On the recordMay 4, 2022
Madam President, I speak today to honor the memory of an esteemed and beloved Oregonian who spent his life bettering our State. On March 13, Oregon lost its most devoted citizen and advocate: Gerry Frank. Gerry's life and service to Oregon has inspired so many to learn, laugh about, and love what makes Oregon so special: our State's jaw- dropping beauty, our unique independence, and our incredible capacity to land on our feet. And Gerry has always done it in his own special way. No one I know has managed to do as much good as Gerry Frank with a simple piece of chocolate cake. Gerry was a true renaissance man. A graduate of both Lincoln High in Portland and Cambridge in the U.K., he made his mark as a successful haberdasher, restauranteur, politician, and World War II veteran. But we all knew his true loves: Oregon and a great piece of cake. Gerry used the best chocolate cake in the world to bring us together at the State fair, a contest he selflessly judged annually for 60 years. He kept a terrific restaurant and retailer called Gerry Frank's Konditorei which paired delicious Oregon food with that cake. And he went to bat for Oregon community organizations of every size and shape, saying, ``How much cake do you need to give a good cause a boost?'' After the family business of Meier & Frank was sold in 1965, Gerry turned to politics, joining Senator Mark Hatfield's office. Gerry's politics were always pretty simple. He would ask, ``Is that idea fair? Does it make sense?…
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