Dick Durbin: “Today, we mourn the loss of a Southern Illinois legend, Congressman Ken Gray. Kenny had many roles in his lifetime. He…”

“Today, we mourn the loss of a Southern Illinois legend, Congressman Ken Gray. Kenny had many roles in his lifetime. He was a licensed auctioneer, a pilot, and a magician. But he made his greatest mark serving the people of Southern Illinois in the U.S. House of Representatives for nearly a quarter of a century. Kenny was a World War II veteran who served with the Army and Air Force in North Africa, Italy, Southern France and Central Europe. After the war he operated an air service in Benton, IL. He was elected to Congress in 1954 at the age of 30 and went on to serve 10 consecutive terms. When he first went to Washington, Southern Illinois was an impoverished, rural area. Congressman Gray took great pride in the regional improvements he helped steer to his region. His work made a real difference in the daily lives of Southern Illinoisans. His constituents loved him and the House entrusted him with increasing responsibilities. Speakers of the House Sam Rayburn and Tip O'Neil regularly called on him to preside over the chamber. You could never forget Kenny Gray. With his rainbow of sport coats and personal helicopter, Kenny was a legend. He even had a pink Cadillac. His repertoire of jokes borrowed heavily from Red Skelton and hometown stories from Little Egypt. Among his notable achievements in Congress: Ken helped write the 1956 Federal-Aid Highway Act, which created America's interstate highway system. Kenny kept the pen that President Dwight D.…”