Elijah Lewis: “I rise to express my deep sense of loss over the passing of a great Member of this House, Walter Capps from Santa…”

“I rise to express my deep sense of loss over the passing of a great Member of this House, Walter Capps from Santa Barbara. Very few of us have the opportunity to make a difference in the world. Walter Capps was such a person. Whenever I saw him, he shared a great appreciation for the best our Nation had to offer. He was a lover of the principles of democracy. He cared deeply for the people he represented. I heard of Walter's accomplishment as a scholar, teacher, writer, and thinker long before he came to Congress. When he came here in January of this year, I wanted to meet him because I knew he would add something different to this body. I knew that he was not a seasoned politician, but a deeply caring and sharing citizen of his community. I knew that Walter loved ideas and that somehow his ideas would shape the laws we make and the destiny of our democracy. Mr. Speaker, on several occasions I had an opportunity to talk with Walter on the floor, in the cloakroom, walking across the lawn. Just last Thursday we had an opportunity to talk, and he was so pleased to introduce me to the grandson of Cesar Chavez. Walter Capps was the personification of the best of human kind, and I think we all can learn from his example. He was our colleague. He was my friend. He was my brother. To Lois, his wife, and to his family, we mourn with you. And as Members, we are more than lucky we are blessed we had an opportunity to know him. We will miss Walter.”