Timothy Roemer: “Mr. Stokes, I think you know a lot about somebody by the company they keep and by the family and the service that they…”

“Mr. Stokes, I think you know a lot about somebody by the company they keep and by the family and the service that they have provided to this country. You come from such a distinguished family of service. Your brother Carl Stokes and you have been the epitome of a public servant. I remember going before the Committee on Appropriations not too long ago as a freshman and testifying on Closeup and TRIO. It was a long day. You had heard probably 10 or 11 hours of testimony, but when somebody testified about helping kids and the underprivileged, you perked up. You asked all kinds of questions and you said, ``We have to support those programs.'' That was the example that Lou Stokes showed to me. You have also always stood up for the economically disenfranchised, for the emotionally discouraged, and you have lived Bobby Kennedy's slogan: When one of us prospers, we all prosper. When one of us fail so do we all. You have ensured so much prospering on the part of the underprivileged and tried to ensure so little failure. We all thank you and salute you.”