The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“REMEMBERING HAROLD CASKEY” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the Senate section on pages S7265 on Oct. 8, 2015.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
REMEMBERING HAROLD CASKEY
Mrs. McCASKILL. Mr. President, I wish to honor Harold Caskey, a former Missouri State senator of Butler in Bates County, MO, with whom I had the great pleasure of serving in the Missouri General Assembly. Harold was one of Missouri's most influential legislators. Harold was known by many as ``the old lion''--a reference to his doggedness in debating. A dedicated public servant, Harold will be remembered for his love of family, his community in western and west central Missouri, and the State. Harold was blind, but he never let this prevent him from succeeding. Harold was a whip smart, strategic, loyal and hard-working man who conquered adversity. The State of Missouri has lost a special man, and he will be greatly missed and never duplicated.
Harold was born in Hume, MO, in 1938. During childhood, Harold became legally blind due to a genetic condition, but this did not prevent him from being a stellar student and becoming his high school's senior class valedictorian. He attended Central Missouri State University at Warrensburg, now the University of Central Missouri, where he graduated magna cum laude with dual majors in psychology and sociology. He then earned his law degree at the University of Missouri-Columbia, where he was elected to the Order of the Coif.
After earning his law degree, Harold started practicing law in the office of former Missouri State Senator William Cason in Clinton. In 1965, Harold started his own law practice in Butler. He was elected prosecutor for Bates County in 1967 and served three terms, ending in 1973. Harold continued his public service by serving as the city attorney for the communities of Butler and Rich Hill from 1973 to 1976. Harold was also an assistant professor in law enforcement and business education at Northeast Missouri State University, now Truman State University, in Kirksville.
Harold began his tenure in the Missouri Senate after winning election in 1976 and served for 28 years before retiring in 2004 due to newly enacted term limits. He was chairman of the Senate Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence Committee and the Senate Ethics Committee and vice chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. In the Missouri Senate, he was a tireless advocate for rural public education and sponsored influential public school laws, such as the 1993 Outstanding Schools Act, which significantly increased state public school funding and mandated higher school standards. As a member of the Missouri Commission on Performance, Harold advised the State Department of Elementary and Secondary Education on education reform and school finance. Harold had great influence over Missouri's criminal justice laws by increasing sentences for the most violent and, at the end of his term, sponsoring a sentencing reform bill that reduced some sentences for less serious offenders. He was also a passionate leader and advocate for the visually impaired and disabled. Harold served as vice chairman of the Missouri State Capitol Commission until his passing.
Harold received numerous honors for his legislative accomplishments, including recognitions from the Missouri Planning Council for Developmental Disabilities, the Public Telecommunications Association of Missouri, the Missouri Deputy Sheriffs Association, the Judicial Conference of Missouri, the Missouri Association of Counties, the Missouri Association of Pharmacists, the Missouri Association of Prosecuting Attorneys, the Missouri Cable Television Association, the Missouri Crime Commission, the Missouri Police Chiefs' Association, the American Business Women's Association, and the Cooperating School Districts of Suburban Kansas City.
Outside his work as an elected official, Harold's dedication to his community was passionate and unselfish as he served in countless ways, including as a member of the Rotary Club of Butler, the Missouri Bar Association, the Crescent Hill Masonic Lodge No. 368 A.F. and A.M., the Scottish Rite of Free Masonry in the Valley of Orient in Kansas City, MO, and the Ararat Shrine. He was also an honorary fellow of the Harry S. Truman Library Institute for National and International Affairs, a member of the Bates County Memorial Hospital Board of Trustees, and a member of Butler First Baptist Church.
Harold is survived by his wife, Kay; son, Kyle; sister, Velma Elaine May; and brothers, Robert, Leon, and Ray Lee. I witnessed firsthand his strong leadership and tenacious commitment to issues he cared about. I am grateful for the wisdom, knowledge, and lessons Harold shared with me. He made me a better legislator and public servant. While one might have seen Harold as intimidating or stern, he was secretly a sweet softie--kind and gentle.
I am deeply saddened by his passing and join his family and friends in reflecting on his many life accomplishments. Harold touched the lives of many and will be remembered as an invaluable public servant to the State of Missouri and an inspiration to all.
I ask that the Senate join me in honoring Harold Caskey.
(At the request of Mr. Lee, the following statement was ordered to be printed in the Record.)
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