September 20, 2012 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S6537 

on behalf of the diabetes community 

and the JDRF. I know that her family, 

her daughter, Lauren, and the people of 

Massachusetts are extremely proud of 

her advocacy and service.

f 

∑ 

TRIBUTE TO ROBERT F. GILLIGAN 

∑ Mr. CARPER. Mr. President, along 

with my colleague Senator COONS, I 

wish to recognize a valued leader and 

respected public servant as he embarks 

upon his retirement following a long 

and distinguished career: the Honorable Robert P. Gilligan, speaker of the 

House of Representatives of Delaware. 

As the longest serving house member 

in Delaware’s history, Bob Gilligan has 

devoted his career to bettering the 

State of Delaware. A native of Wilmington, Bob went to Pennsylvania to 

earn his bachelor’s degree from St. Joseph’s University and a master’s degree 

from Villanova University. But, fortunately for the people of Delaware and 

specifically those in Sherwood Park in 

northern Delaware, Bob soon returned 

to the First State to begin a remarkable career in public service. 

Bob was first elected to the Delaware 

House of Representatives in 1972, and 

he has served there with distinction for 

the past 40 years. As representative of 

the 19th District, he has served as 

house majority leader from 1983–1984, 

house minority whip from 1985–1995, 

and house minority leader from 1995– 

2008. In 2008, Bob was elected by his 

peers to be the 145th general assembly 

speaker of the house. 

During my time as Governor of Delaware, I had the great fortune of working with Bob on a host of important 

issues, including education reform, 

welfare reform, and fiscal policy that 

led to Delaware’s credit rating being 

raised to AAA for the first time in 

State history—a rating that the State 

still enjoys today. I have had the privilege of watching Bob grow as a leader 

in the State house and, ultimately, as 

speaker over the course of his 40-year 

tenure. During that time, what I came 

to admire most about Bob was his ability to bring people together to work 

collaboratively. His peers on both sides 

of the aisle have noted Bob’s ability to 

form partnerships and ensure the house 

proceeds in a civil and orderly manner. 

This is a truly laudable feat made even 

more impressive by the fact that over 

the past 40 years, Bob has worked with 

8 different Governors, 67 different State 

senators, 176 different State representatives, worked on 12 different committees, and had the opportunity to vote 

on over 15,000 House Bills. 

Bob leaves behind a legacy of creating a more open, responsible, and accountable government. When he first 

took office as speaker in 2008, Bob’s 

goal was clear: He wanted to change 

business as usual in Dover. Almost immediately, sessions began on time, 

committee meetings were scheduled at 

least 48 hours in advance, and agendas 

were made public at least 24 hours 

prior to meeting. But the reforms 

didn’t stop there. Under Bob’s new 

leadership, the first bill of the new general assembly was his bill, House Bill 1, 

which made the Freedom of Information Act, FOIA, applicable to the general assembly, effectively opening the 

legislature to FOIA requests. And, fittingly, as Bob closed the chapter on his 

career in the house, he introduced one 

of his final bills, House Bill 300, which 

requires stricter disclosure laws with 

regard to campaign finance, helping to 

ensure that elections in Delaware races 

are conducted in a fair and transparent 

manner. 

Upon his retirement, Bob described 

the essence of his leadership and reiterated his faith in Delaware’s approach 

to good governance: ‘‘I hope this place 

never becomes like Washington D.C. 

It’s our state. You’ve got to do what’s 

right for the state. Good government 

and making good decisions is good politics, and if you don’t get elected because of a tough decision, you still 

sleep well. All the decisions I’ve made, 

I never lost any sleep.’’ 

A man of extraordinary service, Bob 

is known as a hard-working and active 

legislator. In addition to his responsibilities as speaker of the house, he 

served on the House Administration, 

Ethics, House Rules, and Veteran Affairs Committees. Prior to his role as 

speaker, Bob served as a member of the 

Joint Finance Committee and was 

chairman of the Bond Bill Committee, 

the Health and Human Development 

Committee, and the Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Bob’s leadership and commitment to serving others extends well beyond the State 

house. He is a life member of the Mill 

Creek Fire Company; a board member 

of the Blood Bank of Delmarva; a cofounder of the Mid-County and 

Absalom Jones Senior Centers; and, a 

parishioner of St. John the Beloved in 

Wilmington, DE. In addition to his 

title of ‘‘speaker,’’ Bob is also known 

by the title of ‘‘professor’’ to many students through his role as an educator 

at Delaware Technical and Community 

College in Stanton. 

Given Bob’s incredible career of public service—both as an elected official 

and as a private citizen—I was of two 

minds when I heard of his plans to retire. On the one hand, Delaware will 

sorely miss its devoted public servant 

and leader. On the other hand, however, he will take some very well-deserved time to enjoy life with his wife 

Jeanne, their two daughters, son-inlaw, and three grandchildren, Cole, 

Delaney, and Asher. We are in Jeanne’s 

debt for sharing her husband of many 

years with the people of the First 

State. 

