[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 2]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 2787]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          TRIBUTE TO BILL CROW

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. JOHN ABNEY CULBERSON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 27, 2008

  Mr. CULBERSON. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize and honor the 
dedicated public service of a long time friend and member of my staff, 
Bill Crow. Bill and his wife Jan have been two of my closest and most 
trusted advisers since I first ran for State representative back in 
1986. While Jan served as my district director during my seven terms in 
the State legislature and my first two terms in Congress, Bill served 
as my chief of staff for 3 years and my special projects director for 
the last 2 years.
  Bill and Jan have always been much more than just members of my 
staff; they are part of my family. Having served as a legislator for 
over 20 years, I rely heavily on my own instincts to guide many of the 
most difficult decisions, but I have come to rely just as heavily on 
the sound advice and good judgment of Bill Crow. Although Bill readily 
admits, as does any good husband, that his best ideas actually come 
from Jan.
  Bill began his career as a geologist who dabbled in politics, but he 
is ending his career as a skilled political adviser with a degree in 
geology. My work schedule keeps me in Washington much more than I would 
like, but with Bill and Jan serving as my eyes and ears in Houston, I 
felt like I never missed a beat. Bill is locally renowned as an expert 
on transportation policy, having spearheaded my work on the Katy 
Freeway reconstruction and improving access to the Texas Medical 
Center. He also led the effort to promote and fund the groundbreaking 
collaborative research being done by the Alliance for Nanohealth, and 
he assembled a first-rate team of doctors and scientists to serve as my 
Science Advisory Board, which is vital to my work on the House 
Appropriations Committee.
  Any veteran legislator will tell you that the most valued members of 
their staff are not the ones who tell them they did a good job, but the 
ones who tell them how they can do a better job. Bill and Jan were 
those members of my staff, which is why I still seek them out after any 
public appearance or speech I have in Houston. Although retirement will 
allow them to spend more time with their family, I take solace knowing 
that Bill and Jan will stay active and engaged in local politics and 
that they will remain a permanent fixture in my family.

                          ____________________