E2222 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks October 3, 2008 

and Independents—will rise to the challenge 

of the moment and validate our powerful 

claim to the value of bipartisanship when it 

must serve the public interest. 

Senator Byrd and I engaged in partisan 

warfare more than either of us would like to 

acknowledge today, but even in the midst of 

such warfare, we knew we were serving an 

important political purpose: giving voice to 

the full range of public opinion on matters of 

national importance. 

That is the basis for the Senate’s claim to 

being the ‘‘world’s greatest deliberative 

body.’’ America’s Founders did not design 

the Senate as a model of efficiency but as a 

vessel of democracy, into which the Nation’s 

passions could be poured to cool, and from 

which the Nation’s collective wisdom could 

be discerned. 

The two-party system, which the Founders 

did not design and from which many of them 

would have recoiled, has had a similarly 

steadying influence on our national life. 

Two broad-based political parties have 

over the centuries become very effective 

means of communicating the public’s views 

to their government, particularly through 

the legislative branch. 

Partisanship has its place—and it is an 

honorable and useful place—in public life, 

and those who disdain it often do not understand its value in venting the full expression 

of our citizens’ demands and dissents. 

But the greatest of America’s Founders— 

George Washington—feared ‘‘factions’’ above 

all, and I share his fear that political hostility can overcome the better angels of our 

nature in some future hour of national peril. 

Too often in today’s Washington, I see a 

refusal to hear, much less respect, a differing 

point of view. I see a refusal to even try to 

understand the other person’s argument. 

This is new, in my experience, and it is not 

healthy. 

Robert Kennedy was a young lawyer who 

served as minority council in the ArmyMcCarthy hearings. I was chosen by Ray 

Jenkins, a great Tennessee trial lawyer, to 

assist him in the hearings. By the way, my 

principal responsibility was reading the 

daily transcripts! Robert Kennedy and I became quick friends because we had much in 

common—we were within days of each other 

in age, had World War II experience, and we 

shared an enthusiasm for convertibles, although his Cadillac put my Ford to shame. 

When we returned to Washington years 

later as Senators ourselves, just after the assassination of President Kennedy and in the 

early years of the Vietnam war, we and our 

colleagues—including Bob Byrd—knew that 

some things were more important than partisanship. 

Having served in the waning days of World 

War II, we knew that the capacity for calamity in human affairs was almost limitless— 

and we knew how much the rest of the world 

looked to the United States for leadership 

and example. 

The men and women of today’s Congress 

know about war, and terror, and now you 

know how quickly a strong economy can spiral out of control without constant vigilance. 

These are sobering events in momentous 

times, and it is useful for the ordinary men 

and women serving in this Capitol today to 

know that others before them rose to similar 

extraordinary challenges and rescued their 

country from harm. 

‘‘What is past is prologue,’’ the National 

Archives reminds us. ‘‘Study the past.’’ That 

is what the United States Capitol Historical 

Society has been encouraging us and enabling us to do for many years. 

I thank you for that valuable service. I am 

humbled by your tribute. And I am honored 

to be in your company tonight. 

HONORING LOUIS DE LA PARTE 

HON. KATHY CASTOR 

OF FLORIDA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Friday, October 3, 2008 

Ms. CASTOR. Madam Speaker, I rise today 

to praise the lifetime achievements of distinguished Tampa lawyer and Florida legislator 

Louis de la Parte. Mr. de la Parte was honored for his unselfish compassion and courage 

to voice his beliefs on causes, even against 

popular opposition. He was a noble public 

servant and lived to help his family, friends, 

and community. 

Mr. de la Parte was born in Ybor City, 

Tampa, and grew up with his mother, a homemaker, and his father, who ran a men’s clothing store, whom Louis helped out during the 

summer. His grandmother lived in public housing in Tampa, and his large family came from 

a modest background. He used his experience 

growing up around people less fortunate than 

he to help out his community and voice the 

opinions of those who could not be heard. He 

graduated from Jesuit High School in Tampa 

in 1946 and received his bachelor of arts degree in psychology from Emory University in 

1950. His articulate leadership and natural 

ability for persuasion led him to earn his juris 

doctor from the University of Florida. 

