[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 9]
[House]
[Pages 12039-12040]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




    MOMENT OF SILENCE IN MEMORY OF FORMER REPRESENTATIVE MARVIN ESCH

  (Mr. DINGELL asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)


                             General Leave

  Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members be 
given 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on the 
matter that I am about to address.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Michigan?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise with considerable sadness to 
announce the death of a good friend of most of us in this body. Our 
former colleague and friend, Congressman Marvin Esch of Ann Arbor has 
died. He was 82.
  Mr. Esch served in the Michigan State House of Representatives from 
1965 to 1966. He was then elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, 
where he represented Ann Arbor and southeastern Michigan through about 
1976. In 1976, he made an unsuccessful bid for the United States 
Senate, losing to our friend and colleague Donald Riegle in the general 
election.
  Mr. Esch was a veteran of both the U.S. Maritime Service and the 
United States Army. He was indeed proud of helping his constituents to 
navigate the problems that they were having with the Federal 
Government, especially widows and veterans, as his family takes pride 
in saying. In Congress, he pushed for an accelerated end to the Vietnam 
War, and he worked to create an all-volunteer military.
  He counted Gerald Ford as one of his dear friends. They were both 
University of Michigan graduates, and he stood by him when President 
Ford was sworn in as the 38th President of the United States on the day 
that former President Nixon resigned.
  He was born in Flinton, Pennsylvania, on August 4, 1927. He went on 
to attend the University of Michigan, where he earned an A.B. in 1950, 
an M.A. in 1951, and a Ph.D. in 1957. He was a lifelong supporter of 
University of Michigan sports and took considerable pride in the 
success of that great school.

[[Page 12040]]

  After his time in politics, he served as director of public affairs 
for the U.S. Steel Corporation from 1977 to 1980. From 1981 to 1987, he 
was the director of programs and seminars for the American Enterprise 
Institute. After his retirement in 1992, he worked on a number of 
philanthropic projects with The Communication Group.
  He died in his sleep Saturday, June 19, two days after celebrating 
his 60th anniversary. His wife, Olga, survives him. He is survived also 
by his brother, Gordon Esch; a sister, Emily Esch of Bigfork, Montana; 
son, Tom Esch and his wife, Charlene, of Kalispell, Montana; and by 
grandsons and numerous nieces and nephews.
  We all remember him as a kind man who loved to tell and hear stories. 
He was an optimist who made and cherished lifelong friendships. His 
relationship with his wife, as well as his relationships with his 
colleagues, and his hope for the country could best be summed up in the 
phrase, ``And the best is yet to be.''
  I now yield to my dear friend from Michigan.
  Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, I would just briefly like to say I echo the 
remarks by the dean of the House and the dean of the Michigan 
delegation.
  I knew Marv Esch as a staffer. He was a wonderful man, dedicated to 
this House and to making things work.

                              {time}  1530

  We will all miss him. It is sometimes tough to be a Wolverine, and as 
you know, he was a great Wolverine.
  Mr. DINGELL. I now ask, Mr. Speaker, that the House have a moment of 
silence in honor of our former colleague and friend, Marvin Esch.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members will rise and observe a moment of 
silence.

                          ____________________