[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 10]
[House]
[Page 13759]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  A TRIBUTE TO SENATOR PAUL COVERDELL

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Graves) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a 
man who was a champion from my home State of Georgia.
  It has been 10 years this week since the passing of Senator Paul D. 
Coverdell, and I am proud to honor the life, the work, and the spirit 
of such an influential man today.
  Described by his colleagues as a ``soft-spoken workhorse,'' his 
strong passion for his country was shown throughout his distinguished 
public service in the United States Army, the Georgia State Senate, the 
United States Senate, and as Director of the Peace Corps.
  Senator Coverdell was a devoted hard worker who was a pioneer for the 
conservative movement in Georgia. Some might say he was a ``pillar of 
the community,'' but that is an understatement. He was the foundation 
upon which the pillars were built.
  As a key figure in the establishment of a strong Republican Party in 
Georgia, he was the first Republican since Reconstruction to be 
reelected to the United States Senate. He was notorious for his ability 
to work on both sides of the aisle. He saw ways through the bitter 
partisanship, and he was one who was well-liked and respected by all of 
his colleagues.
  Apart from being a brilliant man in his work, he was also a humble 
and kind man, characteristics that helped in the advancement of the 
cause that he fought for. As a testament to his humble and gentle 
nature, I will share with you a story about Senator Coverdell and a 
special friendship that he developed that would change his life.
  While vacationing in Maine in 1978, Senator Coverdell decided he 
would look up the former chairman of the Republican National Committee, 
George H. W. Bush. He simply found his address in a phone book. He went 
to his home. He knocked on his door and he introduced himself. He 
introduced himself to the man who would later become the President of 
the United States. The pair became the closest of friends over the next 
14 years, and they helped each other in many different ways. When 
George H. W. Bush was elected President, Senator Coverdell sent him a 
letter that read, ``If I can help, I'd like to help.''
  It was at this time that the 41st President then appointed Senator 
Coverdell as Director of the Peace Corps.
  Five years after his death, at the dedication of the Paul D. 
Coverdell Center for Biomedical and Health Sciences at the University 
of Georgia, President Bush said of Paul Coverdell, ``In the Washington 
world of bitter partisanship, Paul was, indeed, a voice of reason, 
always reaching out, always putting the good of the country first, 
always finding solutions where others may try to find blame or an issue 
to use as a political weapon. He was successful in bringing together 
people across the political aisle. I've heard it said that, to the end, 
Paul Coverdell was the great unifier, and so he was.''
  Senator Coverdell's legacy is particularly important to me as I am 
the first graduate of the Coverdell Leadership Institute to be elected 
to the United States Congress.
  Senator Coverdell founded the Coverdell Leadership Institute to 
support the Republican Party in Georgia through the building of the 
farm team through the Republican Party. At the time, Georgia was not 
far removed from being a single-party State. No Republican had served 
as Governor since Reconstruction. Senator Coverdell began working with 
current and future Republican leaders, training them in the practical 
aspects of politics and government service to ensure that, going 
forward, there would be a bipartisan presence among Georgia elected 
officials.
  Today, I am especially grateful to Senator Coverdell for starting 
this forward-looking program that continues to be relevant and 
impactful today, 10 years after the Senator's death. That is certainly 
a life to be proud of.
  From the Paul D. Coverdell Center for Biomedical and Health Sciences 
at my alma mater, the University of Georgia, to the Paul D. Coverdell 
Peace Corps headquarters building here in Washington, D.C., to the 
Coverdell Leadership Institute, itself, and many other honors in 
between, Senator Coverdell's great legacy lives on. I ask that his life 
be remembered today.

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