Louis Stokes: “Bill Emerson was truly one of the finest men I have ever been privileged to serve with in this body. In the words of the…”

“Bill Emerson was truly one of the finest men I have ever been privileged to serve with in this body. In the words of the gentleman from California [Mr. Lewis] he was truly the epitome of what bipartisanship represented in a body of this sort. Bill was the type of person who you knew loved this institution, who was devoted to it and to its Members. He had had a very distinguished career here, having served both as a page and then as a very distinguished legislator in this body. I recall last week that I saw him on about three different occasions. I recall late one night, when we were working, that he came in in a wheelchair and we came in on the first floor level, and took the elevator up together. And I asked him, I said, Bill, how are you doing? He said, 'Oh, I am doing OK.' And he said he was on a new type of chemotherapy and taking the radiation. He said, 'But I am going to be all right.' And I think it was that type of formidable fortitude that Bill represented. He was always in good spirits, always of a positive demeanor and someone who never gave up.”