Date: 1982-11-30
Speaker: PHILIP M. CRANE (republican)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I thank my leader for yielding to me. I first met ED back in the 1964 campaign. when he was chairman of the Illinois Citizens for Goldwater and I was enlisted in that effort as the research chairman. At that time. I was living down in our distinguished leaders district. and BOB MICHEL Was My distinguished representative down in Peoria. It was kind of an interesting experience living downstate at that time to find that there were people up in Cooke County. even though I had roots up in Cooke County. who shared those same basic and traditional values that were so revered in downstate Illinois. When I subsequently moved back up to the Cooke County area. after my predecessor. Don Rumsfeld retired. ED DERWINSKI was at my side helping me as I sought election to that seat. He served as my mentor and father confessor when I first arrived in this body. I remember having missed. because of a special election. the normal orientation process that most freshmen get. I had to depend upon ED. whose office was in that comimaunding fourth floor space overlooking the Capitol in the Longworth Building. Mine was a much more modest office about halfway down that hall. At that time I depended. since it was cold weather. on ED to show me how to get to the floor. I remember the first time he took me down to the basement of the Longworth Building and then led me through the tunnel from Cannon over here. The next time the bells went off for a vote. he took me down to the basement of the Longworth Building. took me over to Rayburn and we took the train..The third time he suggested that in order to familiarize myself with the terrain. we should walk above ground. Having followed EDS leadership back and forth to the floor for a week or so. I finally concluded that I had a mastery of it. I left this floor after a vote. I took the elevator to the basement. and I was under the Senate Chamber before I realized I had made a wrong turn in the labyrinth of passageways there. I was that dependent upon EDs leadership. He has provided not only friendship and guidance and political wisdom. but I think he is certainly recognized in this Chamber by both sides of the aisle as one of the most effective legislators that we have had in this body. In that sense he will be a great loss to us all. I have not always agreed with ED on every issue. Something I think a lot of folks back home do not fully appreciate is that you can disagree without being disagreeable. and in this body. where oftentimes we engage in headknocking debate. it does not mean that that spills over into personalities. In that sense. I think each and every one of us feels a great sense of loss with the departure of all of our colleagues whom we have built up friendships with. even though we may be on opposite sides of the aisle. or we may have been within our own party on opposite sides of the issue from time to time. ED DERWINSKI. I am confident. is going to continue to faithfully provide the kind of public service that he has so outstandingly provided in his 24year tenure in the House of Representatives. and I am hopeful that the administration recognizes that EDS talents are not confined to legislation. I think he is one of the outstanding diplomatlegislators. if you will. that this body has seen. One need only visit his office and look at the distinguished array of photographs of world leaders. which include everything from the pictures of past Popes that ED knew and had met and was familiar with to other church denominations throughout this world. as well as the political figures that have come and gone on our world stage over the past 25 years. to realize that ED DERWINSIci has many extraordinary talents to provide in his new job at the State Department. I know that we will still have the opportunity to share the friendships that we have had. We will all miss him in this body enormously but I think we have had the opportunity. thanks to BOB MICHEL and JOHN ERLENBORN. to pay a special tribute to some truly extraordinary people who represented our great State. Maybe I am a little prejudiced. but I have always been persuaded since coming to this body that no State had better quality representation than that provided from Illinois.