[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 6] [Extensions of Remarks] [Pages 8937-8939] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]PAYING TRIBUTE TO BILL O'NEILL ______ HON. JOHN B. LARSON of connecticut in the house of representatives Tuesday, May 13, 2008 Mr. LARSON of Connecticut. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay great honor to William A. O'Neil, who passed away on November 24, 2007. Bill O'Neill was Governor of the State of Connecticut from 1980 until 1991. Before he held Connecticut's highest office, during his Governorship, and after, he was a mentor and friend. I had the great honor to serve in Connecticut's General Assembly with Bill O'Neill when he was Governor of the State of Connecticut. Bill and Nikki O'Neill were long time friends of East Hartford. Nikki was an educator in my hometown of East Hartford and Bill and I shared a longstanding political friendship from his time in the House of Representatives, where he rose to majority leader, to State party chairman, Lieutenant Governor, and then, of course, Governor of the State. He was the embodiment of decency and humility. When my father passed away in 1988, Governor and Nikki O'Neill stood in line for more than 2 hours to pay their respects. Though offered countless times to come to the front of the line, he said politely, ``I'll stand here with others who are waiting to pay their final respects.'' His actions made him forever revered in the Larson family and were legendary in East Hartford. It is a great honor for me to submit for the Congressional Record the words spoken at the funeral services of Connecticut's Governor who, like the sweater he wore in his television ads, made us feel comfortable and at home with a man who understood the everyday problems of the citizens he served so nobly. The eloquence of the funeral remarks captures the sentiment in St. Patrick's Church that day in East Hampton and all across Connecticut. I submit them as a tribute to Governor O'Neill and his loving wife Nikki. The following are the eulogies of Governor Jodi Rell, James Wade, George Hannon, and the lyrics to the song ``We'll Meet Again,'' during which the entire congregation joined Nikki in a final goodbye: In Memory of Governor William A. O'Neill To Nikki and to all of Governor O'Neill's family and friends, on behalf of the State of Connecticut I certainly want to offer our deepest condolences. Nikki, you and Bill were truly a team, a real team. It was always Bill and Nikki, Nikki and Bill. You shared an incredible love; you shared so much, including the ups and downs of life and politics. You shared laughter, memories and friends, and a beloved hideaway home right here. You were fortunate to have each other, and to share your lives with each other. And you were blessed with a great many friends, true friends, real friends--not just acquaintances--that became a family. The Governor's Irish Gang, including Wade and Hannon is legendary. In fact, some of those tales told at the Capitol of their exploits have become bigger and bigger. A lot of them were told this week, like fish stories, they do keep getting bigger and bigger with each retelling. But like all of us we continue to laugh at the end of each, as if we had never heard them before. And that's how many of us will remember Bill O'Neill, with a fond smile and a little wry laughter. We will also remember his humanity, his common touch, and his uncommon leadership. He steadied the state at a time when its heart was broken. He led us through difficult financial times and he blazed many a path for equity and advancement. He made a lasting contribution to our education system, our transportation infrastructure, healthcare and veterans issues. His accomplishments were many and they were far reaching and they were lasting. And he never lost himself in the glare of being Governor. He was simply Bill O'Neill, he was someone who loved politics and loved public service. A guy from East Hampton who was honored to be elected to office by his friends and neighbors. A guy who fiercely protected that public trust throughout his entire career. He was a man of his word and he was a man of integrity. Someone who too often was underestimated and frankly too often underappreciated. Someone who never ever dreamed of being Lieutenant Governor or Governor of this great state of Connecticut, but was both and was darned good at it. His legacy will last for generations and his successes and contributions will last for longer, much longer than that. I received a card this morning in my mail and it really just kind of hit me and it was someone who knew Bill O'Neill briefly; I just wanted to share a couple of points with you. He said dear Governor Rell, I was greatly saddened with the passing of Governor O'Neill this past weekend. I will never forget how gracious and passionate he was during my ten years as a summer