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“THE LATE CONGRESSMAN WILLIAM H. AYRES” mentioning the U.S. Dept of Labor was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E67 on Jan. 30, 2001.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
THE LATE CONGRESSMAN WILLIAM H. AYRES
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HON. TOM SAWYER
of ohio
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, January 30, 2001
Mr. SAWYER. Mr. Speaker, William H. Ayres represented the 14th Congressional District of Ohio in the U.S. House of Representatives for 20 years. Congressman Ayres, who died on December 27, defined his political philosophy with typical succinctness. He said, ``Most of the fellows today are issue-oriented. They're trying to save the world, while I was trying to save a paycheck.''
A direct statement--modest, self-effacing, and misleading. Bill Ayres did much more than ``save paychecks.''
Congressman Ayres was the son of a Methodist minister and a missionary nurse. Before serving in the Army, he worked as a salesman for a heating equipment company. After the Second World War, he started his own company selling gas furnaces. His priorities were made evident when he hired 15 men--all World War II veterans--to work for him.
Bill Ayres also showed his independent streak by challenging restrictions on heating contractors. That crusade ended in victory in the Ohio Supreme Court.
Those two characteristics--fierce independence and loyalty to veterans--marked his public service, especially in the House of Representatives. Committed to constituent service, Bill Ayres was an energetic and innovative campaigner, who was re-elected nine times, including the 1964 landslide for Lyndon Johnson.
His daughter, Virginia, touched on those tireless efforts as she recalled, ``Every weekend, he was at the Polish picnic and the Hungarian picnic and the Kiwanis. Those are my memories of childhood.''
After leaving the House, Bill Ayres continued his dedicated work for veterans, running the Jobs for Veterans program in the Department of Labor under President Nixon.
Bill Ayres had as a campaign slogan, ``Ayres Cares.'' His approach to work, to people, and to life, proved clearly that it was no empty slogan, but an apt description of the man, and his model for public service.
Congressman Ayres now rests in Arlington National Cemetery, among the men and women he supported and served. It is a fitting resting place for a tireless fighter for his fellow veterans, for a true public servant.
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