Tribute to Edgar Uihlein - Hon. Philip M. Crane
TRIBUTE TO EDGAR UIHLEIN-HON. PHILIP M. CRANE (Extensions of Remarks - July 22, 2004)
HON. PHILIP M. CRANE
OF ILLINOIS
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Thursday, July 22, 2004
Mr. CRANE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to my friend Edgar Uihlein of Northbrook, Illinois.
I first got to know Ed Uihlein when I was running for Congress for the first time in 1969. Ed encouraged me just as he has helped other conservative candidates and organizations, including the Leadership Institute.
Ed is a man of extraordinary character. He has worked by the sweat of his brow, and he has worked by the labor of his mind. He has taken care of his own, and he has fought for what was right. Ed has a spirit of adventure and courage. On an impulse, he played hooky from Princeton for a full year while he joined his father on a round-the-world tour in 1936. Ed was in the Navy in World War II, and he took care of his men. When the ship's refrigerator broke down during a long stay in a foreign port, and the crew had no fresh food for a week, he disappeared for half the day, only to return with a barrow full of fresh fish that he himself had caught. The whole ship feasted and the next day the coast where he had fished was full of American sailors trying their luck.
Ed married his sweetheart Lucia in 1941, and built his family with love and care. Today, his five children have fond memories of their parents standing beside their beds, singing duets as they tucked them in. Every morning, Ed drove the children to school, and along the way he would sing to them. As the children got older, Ed would take turns reading books aloud in the evenings, and around the dinner table he would talk politics. They could see his concern, and they came to share it. In 1956, he paid his kids a penny an envelope to address, stamp and seal letters of concern that were sent to every Member of Congress with regard to the heroes of the Hungarian Uprising. Today, their five children and ten grandchildren are productive, patriotic citizens scattered around the country-but, I am happy to say, two of his sons are still living in Illinois.
Ed has made significant financial contributions to individuals, to the arts, and to charities both large and small, many of which are marked "anonymous". I once asked his family for a photograph of him and they did not have one. Ed isn't the kind of man who would sit for a portrait photo. That modesty is another facet of his distinction as an individual.
Ed, you're a great American. I am honored to call you friend.