[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 12632]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          HONORING BUD DOGGETT

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. FORTNEY PETE STARK

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 14, 2009

  Mr. STARK. Madam Speaker, this week the District of Columbia is 
renaming 10th Street, NW., ``Bud Doggett's Way'' after Leonard ``Bud'' 
Doggett, an iconic civic, business and political leader here in 
Washington who passed away last year. It's a well-deserved honor to an 
individual who devoted his life to making Washington, the Nation's 
Capital, a better place. During my tenure both as a member and Chairman 
of the House Committee on the District of Columbia I had the privilege 
of knowing Bud and, as was the case for many, he became my friend.
  Bud Doggett was born in Washington, returned here after World War II, 
and never left. He loved this city and worked tirelessly to help it and 
its residents. While building a significant corporate empire based on 
parking, real estate and banking, Bud kept an eye and a hand on 
everything political and important that shaped Washington over the past 
50 years. Bud was ``old school,'' literally smoking cigars in the back 
room. He shunned publicity and attention, liked to refer to himself as 
a parking attendant, but Bud was the D.C. power broker who always had 
the best interest of the city at heart.
  Bud spearheaded diversity in Washington's business community in the 
early 1960s when segregation was still pervasive if more quiet. He 
walked the streets with Mayor Washington to calm the turmoil after 
Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination, and played a decisive role in 
the election of most District leaders since Home Rule and the economic 
development that transformed a sleepy southern town to a world-class 
city.
  With the strong, paternal hand came a softer heart. Bud's 
philanthropic efforts are legendary, anchored by HEROES, a largely 
anonymous group he founded in 1964 that helps the families of law 
enforcement and firefighters in the region who die in the line of duty. 
There are literally hundreds of families who have had their mortgages 
paid, their children sent to college, and their lives re-established 
because Bud and HEROES never forgot their loved one's sacrifice and 
were always there to help.
  Bud was the last of his breed for Washington. There's no one with the 
same reach, respect, and authority to single-handedly keep the city on 
track. It's up to a new batch of political, business, and civic leaders 
to see if collectively they can provide the stability, direction and 
discipline that Bud did. It's a very tough act to follow.

                          ____________________