[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 8]
[House]
[Page 10942]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          MOMENT OF SILENCE IN REMEMBRANCE OF WILLIAM H. GRAY

  (Mr. FATTAH asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Speaker, thousands and thousands of Members have 
served in this body. For almost each of them, it was an honor to serve; 
but for a very small portion of those who had the honor to serve in 
this House, they have literally honored this institution by their 
service.
  I rise today to reference one of them, William H. Gray, who served in 
the United States Congress. He was an extraordinary public servant, but 
this was not his only place where he served. I want to reference his 
leadership here in the House as a Member and then chair of the Budget 
Committee, rising all the way to majority whip, an accomplished 
lawmaker; but he also served as a senior pastor of the church where his 
father and grandfather had served back home in Philadelphia.
  He served when he left the House, providing opportunities for 
hundreds of thousands of young people to go on to college as the head 
of the oldest nationwide scholarship fund, the UNCF.
  Bill Gray served in so many different capacities, but he did it 
extraordinarily well. So I rise today to ask for a moment of silence in 
the House to honor this life of service.
  Mr. HOYER. Will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. FATTAH. I yield to the gentleman from Maryland.
  Mr. HOYER. I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania--Philadelphia, in 
particular.
  I had the great honor of serving as vice chairman of the Democratic 
Caucus when Bill Gray was chairman of the Democratic Caucus, and I had 
the honor of succeeding Bill Gray as chairman of the Democratic Caucus 
when he became the whip, the Democratic whip of our caucus.
  Bill Gray was a very good friend of mine. I had the honor of serving 
with him, saw him as chairman of the Budget Committee, and all the 
roles that the gentleman from Philadelphia said. I will have further 
things to say later in the week.
  I want to thank the gentleman for rising to honor a historic 
American, first African American leader in our party; but much more 
than that, an extraordinary individual, as the gentleman from 
Philadelphia has pointed out.
  I join in a moment of silence in honor of our friend, a great 
American, a great Member of this body, and a great leader in his church 
and, as the gentleman has pointed out, United Negro College Fund, which 
gave so many opportunities to so many millions of young people in this 
country.
  I thank the gentleman for his remarks.
  Mr. FATTAH. Thank you. I ask for the House to stand for a moment of 
silence.

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