I am truly honored to have worked 

with Bob Gilligan for many years and 

call him my friend. It is truly a privilege to pay tribute to a man who has 

done so much for the great State of 

Delaware for all of these years.∑ 

∑ Mr. COONS. Mr. President, I am honored to join my senior Senator, TOM

CARPER, as we rise today to honor the 

legacy of one of Delaware’s longest 

serving elected officials—Speaker of 

the House Bob Gilligan. 

Speaker Gilligan has served in the 

Delaware House of Representatives for 

4 decades, elected to 20 consecutive 

terms by his constituents. Bob was 

first elected in 1972 at age 29—a remarkably young age to be so focused 

and service-minded. 

A lot has changed in this country 

since 1972, but not Bob’s commitment 

to Delaware, to education, to equal 

rights and to making our State a better place to live. 

After 40 years of service, Speaker 

Gilligan is retiring at the end of this 

legislative session to spend more time 

with his family, including his wife 

Jeanne, his daughters Katie and Shannon, and his son-in-law Gavin, as well 

as his grandchildren, Delaney, Cole, 

and Asher. 

Earlier this year, a number of us 

gathered at the Mill Creek Fire Hall, 

where Bob is a lifetime honorary member, and celebrated 70/40—his 70th 

birthday and his 40th year of public 

service. All it took was a look at the 

crowd that gathered to see the real and 

positive impact Speaker Gilligan has 

had on our community. He always kept 

his constituents from his district first 

and foremost on his mind, even as he 

worked on issues of broader impact to 

our State and even our Nation. 

It was through Speaker Gilligan’s 

leadership that real transparency and 

openness was brought to Delaware 

State government. He led the way for 

House Bill 1—legislation in 2009 that 

made our State’s open-government 

laws apply to the General Assembly. 

That may sound like simple fairness 

and good governance, but it wasn’t an 

easy road to get there. It took all of 

Bob’s legislative acumen to get it done, 

and now all Delawareans benefit from a 

more accountable and open government. 

Our State has benefitted from Bob’s 

passion and commitment in other 

ways, too. His legacy is felt in education programs and schools across our 

State, as well as at the Mid-County 

Senior Center, which he helped found 

to support local seniors and provide the 

recreational, educational, and nutritional services necessary for a dignified 

retirement. 

In these times of deep division and 

heated political rhetoric, Bob is a 

breath of fresh air. He listens to diverse perspectives and values principled compromise. As someone who 

has been around long enough to serve 

as both Speaker of the House and Minority Leader for Delaware, he has 

worked hard to find ways to bring people together. 

Our State and our Nation could use 

more Bob Gilligans, and I join Delawareans of all political parties in 

thanking him for his decades of service 

and wishing him well in his retirement.∑ 


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S6538 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE September 20, 2012 

RECOGNIZING THE DEVEREUX 

FOUNDATION 

∑ Mr. CASEY. Mr. President, today I 

have the honor of highlighting the 

Devereux Foundation, a nonprofit behavioral health organization that supports many underserved and vulnerable 

communities. The Devereux Foundation is based in Villanova, PA, but provides critical services throughout the 

entire country. They are about to celebrate their 100th anniversary. 

The Devereux Foundation began as 

the Devereux School, which was established in 1912 by Helena Devereux. Helena Devereux was a Philadelphia 

schoolteacher known for her success at 

working with special needs children. 

Devereux attempted an integrated, residential therapy approach, where lessons were integrated into daily routines. This was a radical approach for 

its time, but it was one based on Helena Devereux’s firsthand experiences as 

a teacher. The results were a resounding success: by 1920, 22 children out of 

her 30 students had improved significantly. 

By 1938, the State of Pennsylvania 

granted the Devereux Schools a nonprofit charter, and the Devereux Foundation was established. The foundation 

expanded to the west coast in the 1940s, 

and in the 1950s, it began research and 

clinical training efforts. Today, the 

Devereux Foundation operates a national network of clinical, therapeutic, 

educational and employment programs 

that serve children, adolescents, and 

adults. Their services include, but are 

not limited to, residential and day 

treatment programs, foster care 

homes, special education day schools, 

family counseling, and prevocational 

training. In this role, the Devereux 

Foundation has played a critical part 

in uplifting the needy and assisting the 

vulnerable, in Pennsylvania and across 

the Nation. 

I am grateful for all of the work that 

Devereux and its employees have done 

over the last century, and I am proud 

that Devereux, a national leader in the 

field of behavioral health care, calls 

Pennsylvania home. I have heard stories of the many individuals with special needs whom Devereux supports and 

nurtures. Many are children, and I 

have seen how these families struggle 

to find the appropriate care and educational services for them. There is a 

line in Scripture that says, ‘‘Every 

child has a light.’’ Devereux plays an 

especially important role in nurturing 

children who need a little more help to 

reach their full potential, a little extra 

to let their light shine out. I congratulate them on a century of hard work 

and wish them many more years of success. 

