Sanford Bishop: “I would like to thank Congressman John Lewis and his staff for reserving time this morning for Members of the House to…”

“I would like to thank Congressman John Lewis and his staff for reserving time this morning for Members of the House to come to the floor to pay tribute to my friend, one of Georgia's former and notable legislators, the late Congressman Edgar Lanier Jenkins. Ed died January 1 of this year. The poet Longfellow wrote: ``Heights by great men reached and kept were not obtained by sudden flight but, while their companions slept, they were toiling on upward in the night.'' It was no sudden flight for Ed Jenkins, born in Young Harris, Georgia, to rise to prominence in Washington, DC under the dome of this great Capitol. No, it was the result of hard work and humble sacrifice. Although I didn't have the pleasure of serving in this body with Ed, as he retired from Congress in 1993 as I was beginning my first term, I and countless others from across the country looked to Ed as a role model. Ed came to me shortly after I was elected. He embraced me. He was always available to me for advice and counsel. Not only that, he and his friend of many years and his business partner, John Winburn, made it a point to offer continuous support for Democratic Members from the Georgia delegation, year in and year out; and Ed never asked for anything in return. He was a humble and able country lawyer. He practiced in Jasper, Georgia. He was born in Young Harris. He attended Young Harris College. He was in the Coast Guard.…”