James M. Talent: “We do not realize the true worth of a great man until he is gone. The networks of which he is a part, the man of which…”

“We do not realize the true worth of a great man until he is gone. The networks of which he is a part, the man of which he is the hub, slip and shake and tremble. We all feel the insecurity of things if even the strongest among us can be so quickly taken from us. Yet we all realize the impact for good that a good man can have. So it is, Mr. Speaker, with our dear colleague, Bill Emerson. Much will be said of Bill in the coming days. I wish to say this now. He was my friend, faithful and just and charitable to me. He served his country. He loved his family. He is now most certainly with his Savior, and I will miss him more than I can say.”