As we move forward with the fight to 

ensure that quality and affordable 

health care is accessible to all Americans, I call on us to recognize and emulate the efforts of the Devereux Foundation and the role they have played in 

bringing about positive change 

throughout the country.∑ 

REMEMBERING HENRY MOORE 

∑ Mr. CASEY. Mr. President, today I 

rise to honor and remember Henry L. 

Moore for his exceptional service to his 

community, Commonwealth, an country. 

Born April 8, 1921 in Ocilla, GA, the 

son of Andrew and Eliza Moore, Henry 

entered the armed services on September 22, 1942. Though originally from 

the Peach State, Henry spent his adult 

life living in Pennsylvania. 

Henry was a man of service, a man of 

science, and a man of faith. Today I 

wish to honor him as such. 

As a man of service, Henry distinguished himself as one of the Tuskegee 

Airmen who so faithfully served our 

country during one of its darkest 

hours. Drafted in 1942, Henry graduated 

from the only class of African-American airplane mechanics at Lincoln 

Airbase in Nebraska in June 1943. After 

graduation he was assigned to the 

ground crew of the Fifteenth Air Force 

332nd Fighter group. By 1944 Henry had 

become a crew chief working on B–25 

bombers in the Mediterranean theater. 

The Tuskegee Airmen hold a special 

place in American history, and Henry 

never forgot his part in it. Throughout 

the rest of his life, he remained active 

in the Tuskegee Airmen Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to honoring the accomplishments of African 

Americans in the U.S. Army Air Corps 

during WWII and introducing young 

people across the Nation to the world 

of aviation and science through local 

and national programs. At the time of 

his passing, Henry was serving his second term as the national parliamentarian of that organization. 

As a man of science, Henry graduated 

from West Virginia State College with 

a bachelor of science in physics and 

electrical engineering and later with a 

master of science from Temple University. Following graduation, Henry 

began a career physics and electronic 

engineering until retiring from government service after 26 years. 

Henry loved science, and, following 

his retirement, he continued to pass 

this passion on by teaching science and 

math, first at Roosevelt Middle School 

and then later at Abraham Lincoln 

High School in the Philadelphia school 

district. 

As a man of faith, Henry was very active in his church. Always involved, 

Henry served on a number of boards 

and was president of both the deacons 

and trustees. His love of music intertwined with his church life as he sang 

in the choir and on special occasions 

played his trumpet. 

As Henry’s family and friends mourn 

his loss, I pray that they will be comforted by the knowledge that this great 

Nation will never forget the service 

and sacrifice of Henry L. Moore. May 

he rest in peace.∑ 

HONORING COLONEL EUGENE 

SMITH 

∑ Mr. COONS. Mr. President, I wish to 

commemorate the extraordinary life of 

Col. Eugene Smith of Wilmington, DE. 

Gene was the eldest child of Pat and 

Mary Smith, and his family’s story is 

the American story. He was born in 

Ireland but moved to Wilmington at 

age 13, where he grew up playing sports 

and joined the Delaware National 

Guard while he was still attending 

Salesianum High School. After spending some time at seminary and working at DuPont—a great Delaware tradition—Gene went on Active Duty when 

the National Guard was federalized in 

the early 1940s. Colonel Smith served 

with honor in World War II and rose 

quickly to become a highly regarded 

military investigator with the Office of 

Strategic Services, leading the now-famous investigation into the post-war 

theft of over $1 million in jewels. 

On Thanksgiving Day 1952, the 

Smiths heard the knock at the door 

that every military family fears. Two 

Air Force officers brought news that a 

plane en route from Washington State 

to Alaska had crashed, and all 51 onboard were missing, including Gene. 

The wreckage of the aircraft was 

spotted east of Anchorage, but by the 

time recovery teams entered the area, 

it had vanished, likely buried by an avalanche. The crash was simply stamped 

‘‘unresolved.’’ 

But America doesn’t give up on our 

military heroes. We don’t abandon our 

service men and women, no matter how 

long it takes. That is why I was so glad 

to read in the News Journal that on 

June 10 of this year, the Smith family 

finally got the closure they have been 

seeking. An Alaska Army National 

Guard team in a helicopter spotted debris on a glacier, and a specialized 

team was called in to officially identify 

it as the lost aircraft from more than 

60 years ago. The remains of the souls 

lost that day were exhumed, identified, 

and buried at Arlington National Cemetery—the resting place for American 

heroes. 

The only surviving brother of Colonel 

Smith, Mike Smith of Wilmington, has 

carried on his family’s legacy of service with honor and dignity, and we are 

proud to count him among our neighbors. I join all Delawareans in saluting 

the service and sacrifice of Col. Eugene 

Smith of Wilmington.

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∑ 

TRIBUTE TO ADMIRAL KIRKLAND 

DONALD 

∑ Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, my colleague Senator JIM RISCH joins me 

today in paying tribute to ADM 

Kirkland Donald, U.S. Navy, as he prepares to complete a naval career that 

began with his graduation from the 

Naval Academy in 1975 and concludes 

with his past 8 years of service as Director of the Office of Naval Reactors. 

As Director of the Naval Nuclear 

Propulsion Program, Admiral Donald 


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