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[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 7 (Tuesday, January 13, 2009)]
[House]
[Pages H173-H176]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

                  HONORING THE LIFE OF CLAIBORNE PELL

  Mr. HINOJOSA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to 
the resolution (H. Res. 50) honoring the life of Claiborne Pell, 
distinguished former Senator from the State of Rhode Island.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                               H. Res. 50

       Whereas Claiborne deBorda Pell was born on November 22, 
     1918, in the State of New York;
       Whereas after receiving a degree in history from Princeton 
     University in 1940 and a Master of the Arts degree from 
     Columbia University in 1946, and after serving in the United 
     States Coast Guard during World War II, Claiborne Pell 
     continued his career in public service as part of the Foreign 
     Service, serving in Czechoslovakia, Italy, and the District 
     of Columbia;
       Whereas Claiborne Pell was elected to the Senate in 1960 by 
     the people of the State of Rhode Island;
       Whereas in 1972, as a member of the Senate, Claiborne Pell 
     was instrumental in creating the Basic Education Opportunity 
     Grants;
       Whereas the Federal Pell Grants, renamed in honor of 
     Claiborne Pell in 1980, have helped over 54,000,000 low- and 
     middle-income students attend college and achieve their 
     educational goals;
       Whereas during his time in the Senate, Claiborne Pell was a 
     supporter of education, human rights, workers, international 
     law and diplomacy, and the arts, sponsoring the legislation 
     that created the National Endowment for the Arts and the 
     National Endowment for the Humanities;
       Whereas the High Speed Ground Transportation Act of 1965, 
     sponsored by Claiborne Pell, became the origin for the Amtrak 
     system in the Northeast corridor;
       Whereas Claiborne Pell became Chairman of the Senate 
     Foreign Relations Committee in 1987, and an important voice 
     in United States foreign policy and against international 
     military conflict;
       Whereas after serving 6 terms in the Senate, Claiborne Pell 
     retired in 1996;
       Whereas Claiborne Pell was appointed United States Delegate 
     to the United Nations in 1997;
       Whereas on January 1, 2009, at the age of 90, Claiborne 
     Pell passed away in Newport, Rhode Island: Now, therefore, be 
     it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) honors the life, achievements, and distinguished career 
     of Senator Claiborne Pell;
       (2) emphasizes that, among his legislative accomplishments, 
     Senator Claiborne Pell changed the face of higher education 
     by enabling millions of low- and middle-income students to 
     achieve the dream of a college education; and
       (3) recognizes the Federal Pell grants, the educational 
     grants that bear his name, as a significant part of the 
     legacy of Senator Claiborne Pell.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Hinojosa) and the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Platts) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.

                             General Leave

  Mr. HINOJOSA. Mr. Speaker, I request 5 legislative days during which 
Members may revise and extend and insert extraneous material on House 
Resolution 50 into the Record.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Texas?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. HINOJOSA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I rise today to honor the life and numerous accomplishments of former 
Senator Claiborne Pell. As a six-term United States Senator from Rhode 
Island and the former chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign 
Relations, he was a strong voice in educational policy, international 
policy,

[[Page H174]]

