[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 13898]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   TRIBUTE TO SENATOR PAUL COVERDELL

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                           HON. PHIL GINGREY

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 22, 2010

  Mr. GINGREY of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commemorate 
the late Paul Coverdell, the former United States Senator from Georgia, 
as Sunday marked the 10th anniversary of his death. Senator Coverdell 
was known to be a fair and honest statesman, and I always admired him 
for those traits along with his reputation for being a voice of reason 
in the Senate. Many of my colleagues from Georgia say that he wasn't a 
man of many words--but he always meant what he said and followed up on 
his promises.
  Senator Coverdell was accomplished in his trade on many different 
levels. Before coming to the U.S. Senate, Paul spent 19 years 
representing the best interests of Georgians in the State Senate, where 
he served as the Minority Leader, and as the Chairman of the Georgia 
GOP. It was during this time that Paul met and formed a friendship with 
then-Governor George H. W. Bush--who would later appoint Coverdell to 
serve as the Peace Corps Director when he became President.
  In 1992, Coverdell was elected to the U.S. Senate, where he was 
influential on many different committees. Under the slogan ``Coverdell 
Works,'' Paul became the first Republican from Georgia ever to be re-
elected to the U.S. Senate. In his second term as Senator, he created 
the Coverdell Education Savings Accounts, also known as the ``Coverdell 
Plans.'' These accounts have allowed millions of students to save money 
and then withdraw it later--tax free--in order to fund their college 
educations.
  Senator Coverdell left a lasting impression on both the State of 
Georgia and the Nation--and I am honored to have known and worked with 
him. He understood the importance of compromise, and was very well 
respected and liked by people of all political persuasions. We miss him 
to this day, and my thoughts and prayers are with Senator Coverdell's 
wife Nancy this week.

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