Tribute to Congressman Gilbert Gude

Floor Speech

TRIBUTE TO CONGRESSMAN GILBERT GUDE -- (Extensions of Remarks - June 12, 2007)

* Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the life of former Congressman Gilbert Gude and to reflect on his remarkable public career. Gil Gude was a man of great civic vision who served his community with great passion and dedication. He served in this body with great distinction from 1967-77, representing Maryland's Eighth Congressional District, which I am now honored to represent.

* Gil Gude led a remarkable life. He grew up on a farm near Rockville, Maryland, where he developed a deep love of nature. He answered his country's call to duty in 1943, joining the Army Medical Corps during World War II. He served in the Maryland House of Delegates from 1953-57 and in the State Senate from 1963-68.

* Elected to Congress in 1966, Gil Gude made his mark as a creative legislator whose ideas crossed party lines. He did not accept ``conservative'' or ``liberal'' labeling but rather worked with great personal integrity to do what he believed was right for his Nation. Even as a member of the Republican Party, he opposed the Vietnam War, called for the impeachment of President Nixon, worked to limit cigarette advertisement, and fought to restrict handgun ownership.

* Gude was a devoted environmentalist. He worked to improve air quality in the District, save wild horses in the West, and create the C & O National Historical Park, among his many other accomplishments. In 1975 he spent a Congressional recess leading a 400-mile trip down the Potomac River in an attempt to give it a national designation.

* Gude resigned from Congress in 1977 after a decade of dedicated and compassionate service. However, this did not mark the end of his public service. In 1977 he became Director of the Congressional Research Service, and worked to establish the CRS as a premier and reliable research institution for Members of Congress. He retired from CRS in 1985.

* Gil Gude spent a great amount of time focusing on his greatest passion--the Potomac River. He helped found the Potomac River Basin Consortium and took many trips to explore the small communities surrounding the river. He wrote two books about the upriver towns and viewed these tight-knit communities and the river as sources of immense history and cultural importance. He shared his wisdom with others, teaching courses at Georgetown University on history and the environment.

* Our Nation mourns the passing of Gilbert Gude. He was a model of bipartisan cooperation who left a legacy that serves as an inspiration for us all.

* To Gil Gude's family, please know that you are in our hearts and prayers. We share your grief during this painful time, but are proud to celebrate this extraordinary American's life of service and accomplishment.

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