Proceedings in the House

MONDAY, August 11, 1958.

The Chaplain, Rev. Bernard Braskamp, D. D., offered the following prayer:

Jeremiah 32: 42: Thus saith the Lord: I will bring upon them all the good that I have promised them.

O Thou God of all majesty and mercy, may we daily be men and women of vision and of valor.

Help us to meet courageously the challenge of difficult problems and heavy responsibilities.

We humbly confess that we are frequently tempted to surrender to moods of futility and frustration.

May we count it our highest wisdom to commit our baffled minds and burdened hearts to the discipline and leading of Thy spirit.

We thank Thee for the life and character of our beloved and esteemed colleague who now dwells with Thee in eternal blessedness. Bestow upon the members of his bereaved family the consolations of Thy grace.

Hear us in Christ's name. Amen.

Mr. ALLEN of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, it is my sad duty to announce the sudden passing of our esteemed and respected colleague, WILLIAM E. MCVEY, last evening in Washington. His untimely and sudden death came as a great shock to his family and his many friends.

Representative WILLIAM MCVEY was born December 13, 1885; was reared on a farm in Clinton County, Ohio. He received a B. S. degree from Ohio University; A. M. and Ph. D.

degrees, University of Chicago; formerly division superintendent in Philippine Islands; for an extended period of time superintendent of Thornton Township High School and Junior College, Harvey, Ill.; professor of education, De Paul University, since 1949; lecturer at various times, University of Pennsylvania, Ohio University, and Emory University; president of the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools, 1943–44; member of Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Delta Kappa, Phi Kappa Tau; Episcopalian; author of books and magazine articles; president, Harvey Memorial YMCA; member of board of directors of Ingalls Memorial Hospital, Harvey, Ill.; loyalty and efficiency award, American Legion; citation, AMVETS; married to Katharine Johnson, of Galesburg, Ill., and they have 3 children; elected to the 82d Congress November 7, 1950; reelected to the 83d, 84th, and 85th Congresses.

He was independent in thoughts and acts. He always had the courage of his convictions. His sentences were always logical, and whenever he addressed the House he meant every word he said. He spoke from the heart; he was gentle and kind.

He had a heart of gold. He could not bear malice against anyone. He possessed a most lovable character and a charming personality. He was endowed with a keen and analytical mind. His dominant thought was always the welfare of our country. I know that every Member of this body admired and respected him. All of us have lost a friend, an able colleague.

Our earnest sympathies are extended to his beloved wife Katharine; to his son, Dr. Emerson K. McVey; to his two daughters, Mrs. Jeannette Zucco and Mrs. Katharine Jane Reynolds and his only surviving sister.

Mr. MARTIN. Mr. Speaker, it is with real regret that I received word of the death of WILLIAM E. MCVEY, of Illinois. Educator, author, soldier, and statesman, he served his country with great distinction. A kindly, sincere Congressman he won the close friendship of all with whom he came in contact. As a member of the Banking and Currency Committee, he rendered fine service to his country. His death is a genuine loss to Congress, the State of Illinois and to the Nation. To his family I extend my deepest sympathy in their hour of bereavement.

Mr. ARENDS. Mr. Speaker, I find it impossible to express how deeply I feel the loss of our colleague, Dr. McVEY. He had contributed much to my home State of Illinois and to the Nation through his work here in Congress. More than that, he has enriched the lives of all of us individually.

This quiet, unassuming man of learning was an inspiration to me, as he was to all who were privileged, as we have been, to be in his presence. His achievements in the academic world were many. He attended several universities and attained from each recognition of his intellectual ability. From Ohio University he was given the bachelor of science degree. The University of Chicago awarded him the degrees of master of arts and doctor of philosophy.

He delivered many lectures at many colleges. He wrote many books and many magazine articles. His contribution to enrichment of the minds of young men and women as university students is beyond measure. And likewise, his contribution to the enrichment of us who have served with him in Congress is beyond measure.

Dr. McVEY is no longer with us, but his words and deeds will always be with us. He has indeed left lasting "footprints on the sands of time" as a guide to all desiring to live a fruitful life.

With the passing of Dr. MCVEY we have suffered a great loss. I have lost a personal friend for whom I have the greatest affection and admiration. I extend to his family my deepest sympathy.

Mr. BYRNE of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, with a heavy heart I realize our colleague, BILL MCVEY, is no longer with us. It was just last Friday that the gentleman from Illinois, our colleague, BILL MCVEY, was with us in this Chamber and it is an example of the fact that God Almighty has devious and different ways of letting us all know that none of us know the day or the hour when we may be taken from this world. As I stand here, as the Representative of the Third District of Illinois, I am going to miss in the days to come the gentleman from Illinois who represented the Fourth District just south of me. He preceded me in the Congress of the United States and was here for a number of terms. I recall, too, his professorship at De Paul University-my alma mater. I remember him, too, as a veteran of the First World War and his activities in the American Legion and other veterans' work. He made a mark in the field of education before he came to the Congress of the United States. I know he was a kindly man. He was a fine father and a devoted husband. He will be missed. To his fine wife and his fine children, I extend my sympathy. I know, as you do, that he is receiving his eternal reward in heaven. I extend to all his loved ones my sympathies.

Mr. SPRINGER. Mr. Speaker, I was one of those who came in January 1951 to the Congress with Dr. McVEY.

It has been a wonderful experience during these past 8 years to have known such a fine, inestimable person. He has always impressed me with his earnestness, his sincerity and his utter simplicity.

No man wore his Phi Beta Kappa key with more distinction but less concern for the honor than Dr. MCVEY. He was one of those whose knowledge in the field of education was widely recognized. He practiced scholarship in every undertaking. His was a curious mind always looking for more knowledge and then, having achieved it, put to use for his fellow men.

In the field of education thousands of students went forth better equipped for life and with a great respect for a teacher who had made it possible. After knowing Dr. MCVEY it is easy to understand why he left such a lasting imprint upon youthful minds. He was not one given to a great volume of words. Whenever he spoke he was listened to because we realized that much thought had preceded what he had to say.

He was one man about whom it could be truly said he did not seek office-the office sought him. I knew many of his closest backers in his district on the south side of Cook County. They were eminent men in the field of finance and business and civic enterprise. They sought Dr. MCVEY as a candidate for office because they believed in his integrity and his utter honesty. In these intervening years he has served the people of his district well. He has made it a point to be present at all times when he was not ill or detained serving his people in his district.

It is easy for many of us who have enjoyed good health to serve in the Congress. Dr. MCVEY had not enjoyed good health in recent years but he still gave the same steadfast service as if he had been a man 30 years younger.

He never lacked courage to face up to an issue-always the sign of a statesman. He came during the Korean war when our country was engaged in the struggle to maintain the principles for which he had always believed. Since then he has served on the Banking and Currency Committee and, for me, has been a source of information and knowledge in that