Kendra S. Horn: “we all know that Ron Dellums was the first African American member of the House Committee on National Security. I came…”

“we all know that Ron Dellums was the first African American member of the House Committee on National Security. I came in the 103rd Congress, when he was chairman, and I can testify that in those two years not one single Democrat, not one single Republican ever criticized him. It has been said repeatedly today that he was without question one of the fairest chairs this House has ever had. And all I can say for some chairs--we do not have too many of those old autocrats any more--but all of us could take a lesson from Ron as to how to conduct a meeting. He was fair. Everybody had their say. He was much like Phil Hart, who chaired Senate Judiciary: The Southerners had their say, the Northerners had their say. And his colleagues in the Senate named a building after him. Ron, all the buildings seem to be gone, but you never know around here, you might get one named after you yet. In modern times we all know that he was one of the few who chaired two full committees in this House, the other being the District of Columbia. He also continued his cause for civil and human rights that he has been committed to all his life, and he still did that as a Member of Congress and as a chair, as has been noted with the South African situation. It is his personal dealings with individual Members that I think all of us remember; that he treated our requests with respect, and he did the best he could do about those requests. He was a very accommodating chair.”