Trey Gowdy: “One of the most enjoyable parts of our job is speaking to children at schools, and you get some tough and interesting…”

“One of the most enjoyable parts of our job is speaking to children at schools, and you get some tough and interesting questions. A couple of months ago, a precious child at a school in upstate South Carolina asked me who was the most famous person I had ever met. That is a very good question, I told the child. I have met President Bush; I have met President Obama; I have met John Lewis; I have met Paul Ryan; I have met Bono, the lead singer of U2; I have met McGruff, the Crime Dog--I have even met Tim Scott--but I told the child the most famous person I had ever met was his teacher, and we all smiled and laughed. But it did get me thinking, Mr. Speaker, that we are surrounded by fame. We fly into an airport named for Reagan. We work in a town named for Washington. We pass monuments to Jefferson and Lincoln and Dr. King. The buildings we work in are named for famous people, and within those buildings are statues and portraits of still more famous people. We are surrounded by fame, Mr. Speaker, and it is easy to forget that, while those people made contributions to our country, the country was built, is being built, and will continue to be built by average, ordinary women and men who lead quiet lives of conviction and courage-- average folks doing above average things, ordinary folks doing extraordinary things.…”