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“CELEBRATING MR. JAY B. DILLINGHAM'S LASTING LEGACY IN THE GREATER KANSAS CITY AREA” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Transportation was published in the in the Extensions of Remarks section section on pages E641-E642 on June 17.
The Department handles nearly all infrastructure crisscrossing the country. Downsizing the Federal Government, a project aimed at lowering taxes and boosting federal efficiency, said the Department should be privatized to save money, reduce congestion and spur innovation.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
CELEBRATING MR. JAY B. DILLINGHAM'S LASTING LEGACY IN THE GREATER
KANSAS CITY AREA
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HON. EMANUEL CLEAVER
of missouri
in the house of representatives
Friday, June 17, 2022
Mr. CLEAVER. Madam Speaker, it is my distinct honor to rise on behalf of Missouri's Fifth Congressional District, Kansas City, Missouri, and more specifically the Northland, to celebrate the lasting legacy of Jay B. Dillingham. A true local icon, one cannot tell the story of Kansas City without telling the story of Mr. Dillingham. Born on March 8, 1910, Mr. Dillingham served the Greater Kansas City area and the States of Missouri and Kansas until his passing on August 13, 2007.
In 1935, Mr. Dillingham received his master's degree from the Kansas City School of Law, which would later become the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Nevertheless, soon after graduating, he was recruited to work at the Kansas City Stockyards and never practiced law. From 1948 through 1975, Mr. Dillingham served as president of the stockyards, one of Kansas City's greatest industries, where thousands of cattle, pigs, sheep, horses, and mules were auctioned in the West Bottoms each year. As president of the famed Kansas City Stockyards, a role he took on while only 38 years old, Mr. Dillingham helped turn the American Royal Livestock Show into a national institution. He once said about the stockyards: ``There's nothing around here I haven't done . .
. from shoveling manure to cleaning the sewers.'' In 1949, Mr. Dillingham founded the Golden Ox Steakhouse in the Kansas City Livestock Exchange Building, making it the city's oldest steakhouse and the birthplace of the Kansas City strip.
As part of his family's farming activities, Mr. Dillingham worked on 2,500 acres of beautiful Missouri River bottomland. He was also deeply engaged in developing lakes in the Kansas River basin along with Clay County's Smithville Lake. Following the Great Flood of 1951, he oversaw the cleanup and assisted in getting the town back to work. He was a member of the Missouri State Water Resource Board and assisted the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the construction of massive reservoirs throughout Missouri and Kansas. In Genesis 2:15, one of the first things God asked of us was to be good stewards of the land: ``The LORD God then took the man and settled him in the garden of Eden, to cultivate and care for it.'' It is indisputable that Mr. Dillingham was a great steward of the land and gave most of his time on this earth looking after it.
Mr. Dillingham was the only person to ever serve as president of the Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas City, Kansas Chambers of Commerce. It's because of Mr. Dillingham's impactful work and public service that Governor Joe Teasdale and Governor Kit Bond appointed him as Chairman of the Missouri Department of Transportation's Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission from 1978 to 1983. It was in this position that he would be given the nickname of ``Father of I-435''. Interstate 670, running through both Missouri and Kansas, carries his name today. Indeed, Mr. Dillingham was a driving force behind Kansas City's growth, including the decision to locate the Kansas City International Airport in the Northland.
Mr. Dillingham, in addition to being a successful businessman and public servant, was also a generous philanthropist who donated land from the stockyards for worthy causes like the American Royal and the construction of Kemper Arena, now known as the Hy-Vee Arena. Many universities and organizations across Missouri and Kansas also bear awards in his name due to his astounding leadership.
Madam Speaker, please join me in honoring the life and legacy of Mr. Jay B. Dillingham. Though he may be gone, his impacts on agriculture and infrastructure will not be forgotten.
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