After law school he joined the Air Force and 

started a family. He worked as a prosecutor 

but soon discovered that many of the problems that he was prosecuting could be avoided through science and the more effective delivery of mental health services. This revelation led Mr. de la Parte to run for public office. 

He served as a Democratic member of the 

Florida House of Representatives from 1962 

through 1966 and the Senate from 1966 

through 1974. He served his final year in the 

legislature as senate president. 

During his time in office, he built the Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services to 

assist the poor, mentally disabled, elderly, and 

sick. He avidly promoted environmental legislation and educational programs in prisons. 

A dedicated family man, Mr. de la Parte was 

deeply loved by his family. His wife and two 

children would follow him to work sometimes, 

carrying his briefcase for him. Mr. de la Parte 

loved to have big family dinners on Sundays, 

and to take his family on travels all around the 

world, particularly to those places he had been 

while serving in the Air Force. The de la Parte 

family is a Tampa treasure. 

Mr. de la Parte worked in private practice 

with his son for 4 years. He retired in 1990, 

when he began to develop the early symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. To congratulate 

his dedication to progress in the area of mental health, in 1996 the Florida Mental Health 

Institute at the University of South Florida was 

named after Mr. de la Parte. 

Madam Speaker, Louis de la Parte was a 

man of the highest regard who dedicated his 

life to the public good. He will be greatly 

missed by the State of Florida. My thoughts 

are with his wife, Helen, his children, Peggy 

and L. David, and the entire de la Parte family. 

HONORING THE KIWANIS CLUB OF 

ASTORIA—LONG ISLAND CITY 

HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY OF NEW YORK

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Friday, October 3, 2008 

Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Madam 

Speaker, it is my pleasure to pay tribute to the 

Kiwanis of Astoria—Long Island City for its 

outstanding work in supporting philanthropic 

and community organizations serving the people of western Queens. 

This year, the Kiwanis Club named as its 

Man of the Year Panagiotis Manolas, M.D., 

Chief of Surgery at Mount Sinai Hospital of 

Queens. Born and educated in Greece, Dr. 

Manolas immigrated to America to complete 

his studies. Certified by the American Board of 

Surgery, he has developed a highly successful 

multi-specialty practice in general, breast and 

laparoscopic surgery. Named a ‘‘New York 

Super Doctor’’ and one of the ‘‘Best Doctors in 

New York’’, he is devoted to his patients, often 

providing his services pro bono or on a sliding 

scale. 

The Kiwanis Club is naming as its Women 

of the Year several deserving honorees. 

These include: Rose Anne Alafogiannis, past 

president of the Kiwanis Club and member of 

Queens Community Board #1, the Astoria 

Civic Association, SHAREing & CAREing, and 

a Lector for the Immaculate Conception parish; 

Donna Furey, an Astoria native, Kiwanis 

Club member, and attorney specializing in 

elder law who who serves as a member of the 

board of St. John’s University School of Law 

Alumni Association and the Queens County 

Women’s Bar Association and who has dedicated herself to helping local seniors; 

Roberta Gualtieri, a life-long Astoria resident 

who has served countless hours as a volunteer at the Steinway Senior Center, the 

Kiwanis Club, the 114th Police Precinct, Our 

Lady of Mt. Carmel Roman Catholic Church, 

St. John’s Hospital emergency room, and with 

literacy programs for underprivileged youth; 

Laura Jean Hawkins, a longtime community 

activist and lecturer who served for many 

years as Chief of Staff to former Assemblyman Denis Butler and advocate for non-profit 

groups like SHAREing & CAREing, a breast 

and ovarian cancer support group; 

Teresa Jarnich, a member of the Kiwanis 

Club of Astoria—Long Island City and a volunteer with its Christmas Auction and Anti-Crime 

programs; 

Christine Lolas, an Athens native who immigrated to the U.S. to launch her career in the 

banking industry. She is active in the Kiwanis 

Club, the 30th Avenue Business Association, 

and serves on the Advisory Board of 

SHAREing & CAREing; 

Anna Kril, the founder of SHAREing & 

CAREing, Inc. She serves on the Board of Directors of the New York City Health & Hospitals Corporation, on the Executive Board of 

the Community Advisory Board of Elmhurst 

Hospital Center, as Chairperson of the Health 

Committee of Queens Community Board #1 in 

Queens, and as a member of the Kiwanis 

Club; 

