[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 13]
[Senate]
[Pages 17022-17023]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         REMEMBERING ED THOMAS

  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I think I can be done in 10 minutes, but 
if I can't be, I would like to have a little bit longer because I am 
going to talk about a very good Iowan who was murdered 2 weeks ago 
today. This is the purpose for which I rise. This is coach Ed Thomas. I 
will get to that in a minute. But before I leave that up there for 
Senators to view, I wish to tell them, this is not any ordinary high 
school football coach. This is obviously an old picture because it only 
goes to 1998. He coached 37 years at this high school. It says here 
``championship.'' I know he had a recent State championship as well. He 
is no ordinary high school football coach. Because in this small town 
of Parkersburg, IA, the high school is in two towns, Aplington-
Parkersburg, IA. It only has 2,000 people in it. But this football 
coach has taken four of his former players now presently playing in the 
NFL. At least three and maybe all four of these returned to be 
pallbearers at his funeral.
  We can see this record of the previous decade, and that record would 
be as good for the last decade. I am only sorry I don't have a more 
recent picture showing Ed Thomas.
  Two weeks ago today, at 10:30 in the morning, a former student, a 
former football player and the brother of a football player who would 
have been playing this fall at this high school, came into the weight 
room at Parkersburg High School. This coach was always there because he 
wanted to encourage his players to work out and to be healthy. He was 
there with them. This former student came in and killed him with a gun. 
Didn't bother anybody else. That was it. He was rushed to the hospital 
but probably dead on arrival.
  I say how outstanding he was and how well liked he was. About 12 
months before that, a tornado went through Parkersburg destroying about 
a third of the town. This is a town of only 2,000. This coach had his 
house blown away, but he didn't worry about himself. He headed for his 
high school, which was also destroyed, to do immediately what he could 
to help turn things around.
  I have prepared remarks where I will refer to this so colleagues will 
be hearing it twice. His goal from that Memorial Day weekend to the 
opening of the football season, the first Friday night in August, was 
to have that football field ready to go so they could play football as 
they have. They had a very outstanding season.
  This is a person who led a community. He was not just a football 
coach. My home of 75 years is 10 miles from that high school. They were 
our competitors. There is very fierce competition between football 
teams in these small towns of the Midwest. I went Sunday afternoon. The 
viewing of the body was from 3 to 8. The next day the funeral had 2,500 
people at it. But at the time--I get there at 3 o'clock--the line was 3 
blocks long. I stood in line 3 hours to get to say my condolences to 
the family and to view. This family was so strong that they probably 
gave more comfort to the people who were there to view than each of us 
gave to the family.
  Three hours, and I thought: How long is the line? By 6:30, the line 
was 4

[[Page 17023]]

