each other's company, you would be hard-
pressed to find more than a handful of issues upon which the honorable 
Gene Snyder and I agreed in the political arena. But political issues 
are only one part of this job, the other being serving one's 
constituents.
  As far apart as we sat on the ideological spectrum, Gene Snyder's 
model of constituent service is one I aspire to closely emulate. In his 
three decades of service, Congressman Snyder set the example of how to 
serve a district. He set the bar, and he set it high.
  When Gene held my seat, we in Louisville knew that we had a 
representative with an open door and an open ear for all of us. If it 
concerned our community, no matter, big or small, was unworthy of his 
attention. He welcomed us warmly, shared a laugh, and left us with a 
feeling that something would soon be done to address anything from a 
clerical glitch to the need for a new highway. Inevitably, and 
remarkably, for an age when distrust of a power-hungry government 
dominated, the issue would be handled effectively and expediently.
  As I now work to institute my own open door policy, I am consistently 
cognizant that I follow the example set by a predecessor and a friend, 
Gene Snyder. I look to him has a fervent believer that democracy stems 
not from politicians, but from the citizens we represent, and I 
endeavor to capture that spirit as he did.
  Gene Snyder was my representative, he was my friend, and he will be 
greatly missed. I hope my colleagues will join me in honoring his life 
and service to his constituents.

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