Vera Martucci, who, although widowed at an 

early age, still devoted herself to serving others by volunteering to assist immigrants 

through the International Ladies Garment 


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October 3, 2008 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E2223 

Workers Union and at St. John’s Hospital’s 

emergency department, the Steinway Senior 

Center, and P.S. 7 and P.S. 126; 

Charlene Perno, a Registered Nurse who 

serves on the Board of SHAREing & 

CAREing, as coordinator of New York Hospital 

of Queens’ health fair, and who provides 

health education to local high schools; 

Linda Ann Vinci-Perno, an Astoria native 

who has volunteered for the Boy’s Club of 

Queens, Ladies Auxiliary, President of St. 

Margaret Mary Rosary Society, and the Long 

Island chapter of Cancer Care; and 

Eartha Washington, who serves as Chair of 

the Board of Elmhurst Hospital and is active 

with the New York City Department for the 

Aging Advisory Board, SHAREing & CAREing, 

the Kiwanis Club, and the Astoria Civic Association. 

I ask that my distinguished colleagues join 

me in paying tribute to these outstanding individuals for their extraordinary commitment to 

serving others. 

f 

HONORING DR. JAMES P. COMER 

HON. PETER J. VISCLOSKY OF INDIANA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Friday, October 3, 2008 

Mr. VISCLOSKY. Madam Speaker, it is with 

great pleasure and honor that I take this time 

to recognize one of the most influential and renowned individuals to emerge from Northwest 

Indiana. Dr. James P. Comer, M.D., M.P.H., 

has made many distinguished contributions to 

the field of child psychiatry throughout his 

prestigious career, and I take this time to welcome him back to Northwest Indiana, where 

he will serve as the keynote speaker for the 

2008 Parent University on Saturday, October 

11, 2008, at East Chicago Central High 

School in East Chicago, Indiana. This extraordinary event is sponsored by the School City 

of East Chicago, the City of East Chicago, the 

Lake Shore Chamber of Commerce, and Purdue University. 

Dr. Comer was born in East Chicago, Indiana. In 1956, he completed his studies at Indiana University and went on to receive his 

M.D. in 1960 from Howard University College 

of Medicine. From there, he went on to complete his M.P.H. degree from the University of 

Michigan School of Public Health in 1964. Following this, he went on to Yale University, 

where he was trained in psychology at the 

School of Medicine’s Child Study Center. 

Today, Dr. Comer serves as the school’s Maurice Falk Professor of Child Psychiatry. As part 

of his preparation for his remarkable career, 

Dr. Comer also completed a one-year residency at the Hillcrest Children’s Center in 

Washington, D.C. 

While his contributions to his field are many, 

Dr. Comer is quite possibly most well known 

for the founding of the Comer School Development Program in 1968. The goal of this program is to promote the collaboration of parents, educators, and the community to improve social, emotional, and academic outcomes for children that will help them to 

achieve greater success in school. His approach to focusing on teamwork has been utilized throughout the country at more than 500 

schools to improve their educational environments. 

As if his work in research and teaching, not 

to mention the founding such an influential 

program, were not impressive enough, Dr. 

Comer is also the author of nine books and 

the writer of more than 150 articles for Parents 

Magazine and more than 300 other articles on 

children’s health and development and race 

relations. He has also worked as a consultant 

for the Children’s Television Workshop, which 

produces Sesame Street. Throughout the 

years, Dr. Comer has also committed himself 

to service on many local, collegiate, and national boards, and he has been recognized 

with an abundance of prestigious awards and 

accolades for his work, including an astonishing forty-six honorary degrees. 

Madam Speaker, Dr. Comer has made extraordinary contributions to his field and to 

school systems throughout the United States. 

His dedication and devotion to the youth of 

our nation are to be admired. I respectively 

ask that you and my other distinguished colleagues join me in honoring Dr. James Comer 

for his lifetime of contributions to the American 

way of life through his work in the area of 

child psychiatry. 

f 

HONORING THE MEMORY OF 

WILLIE HERD RUSHTON 

HON. JO BONNER OF ALABAMA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Friday, October 3, 2008 

Mr. BONNER. Madam Speaker, the city of 

Mobile and indeed the entire nation recently 

lost a true American hero, and I rise today to 

honor the memory of Willie Herd Rushton and 

pay tribute to his memory. 