tourism supervisor for the Dept. of Economic Development. I remember especially an August day in 1990 when I had a photo session with him, saluting my ten years with the State of Connecticut as just a part timer. I remember he had unusually large hands as he squeezed my right hand, the bond we shared during those ten years was both real and present at that moment. I only hope that I am so gracious as the Governor was to me in his retiring year, just as his loss is huge I salute both him and the Office of the Governor on this day. Many people talk about Bill O'Neill just the common man, here's a man who met him just once for a photo-op, shook his hand, had his picture taken with him and remembers it this many years later. That's the kind of man Bill O'Neill was. I'm just going to tell you one quick story, and I promise I will never try to compete with Wade and Hannon. I had the occasion to meet Governor O'Neill at an event after I was sworn in as Governor; and I said to him, Nikki was there, I said,``Governor, I just want to tell you, I want to apologize for anything I ever said bad about you, or to you, because you don't know what it's like being Governor until you're on that side of the desk, and he looked at me and said, Jodi, you never said anything bad about me, that I can remember. And I know that you never said anything bad to me. Good luck.'' And I thanked him. I want to say thank you to you Nikki, for sharing him with us, he absolutely adored you and that is evident in his life and love of you.--Governor M. Jodi Rell ____ Bill O'Neill was not a proud person. Modest, humble, self- effacing--now those are words you would associate with Bill O'Neill. But never proud. During his years as governor, his pollster, Al Unger, would periodically take the pulse of the electorate to see how he was doing with them. He would ask the voter, ``If you could describe Bill O'Neill in a single word, what would it be?'' Year after year the unsuggested responses came back: ``Honest,'' ``Reliable,'' ``Trustworthy''.As Al said,``Not a bad set of words to describe how you are perceived by your fellow citizens.'' Not a proud man, but what I call a ``proud of' man. By that, I mean he was proud of the people, the institutions and the places he served that molded his character. For example, Bill O'Neill was proud of being Irish. As you know, his mother was born in Ireland. On some of his trips there he would visit his mother's home town of Port Laiose and spend time with the locals just to absorb the atmosphere that helped shape his mother, her thoughts and ideas. On one trip, he went to a rugby match and wound up the evening in a rugby club in Limerick full of rowdy, laughing, singing rugby players.O'Neill broke into a ballad called ``Til We Meet Again'' in a pure tenor voice. He brought the place to silence with not a dry eye in the house. Now there was a side of BillO'Neill that the Connecticut public never saw. He was proud of being Catholic. It was a quiet, ingrained faith that he did not wear on his sleeve or drag out in an election year to pick up a few votes. Rather, it gave him an abiding moral code which impacted his entire life and decision-making process. And, of course, he was proud of being a Democrat. He directed that every single piece of political material that bore his name should also bear the title--Democrat. He saw himself as being cut from the Roosevelt, Truman, Kennedy, Ribicoff, Grasso line of Democrats. He was fiscally conservative, yet had a social conscience that led him to believe the little guy should enjoy the same opportunity to get ahead in life as he had. As Democratic State Chairman, following the death of John M. Bailey, he personally held the party together as it went through a spasm of rule changes and reapportionment. And, of course, it was the climactic vote before the Democratic State Central Committee whereby he was re-elected State Chairman that solidified his role as a political figure in his own right. He was proud of the state of Connecticut. He saw his fellow Nutmeggers as hardworking and industrious people who would follow his lead. On the campaign trail, he would repeat his mantra that ``I am not a show horse, I am a work horse.'' The people of Connecticut believed that because it was true and returned him to office twice. He was proud of the Office of Governor. He believed it was a mantle of trust, given to him by the people of his state and that he was duty bound not only to wear that mantle with distinction but to return it in as good a condition as he received it. So, he was forever conscious of how his conduct would reflect on that office, a consciousness that stood him in good stead. He was proud of his accomplishments as Governor, not as much for what these accomplishments said about him, but because [[Page 8938]] of what they meant in the daily lives of the people he was elected to serve. Shelter