and the arts. Sadly, Senator Pell passed away on the first of this year 
at the age of 90.
  Born in 1918, Senator Pell committed himself to public service 
throughout his life. He served in the United States Coast Guard during 
World War II and later in the Coast Guard Reserves.
  Returning to civilian life, Senator Pell worked in the Foreign 
Service in Czechoslovakia, in Italy, and right here in Washington, DC. 
Elected to the United States Senate from the State of Rhode Island in 
1960, Claiborne Pell quickly became a leading spokesman in both 
international and domestic policy.
  Senator Pell campaigned ardently for human rights, speaking out 
against genocide occurring around the world. As a supporter of the 
issue of diplomacy and law over military force, he advocated against 
the use of nuclear weapons.
  While in the Senate, Claiborne Pell sponsored the High Speed Ground 
Transportation Act of 1965, which helped create the Amtrak system that 
more than 25 million people ride each year. Senator Pell also sponsored 
legislation creating the National Endowment For the Arts and the 
National Endowment For the Humanities, entities which play a vital role 
in developing and supporting the arts and historical preservation.
  Perhaps the accomplishment for which Claiborne Pell is best known is 
the creation of the Pell Grant. He was the architect of the 1972 Basic 
Education Opportunity grants, which were later renamed in his honor by 
the U.S. Congress.
  Senator Pell often remarked that he had been inspired to help 
students pay for college by the provisions in the GI bill, which had 
meant a great deal to him as a veteran whose comrades were propelled to 
succeed by its educational provisions.
  Pell Grants, which have helped more than 54 million low and middle 
income students attend college, have changed the face of American 
education, opening doors for millions of Americans, including a great 
number of our colleagues and friends and families and community 
members. Among all that he had accomplished during his time on Capitol 
Hill, Senator Pell often called these grants his greatest achievement.
  A consummate gentleman renowned for his integrity, Claiborne Pell was 
respected and loved by his colleagues in Congress as well as his 
constituents at home in Rhode Island. On this day I would like to 
commemorate Senator Pell's empowering work and recognize his numerous 
accomplishments. He is an inspiration to us all and an example of how 
one person can make a difference.
  Senator Pell had a profound understanding of what truly makes this 
Nation great. In Senator Pell's words, and I quote, ``The strength of 
the United States is not the gold at Fort Knox nor the weapons of mass 
destruction that we have, but the sum total of the education and the 
character of our people.''

                              {time}  1430

  His legacy left the United States stronger. His life's work opened 
the doors of educational opportunity wider than they had ever been 
opened before. He is an example of the great character of our people.
  I urge my colleagues to support this resolution honoring this great 
Senator who did so much to help Americans who might otherwise not be 
able to attend college, pursue higher education, and reach for new 
heights.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. PLATTS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the resolution and 
yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I rise in support of H. Res. 50, a resolution honoring the life of 
Claiborne Pell, the distinguished former Senator from Rhode Island. 
While I never had the privilege and pleasure of working with Senator 
Pell, I know the Senator was a force to be reckoned with and have seen 
the impact of his 37 years in the Senate in a number of areas I have 
worked on with the Education and Labor Committee. Senator Pell was a 
dedicated public servant who served our country during a time of war in 
the United States Coast Guard and had a career in the Foreign Service 
prior to being elected to serve the people of Rhode Island in the 
United States Senate in 1960.
  Senator Pell was instrumental in creating the Basic Education 
Opportunity Grant program, later renamed the Pell Grant Program, in his 
honor.
  This program was inspired by the GI Bill, which had helped World War 
II veterans pay for educational expenses after the war. The Federal 
Pell Grant has become the cornerstone of every financial aid package 
for America's neediest students.
  Since the creation of the Pell Grant, the Federal Government has 
distributed approximately 108 million grants to help lower income 
students achieve their goals of a college education. During the past 8 
years, Pell Grant funding has increased by 86 percent, supporting a 28 
percent increase in the number of students who have benefited from this 
program. Additionally, Congress strengthened this vital program during 
the last Congress through the Higher Education Opportunity Act. These 
important reforms allow students who want to accelerate their studies 
to receive a Pell Grant year round, expanded eligibility for the Pell 
Grant to students whose mother or father made the ultimate sacrifice in 
defense of our Nation, and included a sensible limit on the number of 
Pell Grants one student could receive over their educational career.
  While many of us know Senator Pell for his work on creating the Pell 
Grant, he also sponsored legislation to create the National Endowment 
for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Amtrak 
rail system. Senator Pell's interests were not purely domestic. He made 
important contributions in foreign affairs as chairman of the Senate 
Foreign Relations Committee and later as a United States delegate to 
the United Nations.
  I know that I speak for all of our colleagues in offering great 
praise to Senator Pell in honoring him and expressing condolences to 
his family as we remember his many contributions to our great Nation.
  I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. HINOJOSA. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to recognize a new Member of 
Congress who served on the staff of the chairman of the Senate Foreign 
Relations Committee where Claiborne Pell was Chair, and I wish to yield 
the gentleman from Virginia, Mr. Gerry Connolly, up to 4 minutes.
  Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia. I thank my colleague from Texas, and I rise 
in support of the resolution today.
  Mr. Speaker, I also rise to pay tribute to one of the most gifted and 
gracious legislators who has ever served in the United States Congress, 
a man whose life's work influenced education, culture and diplomacy for 
generations of Americans. He was also a man with whom I had the great 
pleasure of working during my 10 years serving on the staff of the 
Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Senator Claiborne de Borda Pell may 
best be known for his effort to create a national college tuition grant 
program, which now bears his name, but Senator Pell was also 
instrumental in establishing the National Endowment for the Arts and 
Humanities and pushing for critical new investments in our Nation's 
railroad system.
  As my colleagues know, Senator Pell died early Friday, January 2, at 
his home in Newport, Rhode Island. He was first elected to the United 
States Senate in 1960 and served six terms, becoming the State's 
longest-serving Senator. Senator Pell came from a political family that 
had five members serve in the House or Senate, including his great-
great-granduncle George M. Dallas, who was a Senator from Pennsylvania 
in the 1830s and Vice President under James K. Polk in the 1840s. 
Senator Pell's version of his family genealogy always insisted, when 
you visited his home, that Dallas, Texas, was named for this 
distinguished forebear.
  Senator Pell's father, Herbert Claiborne Pell, served one term here 
in the House, representing a portion of New York. Ironically, he always 
opposed the Federal role in education, an idea with which Senator 
Claiborne Pell broke courageously when he came here to the United 
States Congress.
  After being elected in 1960, Senator Pell sponsored the preparation 
of a statistical report that became the basis

