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Honoring the Life and Achievements of Former Congresswoman Tillie K. Fowler
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| March 8th, 2005 |
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Floor Statement of the Honorable Jeff Miller
Celebrating the Life and Achievements of Former Congresswoman Tillie K. Fowler
Mr. Speaker, we are here to honor the memory of a woman whose life may not have been rich in the years that we all hope and pray for, but who enriched the lives of so many. Tillie Fowler’s career was filled with accomplishments, and her calling was to serve all: her family, her hometown, her state, her country, and her God.
Many glowing words have been used to describe Tillie’s attributes this past week: bright, charismatic, determined, gracious, thoughtful, kind, unrelenting. Every one of them is true. There have been few political careers quite like hers, but thanks to her pioneering spirit, many paths have been charted to follow.
Tillie was a woman of deep conviction. No issue mattered more greatly to her than the security of our nation. She cared deeply about our servicemembers, and she acted on that concern during her tenure of service on the House Armed Services Committee. Tillie’s trademark steadfastness could be seen in her unfailing support for a well-trained and well-equipped military. One small part of her legacy can be seen in this time of challenge for our country, when we are calling upon the skill and bravery of our people in uniform. We’re realizing the quality force that Tillie Fowler helped to build. All Americans are grateful to our military, and I know that all branches of the service are grateful to their faithful advocate from the Sunshine State.
I don’t believe that Tillie ever once took her office or her constituents for granted. She was sincerely grateful for the chance to serve, and we saw that gratitude every day in her work ethic. Rarely has this body seen a Member who studied so tirelessly that with which she was responsible. Legislative Counsel once told her staff that they’d never seen a Member pore so intently over draft bill text! But this was indicative of the life of steady, consistent, and unfailing effort that she led on behalf of Jacksonville and the state of Florida. She was the embodiment of the Teddy Roosevelt quote that she favored repeating, “Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.”
And to watch Tillie serve her fellow man, from her days in the Nixon White House to the halls of Congress, between and beyond, one might have thought she found even the smallest task worth doing, and that she believed she’d won that prize. Yes, she was a lady of firsts; first woman to serve as President of the Jacksonville City Council; amongst the first handful of female colleagues on the Armed Services Committee; the highest ranking woman in Congress within just six years of arriving – in this institution built on seniority and tenure of service. And her groundbreaking achievements continued as she accepted and executed great responsibility at the behest of Secretary Rumsfeld. But as Tillie Fowler walked with giants, she never lost the common touch.
That may perhaps be her greatest legacy to us all. Even as she balanced her many duties, Tillie found the time to pay tribute to our Pages from the House floor. Because of the deep, personal interest she took in the lives of her staff, they remained extremely loyal, staying with her for many years.
It’s evident that her attention to detail transcended paper and pencil; Tillie offered tremendous attention to the details of people’s lives. Last week’s Jacksonville Times-Union guestbook is a testament; everyone from Secretary of the Navy Gordon England, to those who checked her out at the supermarket, remembered Tillie’s humaneness and genuine interest. One Jacksonville resident said, “Mrs. Fowler . . . obtained information on my father’s WWII service for which I will always be grateful. When she left office she made sure that the process was completed by her successor. While she impacted this nation in so many positive ways, her attention to the details of one small request gives her a special place in the hearts of my family.”
We can take a lesson from this. And our contribution to Tillie’s legacy should be to continue her work here in Congress. Her remarks at the 1995 National Prayer breakfast can guide us:
“For a Member of Congress, Washington can be a dangerous place, not because of crime, although that exists, but because every day we face the possibility of losing our perspective, of becoming tangled in the snares of business, partisanship and self-importance that lie all around us and which distract us from remembering why we are here. . . . In the midst of all the sound and fury it is very easy and very human to get carried away by some personal or partisan agenda and forget about the importance of actually accomplishing something constructive on behalf of the people who sent us to Washington.”
It is statements like this that reflect why Tillie will be remembered not just as a conscientious public servant, but also as a human being who was unfailingly courteous and had a kind word for everyone she ever met. Regardless of party or point of view, we will always remember her with fondness and respect.
Tillie Fowler managed to fit an extraordinary amount of living and human impact in sixty-two years. She was a beloved wife, mother, sister, friend, and American patriot. Her name will live on in American history, and in the memory of all who were privileged to know her. While we mourn her passing, we take comfort in knowing that another chapter has just begun, and that this chapter will be far longer than the days she spent on this Earth.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
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There are no Floor Speechess to be displayed for this month.
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