Many Americans came to know Mr. Rushton 

last year as his courageous story, along with 

those of other Mobilians, was told in the Ken 

Burns documentary series, ‘‘The War.’’ 

Born in Nadawah, Alabama, Mr. Rushton 

grew up on a saw mill farm in Atmore. After 

graduating from high school, he moved to Mobile to work at the Coca-Cola Bottling Plant. 

He was drafted in the spring of 1943, just a 

year after getting married. 

He signed on with the Marines and was 

shipped to the Pacific in July 1943. His son 

was born just one month later, a son he would 

not see for more than two years. Assigned to 

the 11th Depot Company, he served in the 

South Pacific from July 1943 until October 

1944. He and his unit—a unit that sustained 

the highest casualty rate of any black Marine 

unit—took part in the invasion of Peleliu along 

with the 1st Marine Division. 

Mr. Rushton himself was wounded in the leg 

by shrapnel from a mortar round while on the 

island. Following his discharge in November of 

1945, Mr. Rushton was awarded the Purple 

Heart as well as the Good Conduct Medal for 

his valor in service. He worked at Sears, 

Brookley Field and the United States Postal 

Service, where he stayed for 43 years. During 

his career with the Postal Service, his colleagues affectionately referred to Mr. Rushton 

as ‘‘The Chief.’’ 

Madam Speaker, I rise to ask my colleagues to join me in remembering a true 

American hero and friend to many throughout 

Alabama, as well as a wonderful husband and 

devoted father. Mr. Rushton will be deeply 

missed by his family—his wife, Evelyn Bush 

Rushton; his two sons, Willie Herd Rushton Jr. 

and Derrick Rushton; his daughter, Deborah 

Rushton Campbell; his brother, John Lee 

Jones; his six grandchildren; and his six great 

grandchildren—as well as the many countless 

friends he leaves behind. 

Our thoughts and prayers are with them all 

at this difficult time. 

f 

HONORING THE SERVICE AND 

HEROISM OF THE 630TH TANK 

DESTROYER BATTALION 

HON. THADDEUS G. McCOTTER OF MICHIGAN

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Friday, October 3, 2008 

Mr. MCCOTTER. Madam Speaker, today I 

rise to honor and acknowledge the heroes of 

the 630th Tank Destroyer Battalion upon their 

32nd reunion. 

Activated on December 15, 1941 at Fort 

Jackson, South Carolina, the 630th Tank Destroyer Battalion; often called the 

‘‘Fightingest,’’ distinguished itself in battle during World War II. On July 24, 1944, the Battalion landed on Omaha Beach in Normandy, 

France and was attached to the 28th Infantry 

Division XIX Corps. 

The men of the 630th Tank Destroyer Battalion fought valiantly in the European Theater 

during the war. From December 15, 1944 and 

December 31, 1944 the Battalion participated 

in actions against enemy forces in some of the 

most difficult operations known to warfare. The 

Battalion bravely liberated France, Luxembourg, and Belgium and provided critical support to allied victory in the Battle of the Bulge; 

proving the resistance and stamina of the 

American soldier was unbreakable. The heroism of the 630th Tank Destroyer Battalion 

was undoubtedly critical in bringing victory and 

peace to Europe. Tragically, many of these 

heroes never returned home, however their 

memory will live on forever in the hearts and 

minds of those they left behind. Beginning in 

1963, and annually since 1992, the veterans 

and their families have reunited thus growing 

into an extended family of friends. 

Madam Speaker, the soldiers of the 630th 

Tank Destroyer Battalion are heroes and 

champions of American freedom. As we recognize the outstanding contribution these veterans and those lost in battle have made for 

the cause of freedom, I ask my colleagues to 

join me in honoring their many years of selfless service to their community and our country. 

f 

IN MEMORIAM OF A TRAILBLAZING AFRICAN AMERICAN 

JOURNALIST 

HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL OF NEW YORK

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Friday, October 3, 2008 

Mr. RANGEL. Madam Speaker, I rise today 

to honor the lifelong accomplishments of the 

late Nancy Hicks Maynard, a pioneering advocate for greater diversity in the newsrooms of 

this country’s newspapers. She was a native 

daughter of Harlem, where her mother nurtured her love for journalism, where she first 


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