[[Page H175]]

for the bill creating the Basic Educational Opportunity Grant that 
eventually produced financial aid for 54 million low- and middle-income 
Americans to have the opportunity to attend college. That grants 
program, of course, was renamed in honor of Senator Pell in 1980.
  In the early 1960s, Senator Pell also had a role in the North 
American passenger railroad renaissance. He foresaw the potential for a 
resurgence in the railroad system, which inspired him to draft the High 
Speed Ground Transportation Act of 1965, recommending that the Federal 
Government pump a half a billion dollars into rail transportation in 
the busy Northeast corridor between Boston and Washington, DC. He 
further accelerated that construction, realizing how important the 
magnitude of this project was, and increased the overall investment to 
$1 billion. It was from this initiative that the modern Amtrak system 
emerged.
  Senator Pell also possessed a keen interest in the arts and was the 
author of the National Foundation of Arts and Humanities Act of 1965. 
That legislation paved the way for the National Endowment for the Arts, 
which makes Federal grants to artists and art organizations, and the 
National Endowment for the Humanities, which is federally funded and 
dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation, public 
programs in the humanities and projects exhibiting artistic excellence. 
Senator Pell's vision almost single-handedly revived the arts and 
humanities in myriad communities in the United States.
  Finally, Mr. Speaker, on a personal note, I had the privilege of 
working with Senator Pell during his tenure as the chairman of the 
Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where I served on committee staff. 
Senator Pell was a gracious and thoughtful man. He met with any and all 
constituents who requested a meeting, and he did so always on time.
  As a former Foreign Service Officer and Coast Guard serviceman, he 
was a strong and passionate voice for the men and women who serve our 
country abroad and in the Coast Guard all of his distinguished career. 
He had his eccentricities, but they did not characterize the man. What 
characterized Claiborne Pell, Mr. Speaker, was a sense of duty and his 
devotion to his country, his citizens, his high moral principles and, 
despite his wealth, his desire to spread opportunity to the average man 
and woman of this country.
  His loss will be a source of grief for me personally and all who knew 
him.
  Mr. HINOJOSA. I have no further speakers.
  Mr. PLATTS. Mr. Speaker, I had a speaker arrive after I had already 
yielded my time back.
  I would ask unanimous consent to reclaim my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. PLATTS. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
distinguished Member from California (Mr. Dreier).
  Mr. DREIER. I thank my good friend from Pennsylvania and my friend 
from Texas.
  Mr. Speaker, I wasn't planning to speak about Senator Pell until I 
heard the very thoughtful remarks of our new colleague on the other 
side of the aisle, and I was thinking when he mentioned the term 
``eccentricities'' not defining Claiborne Pell, it immediately brought 
to mind one of my first opportunities to have an exposure to an elected 
leader. I was in the 1970s an undergraduate in college in California, 
and we had, as a speaker on our campus, Senator Claiborne Pell, who was 
flying in. I was charged with the task, Mr. Speaker, of actually 
picking him up at Los Angeles International Airport.
  I will never forget when he arrived, and looking like the New England 
gentleman that he was, he came to Los Angeles wearing a hat, carrying a 
great big overcoat, and someone confronted him at the airport. I was 
reminded, when my friend was just speaking about the fact that he would 
meet and talk to everyone, I had a car waiting, and he stopped and 
spoke at length with this gentleman there.
  Then, just a very few years later, Mr. Speaker, I was very privileged 
to be able to have the opportunity to be elected to serve here in the 
Congress, and I reminded Senator Pell of my first introduction to him 
just a few years before when I was an undergraduate, and he recounted 
very fondly his visit then. And I had a chance, during that period of 
