[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 14]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 19760]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            TRIBUTE TO FORMER PUBLIC PRINTER ROBERT W. HOUK

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JIM JORDAN

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, December 12, 2011

  Mr. JORDAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of former 
Public Printer of the United States Robert W. Houk, who passed away 
unexpectedly on Sunday.
  Mr. Houk, a Michigan native who later moved to Shelby, Ohio, was a 
graduate of Michigan State University and Wayne State University. He 
was a proud U.S. Army veteran, rising to the rank of first lieutenant 
after serving throughout Europe during World War II and serving 
stateside during the Korean Conflict.
  The management and leadership skills he learned in the Army were put 
to good use during his long and impressive career in the business 
world. He worked for the Ford Motor Company and at Detroit's Rotary 
Manifold before cofounding UFORMA/Shelby Business Forms in 1966. For 
more than two decades, he served as UFORMA's president and chief 
executive officer.
  Mr. Houk's leadership in the printing industry was widely recognized 
by his peers. He was tapped as chairman of the board of International 
Business Forms Industries in 1976 and as chairman of the Printing 
Industries of America in 1987. Business Forms and Systems magazine 
named him Man of the Year in 1980.
  In 1990, President George H. W. Bush appointed Mr. Houk as the 22nd 
Public Printer of the United States, a position he held until 1993. In 
that role, he oversaw the work of more than 3,000 Government Printing 
Office employees across the nation. He also earned a doctorate from 
Heidelberg University in Tiffin, Ohio, during his term as public 
printer.
  Mr. Houk was very active in the Shelby community, chairing the boards 
of the Rehabilitation Center of North Central Ohio, the Mansfield 
Symphony Society, and The Ohio State University's Mansfield Campus. He 
also enjoyed playing trumpet in many area bands and was a charter 
member of the Ashland Area Community Concert Band.
  Mr. Speaker, Robert Houk is survived by his wife, Sally; his son, 
Raymond; his daughter, Lisa; and their families. On behalf of the 
people of Ohio's Fourth Congressional District, I offer them my 
condolences as they gather in Shelby on Saturday to celebrate his life 
and his many contributions to the community and our nation.

                          ____________________