[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 2]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 2776]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING HOWARD TWIGGS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. LARRY KISSELL

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, March 5, 2010

  Mr. KISSELL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Howard 
Twiggs, a friend, lawyer, legislator and citizen scholar. Howard was an 
attorney of the highest caliber and an ambassador of his profession. He 
had a fierce passion for justice and service to others and he was an 
inspiration to those fortunate enough to be near him. Through years of 
training and perhaps more importantly years of experience, he 
understood the law inside and out, both arguing cases in the courts and 
writing laws as a state legislator. When he served in the North 
Carolina House of Representatives from 1966-1974 he helped overhaul 
mental health laws, removed racial references in law, and championed 
the rights of the handicapped. He truly was a voice for those without a 
voice themselves.
  As an expert trial lawyer, Howard started his own law firm 
headquartered in his hometown of Raleigh in 1960. He was a force to be 
reckoned with in the courtroom and colleagues will attest that he was a 
formidable foe. He pursued justice for its own sake and was a guardian 
of our nation's sacred individual liberties. His knowledge of the law 
was vast, and his courtroom success eventually led him to become the 
President of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America from 1996-
1997.
  In addition to serving the people as a state legislator and attorney, 
he was also extremely dedicated to his alma mater, Wake Forest. During 
his lifetime Howard served as the President of the Wake Forest 
University Law Alumni Association and chairperson of the law school's 
Board of Visitors. As in all of his endeavors, Howard's impact on Wake 
Forest was substantial, and he was recognized in 2002 with the Wake 
Forest University Distinguished Alumni Award.
  Friends and family will remember a man who brightened the outlook of 
everyone around him and had an enormous passion for life. I will 
remember him as an excellent listener and encouraging friend. Howard 
was the kind of man you could count on to listen when no one else 
would. His zeal for life, compassion for others, and dedication to 
service made him a role model to all of us and I am proud to have 
counted him as a friend.
  I ask my colleagues to join me in remembering and honoring the life 
and work of Howard Twiggs who is survived by his former wife, Betty, 
and four daughters: Elizabeth Johnson, Mary Catherine Twiggs-Valverde, 
Jennifer Twiggs-Bilich, and Ashley Twiggs.

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