time, to develop a friendship with him and work with him on a number of 
issues.
  So I rise in strong support of this resolution. He was a great public 
servant and a fascinating human being, and I urge my colleagues to 
support this resolution.
  Mr. HINOJOSA. Mr. Speaker, I want to say that I am so happy to hear 
Congressman Dreier make those kind remarks. As I listened to him, it 
reminded me of 2 years ago when I was chosen by members of the 
Democratic Caucus to be the chairman of the Higher Education Committee, 
and one of the first things that I did was to invite presidents and 
chancellors of different universities throughout our land to come into 
our office and tell us about what they consider to be the priorities 
that they had on higher education.
  I am pleased to say that the chancellor from California, Cal State 
system, came by to visit me. He pointed out that through the 
association of presidents and chancellors that there was no question 
that the highest priority that they had for the 110th Congress was that 
we do something about increasing the amount of Federal investment in 
Pell Grants.
  I am pleased to say that we heard the message and we did something 
about it, and that we have, in this Congress, the 110th, and we pledge 
in the 111th Congress, to continue paying attention to the need for 
funding for Pell Grants. Because if we are to address the affordability 
and the accessibility of higher education for many of the children of 
working families, it requires that additional Federal investment as we 
now talk about the Pell Grants.
  With that, I urge everyone to vote ``yes'' on this suspension bill.
  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Claiborne 
Pell, the great former Senator from Rhode Island. Senator Pell's life 
was defined by service, from the Coast Guard, to the Foreign Service, 
to 36 years in the United States Senate. He was a model statesman, 
willing to listen and compromise but never straying from his commitment 
to fairness and equality.
  Senator Pell has left a long list of achievements, but his greatest 
legacy is the Pell grant, which has opened the doors to college for 
over 50 million students. He also introduced legislation to create the 
National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the 
Humanities. He was an ardent environmentalist, working to protect 
oceans from nuclear testing.
  Those are just a few of Senator Pell's many accomplishments. I would 
like to turn for a moment to some personal observations. I had the 
great privilege of working for Senator Pell when I was a member of the 
staff of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee from 1987 to 1989. He 
was a man of both grace and principle. He rarely spoke a word in anger, 
but he didn't retreat from tough issues. He was a gentle soul with a 
kind word for most. But it would be a grave mistake for anyone to 
interpret his gentle disposition as a sign of weakness. He was 
passionate about the issues he cared about and relentless in pursuing 
them.
  He was insistent that the United States play a leading role in the 
world. He believed strongly in attempting to resolve international 
conflicts through negotiation and diplomacy before resorting to the use 
of force. His approach may have fallen out of political fashion for a 
time, but the passage of time has shown the wisdom of his counsel.
  We have entered an age that is often dominated by 20-second sound 
bites and partisan political combat. Senator Pell would not have felt 
as comfortable in this new political environment, nor should he. 
Rather, we would do better to return to the more, deliberate and gentle 
ways he brought to the Senate. We have a lot to learn from his example. 
I will miss him, but our Nation is certainly stronger and better as a 
result of the life he lived and the legacy he left behind.
  Mr. HINOJOSA. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hinojosa) that the House suspend the rules 
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 50.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. HINOJOSA. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.

[[Page H176]]

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

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