[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 18]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 25060]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   HONORING OSCAR GUSTAVE MAYER, JR.

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. TAMMY BALDWIN

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 15, 2009

  Ms. BALDWIN. Madam Speaker, Rep. Jack Kingston and I rise today to 
honor the life and legacy of Oscar G. Mayer, Jr., of Madison, 
Wisconsin. Mr. Mayer's death last July was mourned by his widow, 
Geraldine, his family, the Madison community and the celebrated company 
he, his father and grandfather built over the past 125 years. Rosalie 
Harrison Mayer, his first wife of 56 years, passed away in 1998.
  Starting with Oscar Mayer & Co. in Chicago in 1936 as a production 
trainee, Mr. Mayer devoted his entire business career to the company 
his grandfather started in 1883. After the deaths of his grandfather 
and father, Mr. Mayer served as President and later Chairman of Oscar 
Mayer & Co., leading the company through one of the most productive 
periods in its history.
  Although raised in Illinois, Mr. Mayer moved to Madison, Wisconsin in 
1946, while serving as Assistant to the Vice President of Operations. 
Then in 1957, as company president, Mr. Mayer moved Oscar Mayer & Co.'s 
headquarters to the Wisconsin state capital. Once rooted in Wisconsin, 
Oscar Mayer's generosity and kindness were felt in every corner of the 
greater Madison community.
  An impassioned philanthropist, Oscar Mayer never shied away from an 
opportunity to help his community. Mr. Mayer was instrumental in 
turning the old Capitol Theater on State Street into Madison's first 
civic center. Mr. Mayer was a strong supporter of the Madison Arts 
Center and Elvehjem Art Museum and helped found the Alexis de 
Tocqueville Society, which has gone on to raise hundreds of thousands 
of dollars for the United Way of Dane County. ``Do the right thing,'' 
was Mr. Mayer's philosophy in business and he carried that into his 
personal life, donating time, money and services to various 
organizations and groups throughout Wisconsin, especially those who 
shared his love for the outdoors and sought to protect it. 
Additionally, in 2007, he was the inspiration for the establishment of 
the Oscar and Rosalie Mayer fund for Pediatric Care at Memorial Health 
University Medical Center in Savannah, Georgia.
  Oscar Mayer's work and charity were widely recognized by his 
community. He received Honorary Doctor of Laws degrees from the 
University of Wisconsin--Madison in 1977, Beloit College in 1978, and 
later from Edgewood College in Madison in 1991. In 1990, Mr. Mayer 
became one of the first inductees into the Wisconsin Business Hall of 
Fame.
  Oscar Mayer's devotion to his family, company, its employees, the 
state of Wisconsin and specifically the city of Madison has left a 
lasting impression. I join Rep. Kingston and the greater Madison 
community in honoring his life's work and loving spirit.

                          ____________________