Carol Shea-Porter: “Thank you very much. I would like to add my voice to the others here in speaking about this wonderful man, John Dingell…”

“Thank you very much. I would like to add my voice to the others here in speaking about this wonderful man, John Dingell, who, I'm sure, is quite embarrassed as we talk about him because he has a great deal of humility, which is rather unusual here, so he stands out for that. When I first won election in 2006 and came in in early 2007, I knew about John Dingell. I had taught politics and history. I knew his great reputation as a legislator--I knew a lot about him--but what I didn't know about him is what I want to talk about. When I first arrived, you heard a lot of people call him ``friend'' because he has a gift for friendship. He uses the words ``my friend'' all the time, and you believe him. He really has a gift for friendship. So he said, Sit down here, my friend. And I sat and I talked to the great John Dingell, and he asked me about me instead of telling me about him. I, too, was pretty overwhelmed at the idea that I was going to be this wonderful man's colleague. He has taught me a lot through the years, but any time you want a little bit of wisdom, we know you can just go sit with John Dingell. He sits there very quietly, and people come to him. If you just want to have a quiet chat, John Dingell is available. If you want to remind yourself that civility exists here in this Chamber, sit next to John Dingell because he is always civil; he is polite; he is intelligent; he is warm; and he cares about the people.…”