for the homeless. A job for the unemployed. Safe roads and bridges for the traveler. Care for the elderly and infirm. Education for a child. A hand up. Not a hand-out. He was proud of being a politician. He saw it as a calling from which he did not shrink. For him, a politician's word was his bond. He recognized that in America the people who built our nation and our states were politicians. Thomas Jefferson, Abe Lincoln, FDR, the people whom we revere, were all politicians. And, he loved the hurly burly of politics. Whether he was counting votes to gain the nomination at a state convention or challenging attacks on him as a candidate, O'Neill had no peer. His political instincts and street savvy were dead on. And, oh, did he love a parade. George Hannon used to say that a lot of men relax by playing golf or watching a ball game, but, give O'Neill a parade and he was happy as a clam--especially if the parade fell on March 17th. He was proud of East Hampton. If you wanted to find the tap root of Bill O'Neill, you need to look no further than this community where he grew up, was educated, lived and died. His little house on Lake Pocotopaug was Shangri-La as far as Bill was concerned. Old Home Day was an event not to be missed, regardless of his gubernatorial duties. And, of course, O'Neill's Tavern was the spot where old friends gathered and new friends were made. He was proud of the people he appointed who formed part of the O'Neill administration. He did not seek to be surrounded by yes men or women, but rather by people who had the confidence to carry out their tasks with the knowledge that they were fulfilling the O'Neill goal of providing a better place for the people of Connecticut. Tony Milano, who guided him through the budgetary process in good financial times and bad. Bill Burns who carried out the largest highway infrastructure program in the country. Jay Jackson, his peerless and trusted attorney. Chad McCollam who provided years of good counsel as his Chief of Staff, followed by his successor, David McQuade. His loyal secretary, Anne DeNoia, and the woman who ran the scheduling for the governor's mansion, Ruth Sharaf, all helped shape the O'Neill years. And, Tim Bannon, Tax Commissioner, speech writer, advisor and office wit--all roles that Bill O'Neill relied on. So many others. He also was proud of the prominent roles in government that he filled for the first time with members of ethnic and minority groups and women. Bill O'Neill appointed the first female State Treasurer, the first female Attorney General, the first African-American Associate Justice and the first female Chief Justice to serve on the Connecticut State Supreme Court. He also appointed the first Chief Justices of the Supreme Court of Polish and Italian extraction. He opened the door to strong and capable individuals and the doors he opened will never be closed again. I'm not sure he was proud of George Hannon, Jack Mahaney and me, but we made him laugh so he kept us around. And, every now and then, we managed to get in a word of advice that he actually followed. As a result of the several political battles that we fought together, it can be said with confidence, that the four of us became: ``We few, we happy few, we band of brothers.'' He was proud of the Troopers who drove him and protected him--Rick Perdue, Jim Gaylord and Al Lane. They were the sons he never had. In his final days at the Nursing Home when he could not help himself, Al and Jim were there feeding him. What does tell you about friendship and loyalty? And, finally, he was proud of his wife, Natalie--known to all of us as Nikki. What a team! In every election in which he ran, she was there plotting strategy, rounding up votes, thanking donors and workers. Like Bill, her political sonar was dead on. He listened to her, to her counsel and followed her advice. He was proud of the grace and charm that she shared with the people of Connecticut as its First Lady. The two were a pair that couldn't be beaten--and, by the way, never were. So, there you have it. Bill O'Neill--Reliable, Honest and Trustworthy. And, Old Pal, because you lived your life and ran your administration by that code, the people of Connecticut were proud of you. And, if I can indulge myself in a little hubris, I am proud I was able to call you my friend.