Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, dare I to rise during this solemn period and attempt a eulogy of that noble soul which until a short time ago dwelt among us within the modest clay habitat that was once the Honorable JOSEPH L. HOOPER, of Michigan.

Realizing, as I do, my limitation of expression, I hesitate, lest in my deficiency I fall short of paying a tribute that is befiting his public service, his sterling character, his exemplary honesty and fairness. I have searched the innermost recesses of my mind so that I might say something that is worthy of his unblemished character and, as in my heart, may remain a lasting tribute to his imperishable soul.

I was privileged to know him and work with him for the brief span of 1 year. In this association I have grown richer in character. Through it I learned to know the finest impulses that motivated his every movement. To be with him at work or at play was a pleasure never to be forgotten, the mellow character and sound philosophy of JOSEPH L. HOOPER were like a glow of light in which I was happy to bask when occasion permitted.

He had served his State and his district loyally, consistently, and with distinction. Partisanship, when the welfare of the people was at stake, was unknown to him. His prime purpose in life was to serve his country and the people. Realizing this, the people of the Third District of Michigan reelected him consistently since the Sixty-ninth

Congress. His work in Congress is a record that will be a model and an inspiration to his successor.

The loss of JOSEPH L. HOOPER to the people of the State of Michigan, and particularly to his constituency, is beyond calculation and replacement. I am happy in the thought of having known him, of having associated with him. I feel rich in that I may share the grief of his family. The equity, though small, is priceless.

I believe that what is commonly supposed to be the end is but the beginning of a greater and a more glorious existence. I pray that the Lord may rest his weary soul.

Remarks by Representative Bondero
Of Michigan

Mr. DONDERO.

Mr. Speaker, the death of the Honorable JOSEPH L. HOOPER, of the Third Congressional District of Michigan, removes from public service one of Michigan's most able men in this House of Representatives.

For 10 years he served the constituency of the Third Michigan District ably and well. He was a man possessed of rare intellectual attainments and a retentive memory seldom found among men. He was devoted to his work here in the Congress of the United States and brought to it a polished, legal mind which contributed much through his service on the Judiciary Committee. Using a somewhat ancient phrase, "he was a man of parts", of unquestioned integrity, and possessed of an unusual command of the finest English. He was a man of sterling character and an affable disposition. Always an intense Republican, nevertheless he had the confidence of the men on both sides of the aisle, Democrats and Republicans alike.

As a new Member of this body, it was my privilege to know him intimately but little more than a year; but in that period of time, I came to admire and respect him for his high attainments and manly attributes. He has passed on. He will be remembered by those who knew him best, and he will be missed by all of us who took counsel with him. The State of Michigan has lost a splendid, stalwart citizen and the Nation an able counselor and legislator. The Third District of Michigan mourns him and misses him.

It can be truly said of Mr. HOOPER, as someone has so aptly put it:

As the years roll by, the milestones become headstones,
And beneath every one a friend.

May we, who remain, be soothed and sustained by that unfaltering faith which attended him, is the wish of one who admired him in life and reveres him in death.