On Wednesday, September 5th, 2018, the Association of Former Members of Congress (FMC) held their third annual Memorial Service to honor the 38 current and former Members of Congress who had passed away in the last year. The event, held in the somber and historic National Statuary Hall, served as an opportunity to express institutional gratitude for the lives of service and patriotism led by those members. Representatives of the United States Capitol Historical Society attended the event to participate in the commemoration and pay respects to the families of the deceased on behalf of the organization.

Following a Presentation of the Colors by the U.S. Navy Color Guard and a performance of the National Anthem by a string trio, Peter Weichlein, Chief Executive Officer of FMC, opened the ceremony with remarks of gratitude for the lives of service led by the honorees. The Reverend Patrick Conroy, Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives, gave an opening prayer and remarks on the importance of community representation at memorial services. The Honorable Martin Frost, a Former Member of Congress from Texas and the President of FMC, also gave remarks on how the diversity of the 38 honorees’ backgrounds gave way to a unity of purpose in their service during a combined 372 years in Congress covering 100 years of history.

Current and Former Members of Congress then read selections of poetry and prose to celebrate the honorees: House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi of California read an excerpt from “Politics and Philosophy” by Plutarch; the Honorable Byron Dorgan, a former senator from North Dakota, read an excerpt from “Why Courage Matters” by John McCain; the Honorable Susan Molinari, a Former Member of Congress from New York, read the poem “When Great Trees Fall” by Maya Angelou; Representative Ryan Costello of Pennsylvania read the poem “Because You Have Lived” by Ralph Waldo Emerson; the Honorable Tom Daschle, former Senate Majority Leader from South Dakota, read an excerpt from then President-Elect John F. Kennedy’s 1961 address to the General Court of Massachusetts; and Senator Jeff Flake of Arizona read an excerpt from the U.S. Navy Hymn “Eternal Father” by William Whiting.

Amidst the reflections and excerpts, the ceremony paused for the reading of the Honor Roll by the Honorable Mr. Frost and Jo Ellen Frost, President of the FMC Auxiliary, and a moment of silence. After closing remarks from Mr. Weichlein and a rendition of “America The Beautiful,” the celebration concluded with a reception in the Rayburn Room.

The Honor Roll: In Memoriam 2017-2018

• Hon. Daniel Kahikina Akaka (1924-2018), a Former Senator and Representative from Hawaii
• Hon. Maryon Pittman Allen (1925-2018), a Former Senator from Alabama
• Hon. John Bayard Anderson (1922-2017), a Former Representative from Illinois
• Hon. Druie Douglas Barnard Jr. (1922-2018), a Former Representative from Georgia
• Hon. Leonard L. Boswell (1934-2018), a Former Representative from Iowa
• Hon. John Hall Buchanan Jr. (1928-2018), a Former Representative from Alabama
• Hon. James Paul David Bunning (1931-2017), a Former Senator and Representative from Kentucky
• Hon. Jack Davis (1935-2018), a Former Representative from Illinois
• Hon. Ronald V. Dellums (1935-2018), a Former Representative from California
• Hon. Pete Vichi Domenici (1932-2017), a Former Senator from New Mexico
• Hon. Elaine Schwartzenburg Edwards (1929-2018), a Former Senator from Louisiana
• Hon. Jon D. Fox (1947-2018), a Former Representative from Pennsylvania
• Hon. William Franklin Goodling (1927-2017), a Former Representative from Pennsylvania
• Hon. Orval Howard Hansen (1926-2017), a Former Representative from Idaho
• Hon. Margaret M. Heckler (1931-2018), a Former Representative from Massachusetts
• Hon. Maurice Dunlea Hinchey (1938-2017), a Former Representative from New York
• Hon. Marjorie Sewell Holt (1920-2018), a Former Representative from Maryland
• Hon. Walter Eugene Johnston III (1936-2018), a Former Representative from North Carolina
• Hon. Gerald Daniel Kleczka (1943-2017), a Former Representative from Wisconsin
• Hon. Joseph Knollenberg (1933-2018), a Former Representative from Michigan
• Hon. Paul Dominique Laxalt (1922-2018), a Former Senator from Nevada
• Hon. Thomas Andrew Luken (1925-2018), a Former Representative from Ohio
• Hon. Marc Lincoln Marks (1927-2018), a Former Representative from Pennsylvania
• Hon. James Douglas Martin (1918-2017), Former Representative from Alabama
• Sen. John Sidney McCain III of Arizona (1936-2018)
• Hon. Joseph Michael McDade (1931-2017), a Former Representative from Pennsylvania
• Hon. John Melcher (1924-2018), a Former Senator and Representative from Montana
• Hon. John Ripin Miller (1938-2017), a Former Representative from Washington
• Hon. Zell Bryan Miller (1932-2018), a Former Senator from Georgia
• Hon. Guy Victor Molinari (1928-2018), a Former Representative from New York
• Hon. John Richard Schmidhauser (1922-2018), a Former Representative from Iowa
• Rep. Louise McIntosh Slaughter of New York (1929-2018)
• Hon. Allan Byron Swift (1935-2018), a Former Representative from Washington
• Hon. Charles Thone (1924-2018), a Former Representative from Nebraska
• Hon. John Varick Tunney (1934-2018), a Former Senator and Representative from California
• Hon. Edward Lawrence Winn Jr. (1919-2017), a Former Representative from Kansas
• Hon. Samuel Hollingsworth Young (1922-2017), a Former Representative from Illinois
• Hon. Leo C. Zeferetti (1927-2018), a Former Representative from New York