[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 3]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 3181-3182]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF FATHER THEODORE HESBURGH

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. NANCY PELOSI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, March 3, 2015

  Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I rise to praise a great man, Father 
Theodore Hesburgh, on whom Congress proudly bestowed the Congressional 
Gold Medal in 2000. On Thursday, February 26, America lost a dedicated 
member of the clergy, an exceptional educator, a caring humanitarian, a 
civil rights champion, and one of the most outstanding leaders of our 
era: Reverend Theodore Martin Hesburgh, former president of the 
University of Notre Dame, who passed away last week at the age of 97. 
Father Hesburgh leaves behind a towering legacy that inspires all of us 
to keep fighting for a world that honors the spark of divinity in each 
one of us.
  Father Hesburgh encouraged those he encountered to ``be the kind of 
person who not only understands the injustices of this life, but is 
also willing to do something about them.'' He lived his life by that 
standard--never failing to answer the call to serve in any capacity.
  Throughout his life, Father Hesburgh was called to serve and advance 
the cause of human dignity and justice in our society. He was named to 
the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. 
He marched arm-in-arm with Dr. Martin L. King, Jr. He was an insistent 
champion for the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964, and his 
contributions to that effort earned him the Medal of Freedom from 
President Lyndon Baines Johnson. Time and again, he stood up and spoke 
out for peace, justice and equality for all people--and as former U.S. 
Ambassador to the United Nations Andrew Young once said, ``If Father 
Hesburgh was for you, you didn't care who was against you.''
  Father Hesburgh was first called to serve his faith and his fellow 
Catholics. After undergraduate school at Notre Dame, Hesburgh traveled 
to Rome to study at the Gregorian University. When war broke out, he 
returned home and, in 1943, Father Hesburgh fulfilled his childhood 
dream when he was ordained at his alma mater as a priest in the 
Congregation of Holy Cross--a day he described as ``the happiest'' of 
his life. He would go on to earn a doctorate of theological studies at 
the Catholic University of America, but he returned to his beloved 
Notre Dame where he first served as chaplain following World War II and 
would continue to say Mass throughout his whole life.
  Father Hesburgh was called to serve the future of our country as a 
brilliant educator and administrator. He ministered to the Notre Dame 
community as a professor, chairman of the Department of Religion, and 
executive vice president, and in 1952, at the age of 35, Father 
Hesburgh became the 15th President of the University of Notre Dame. 
Under his historic 35 years of leadership, Notre Dame opened its doors 
to women, increased workforce diversity, doubled its enrollment, 
expanded its endowment, and cemented its place as one of the greatest 
universities in the world.
  Yet President Hesburgh's imprint extended further than a single 
campus. He demonstrated how to transform Catholic universities into 
exemplary institutions of higher education in modern times. He 
championed academic freedom and the pursuit of academic excellence. In 
recognition of his extraordinary leadership, he was entrusted with 16 
presidential appointments, including service on the Presidential 
Clemency Board, the National Science Board, and as ambassador to the 
United Nations Conference on Science and Technology for Development. He 
served as the Holy See's permanent representative to the International 
Atomic Energy Agency under three popes. In 1999, he received his 150th 
honorary degree, more than any other person in history.
  In every position, after every honor, Father Hesburgh never lost 
sight of his purpose. As he once told a group of graduates, ``We will 
not be judged by our degrees, but by our lives.'' By any standard, 
President Hesburgh was exceptional.

[[Page 3182]]

  Father Hesburgh's career illustrates the quote attributed to St. 
Francis of Assisi, ``preach the Gospel and sometimes use words.'' As a 
patriot of our country, as a leader of his church, as a teacher and 
mentor, he lived the Gospel each and every day of his storied life.
  On the streets, in classrooms, and in boardrooms, Father Ted--as he 
was known by his friends and his students--was courageous enough to 
speak out against injustice, compassionate enough to bring healing to 
the downtrodden, and creative enough to propose ideas that improved the 
lives of all people. Today and forever more, the legacy of Father Ted 
will live on in the lives he touched, the institutions he influenced, 
the Church he loved, and the nation he was proud to call home. We are 
grateful for his courage, in awe of his leadership, and humbled by his 
generosity of spirit. May it be a comfort to all who loved Rev. 
Hesburgh that so many share in their grief during this sad time.

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