--James Wade ____ Governor Rell, Senators, Representatives, I haven't seen this many politicians under one roof since an O'Neill fundraiser in 1986. I'll not speak to you about the many accomplishments of Bill O'Neill; they are well documented in Connecticut history. I'll tell you about the Bill O'Neill I met in 1967 and beyond. I refer to them as recollections and reflections; 41 years ago this month Bill O'Neill was elected to the Connecticut General Assembly, you couldn't miss him, his tight dark curly red hair, trimmed perfectly, his cadet- like erectness, neat and natty of dress, except for what turned out to be his favorite trademark, a hounds-tooth sports jacket that contained at least 19 colors. We found out over a period of years the jacket would just not wear out. Some of us asked, no begged, Nikki, his wife of then four years, to have the jacket burned. She just wouldn't or couldn't do the deed. The jacket was a staple at the Capital from 1967 to 1970, but as fate would have it, O'Neill and his jacket appeared in a campaign photo with Gubernatorial Candidate Emilio Daddario in 1970, the good news was, that 0 'Neill won reelection, the bad news was that Mim didn't. Now I'm not saying that the jacket had anything to do with Mim's loss, but you never know. Bill was not a culinary trail blazer. What he wanted, Nikki cooked. When asked by a few of us if he would join a small group for dinner, he demurred saying, Nikki's cooking a pot roast. Secretly, we kept track of his subsequent refusals. They added up in one year to 87 pot roasts, 32 meatloafs, and 19 hot dog dinners. In 1991, after Bill and his lovely wife Nikki retired to the lake, he would often call during the summer and ask what Sue and I were doing for dinner. The four of us would meet at the Governor's Tavern, the successor to O'Neill's tavern. Now dinner and cocktails for four is not very complicated, Bill made it even less complicated. When menus were handed out, Nikki turned and whispered to Sue and me, ``I don't know why they're giving him a menu, he orders the same thing every time. A half order of tenderloin tips and a side of mashed potato.'' Nikki was right, over the next four years, every time we gathered, Bill would take his menu and look at it from cover to cover. And then order a half order of tenderloin tips and a side of mashed potatoes. Back in '82 during the gubernatorial campaign we hired what we considered to be the best pollster and the best media guru. We launched a massive number of cocktail parties, many at the homes of his ardent supporters. It was an undertaking that would push Bill and Nikki into multiple appearances in an evening and weekends. I was asked and I won't say by whom, I was asked, late in the campaign, why we needed so many cocktail parties, my response was, ``because we are in an aggressive and people oriented campaign''. The person shook his or her head and said, ``Well, we may win the election, but I hope Bill and Nikki will outlast that.'' They did and O'Neill won. Bill has a church full of relatives, friends, admirers honoring him today. I see faces in the crowd today of people who served with him, those who worked for him and of course his beloved people from East Hampton, who he never forgot. As I express my feelings towards him, I know they are also yours. He was my dear friend before he was governor, he was my dear friend when he was my governor, he was my dear friend after he became retired. I remember the phone would ring when it was his turn to call me in Naples, and when I answered, when it was him, I knew what he was going to say, ``how are you old pal?'' Men are not usually known for their long friendships with other men, women do a much better job with long term friendships. But I am now, and will be forever grateful and touched by the relationship between Bill and me. Like all celebrations, this one will end soon. Nikki, asked me to tell you a brief story about Bill's favourite chanteuse, now Irish kids don't get a chance to use that word, chanteuse, very often. Well if you got your dictionary handy, chanteuse is a singer of folk narratives with simple stanzas. Bill's chanteuse of choice was a Brit, circa 1940's, her name was Vera Lynn. She's best known for her rendition of ``White Cliff's of Dover'' during World War II. But lesser known, and Bill's favourite, was her rendition of ``We'll Meet Again''. Soon, we leave this church today, remember well the simple and true words of Vera Lynn, ``we'll meet again, goodbye for now Bill.''--George Hannon We'll Meet Again (By Vera Lynn) We'll meet again, Don't know where, Don't know when But I know we'll meet again some sunny day. Keep smiling through, Just like you always do Till the blue skies drive the dark clouds far away So will you please say ``Hello'' To the folks that I know Tell them I won't be long They'll be happy to know That as you saw me go I was singing this song We'll meet again, Don't know where Don't know when. But I know we'll meet again some sunny day. We'll meet again, Don't know where, Don't know when But I know we'll meet again some sunny day. Keep smiling through Just like you always do, 'Til the blue skies Drive the dark clouds far away So will you please say ``Hello'' To the folks that I know. Tell them it won't be long. They'll be happy to know That as you saw me go, [[Page 8939]] I was singin' this song. We'll meet again, Don't know where, Don't know when But I know we'll meet again some sunny day. ____________________