John Garamendi: “Before I terminate this, I want to change subjects. A very, very dear friend died, and I want to bring to the attention…”

“Before I terminate this, I want to change subjects. A very, very dear friend died, and I want to bring to the attention of the House Harris Wofford. Harris Llewellyn Wofford, Jr., was born in New York City on April 9, 1926. At the age of 11, he had the opportunity to travel around the world with his grandmother, in 1938. He experienced many defining events during that time, including what was going on in Italy with Benito Mussolini and in Germany with Hitler, the Japanese aggression in Shanghai, and Gandhi's movement in India. His passion for creating change and fighting for progress began in earnest during those years. As the civil rights movement began, Mr. Wofford quickly became a fervent supporter of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., whom we remembered yesterday. He marched alongside Reverend King for civil rights and voting rights in Selma. And during John F. Kennedy's campaign for President, Mr. Wofford played a key role in Kennedy's efforts that freed Reverend King from prison, a move that galvanized the civil rights movement and helped carry President Kennedy to the White House a year later. Following that election, he served as President Kennedy's special assistant for civil rights and later served as the head of two colleges. And during his time with the Kennedy administration, he helped launch the Peace Corps, which my wife and I joined shortly thereafter; and that inspired Patti and me as we served 2 years in Ethiopia. In 1991, Mr.…”