[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 14429]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               HONORING THE LATE CONGRESSMAN LOUIS STOKES

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. TIM RYAN

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 16, 2015

  Mr. RYAN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, the late Congressman Lou Stokes loved 
life and loved his family. He loved Cleveland, and he loved the 
political process. He was a giant of a man who embodied a quiet dignity 
that still inspires me today to do more for those who don't have a 
voice.
  It was my privilege to attend the funeral service of Congressman 
Stokes on August 25, 2015. While many family members and friends paid 
special homage to a great public servant, the remarks of Congresswoman 
Marcia Fudge rung particularly true to all who were able to hear them. 
It is those comments that I would like to share with you now.

                         Eulogy of Louis Stokes

                           (By Marcia Fudge)

       I rise today to perform one of the most heavy-hearted 
     duties to which I have ever been assigned. Lou Stokes himself 
     was the assigner. He asked me several weeks ago to, on behalf 
     of the political community, to deliver a discourse in 
     commemoration of his lifetime of public service. Lou Stokes 
     was the first African American elected to represent this 
     community in the House of Representatives. I was blessed to 
     have first a mentor/mentee relationship. Later, he became my 
     colleague and my friend. That friendship continued without 
     interruption until the day of his death. Make no mistake, my 
     friends, we mourn this day, the loss of no ordinary man.
       Napoleon I as the story goes was crossing the Alps, when he 
     saw a lone peasant woman along the side of the road. ``Where 
     are you going on this bright morning?'' And she answered ``I 
     am heading through the pass to hopefully see the Emperor.'' 
     It was obvious she did not know who he was, so he went on and 
     said ``why would you be interested in seeing the Emperor, 
     than his majesty from the House of Bourbon. It seems to me 
     that you have exchanged one politician for another.'' The 
     peasant spent a few minutes and said, ``The Bourbons were the 
     rulers for the rich and famous. Napoleon is our ruler.'' In 
     this holy place, we have assembled to pay respect to the 
     cherished and honored Louis Stokes, because no matter how 
     many degrees he possessed, no matter how many world leaders 
     he knew by first name, no matter how many Presidents sought 
     his counsel, he was the Congressman for the peasant, the 
     pauper, the passed over, and yes the populate.
       Louis Stokes, thank God, never embraced the shallow notion 
     that he should be like everyone else. Had he done so, he 
     would never have reached his extraordinariness. He was a 
     gifted orator, a writer of atypical ability, a lawmaker with 
     legendary legislative savvy, and a statesman of sterling 
     examples of civility. As the drama of history unfolds, 
     Congressman Stokes will be ranked as one of the all-time 
     greats, and to be sure, his greatness will endure. Because of 
     Louis Stokes' staying power, I make it a practice to never 
     praise the one hit wonders. Such ephemeral leaders are like 
     the meteors that flash across the heavens, just long enough 
     to announce the dark oblivion into which they soar. I, 
     perhaps like many of you, prefer stars that don't burn out so 
     quickly. Lou's star still shines.
       There are millions of things that do not last. Such things 
     are magnificent for a moment, and then like a mighty gust of 
     wind, they're gone. The majority of men and women who served 
     in Congress served and never left a trace. Deft winds hold no 
     such victory over Louis Stokes. He was a man of good works. 
     Remember, good works are inspired by God, and receptive to 
     his people. Eternal life is the fruitage of good works. Yes 
     I'm saying that if Lou Stokes is not in heaven, most of us 
     can forget about it. I'm not a preacher, or a theologian, so 
     I can't present a picture of Lou in heaven--but in the 
     vernacular of the House of Representatives--the gentleman 
     from Ohio has been appointed to an unknown committee, holding 
     hearings in an unknown location, but orchestrated by a well-
     known, all-knowing chair.

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