Kendrick Meek: “a few weeks ago, a great man who served in this House for 20 years went on to glory. On March 16, 2005, former U.S.…”

“a few weeks ago, a great man who served in this House for 20 years went on to glory. On March 16, 2005, former U.S. Congressman Bill Lehman passed away peacefully in the presence of his family and a few close friends in Miami, Florida. He was ninety-one years old, and for 20 of those years he served in this great institution, the U.S. House of Representatives. We are here this evening to pay tribute to Congressman Bill Lehman who served with great dignity and integrity, who the Miami Herald described as a ``legendary figure in south Florida politics considered a visionary on racial issues and public transit.'' Only three people have ever served in the 17th Congressional District of Florida, former Congressman Bill Lehman, former Congresswoman Carrie Meek and myself, Mr. Speaker. For this reason, it is a great honor for me to honor him today. By any measure, Mr. Lehman was an extraordinary man. He was a successful businessman who went back to college, got his teaching degree and taught in the Miami Dade County schools. He also was a school board member and a chairman of the school board, and he led his school system through a very difficult time, the end of segregation in schools. Congressman Lehman was a Member of Congress universally known for fairness, kindness and compassion. He had strong relationships on both sides of the aisle and guided national transportation policy through the 1980's.…”