blocks long. That family stood there until 11 o'clock that night to 
greet all the friends of this beloved Iowa coach.
  With that as background, I came to the floor to give this statement. 
I thought I ought to put it in some context.
  I come before the Senate with the heavy heart of an entire community 
and in humble recognition of a man who, by all accounts, was a servant 
of God in every sense, a person who put his faith to work by mentoring 
the young people of his community as a teacher and a football coach, a 
person who put his faith to work by providing a guiding hand as the 
community recovered from the tragedy of a tornado just a little over a 
year ago, a person who put his faith to work as a father, a husband, 
and an elder in the church.
  Parenthetically, I wish to say this about the close-knit families we 
have in the small communities of Iowa. It happens that Coach Thomas and 
the family of the murderer go to the same church. The person who did 
the murdering had, I assume from the newspaper, a drug problem. The 
Sunday before the murder, so the newspapers tell me, the family of the 
person with the drug problem who did the murder asked in the church, 
would they pray for their son. Coach Ed Thomas led the prayer for that 
son, as it was reported in the newspaper.
  It was barely a year ago when news reports came across the wires 
about a small Iowa farming town that was devastated by an F-5 tornado 
that tore across the community and leveled hundreds of homes and 
businesses--with eight people dying--the school and what locals call 
the Sacred Acre or, to the rest of us the famous Parkersburg Falcon 
football field.
  Just last week, this same town was hit with possibly a more crushing 
blow than a tornado could ever take from a town. The caretaker of the 
Sacred Acre, the beloved football coach and town leader, Coach Ed 
Thomas, was senselessly murdered in front of his very own students.
  In our area of the State, it is not hard to know Coach Thomas. He was 
a pillar of the community. His success on the football field made him 
an icon in his profession--two State championships and four players 
currently in the NFL. But the people who knew him will remember him 
most for his leadership off the field.
  It was his leadership that helped pull up the community that was 
knocked off its feet by the F-5 tornado. His declaration in the 
aftermath of the tornado that the Aplington-Parkersburg boys would play 
football on their home field in just a couple months gave the town of 
Parkersburg, IA, purpose in the most difficult of times.
  It was the Sacred Acre that brought everyone in town together, and it 
was the whole town that put the Sacred Acre back together so they could 
start the football season on time in that home game, the last Friday of 
August.
  Coach Thomas and his Sacred Acre brought out the best in the 
community, just as he brought out the best in his team with what Coach 
Thomas called, ``strength in togetherness.''
  His impact reached the people of this community long before that 
fateful day in May 2008. For nearly four decades, Coach Thomas led 
young men in more than just the game of football. He led them in the 
lessons of life. His current and former players have been seen and 
heard everywhere--each of them now sharing lessons that will be passed 
on yet to another generation.
  Most of us can remember that one coach or that one teacher who had 
the greatest impact on each of us. For many in the Parkersburg 
community, that one person was Coach Thomas.
  He was well known for getting the best out of his players and 
students. He was always providing motivation to his kids. But those who 
knew Coach Thomas best say his No. 1 talent was friendship. His friend, 
Al Kerns, said:

       He only saw the best in others, and I guess that's why he 
     got all this back.

  ``This'' being the outpouring of compassion from people across Iowa. 
It may be best demonstrated by the scene in Parkersburg last week at 
the funeral. As the hearse traveled from the funeral to the nearby 
cemetery, the streets were lined four or five deep with myriads of 
color. It has been a true testament to the reach of this icon, not only 
because of the sheer numbers of people but the myriad of colors that 
came from high school football teams from all across Iowa that came in 
their game jerseys to honor a selfless man who shared his playbook as 
well as his heart.
  The tributes made since that tragic morning show that even after his 
death, Ed Thomas is teaching us to be better people by the way he lived 
his life.
  It has been obvious that his two sons have taken his life lessons to 
heart, just like many others. I continue to be struck by the poise of 
his sons who have performed the most monumental task by asking us to 
pray for the family of the man who killed their father. I cannot think 
of a greater tribute to their dad than the actions they have performed 
and the words they have spoken over the last 10 days. There is no 
question in my mind that these two young men possess the same qualities 
as their father and that these two boys will continue his legacy.
  Aaron Thomas, the oldest of Ed and Jan's two boys, said this at the 
funeral. He actually said more than I am going to quote, but this is a 
very important part:

       You can be sad the rest of the day, but come tomorrow, once 
     you wake up, it's time to get going . . . there's a lot of 
     work to be done in this town.

  While this community's heart is heavy, they will move forward to see 
the brightness of another day and of another game, just as Coach Thomas 
would have wanted.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Georgia.
  Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, before I make my remarks, I want to 
express my appreciation to Senator Grassley for his obviously 
passionate and compassionate remarks about a story and a man who has 
captured America. As Senator Grassley knows, I have the privilege of 
visiting Iowa once or twice a year and have dear friends there, and I 
know how strong the people of Iowa are.
  I want to tell Senator Grassley, his remarks, his compassion, and his 
passion are appreciated, I am sure, not only by the family and all 
Iowans but all of us in America, as we share in the tragedy and loss of 
a great man. I commend him on his remarks.

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