Fred Upton

Madam Speaker, I rise today to note the passing of Ron Lasch.

Ron was a friend and advisor to me and hundreds of other Members of both parties during his 42-year career as a Floor Assistant in this body.

Ron came to the House as a 16 year old Page in 1958 when Joe Martin was the Republican Leader. He graduated from the Capitol Page School in 1960 alongside other men with long careers in the House, such as former Representative Jim Kolbe, who also passed away just days ago, and the late Donnald K. Anderson, former Clerk of the House.

As a Floor Assistant, Ron monitored the proceedings on the floor and advised Members on scheduling and procedure. He valued the rules and traditions of the House, and more than once, privately talked a Member out of heated words that, spoken in anger, would likely be ruled out of order.

Ron retired in 2000, so there is a dwindling number of current Members who knew him, but at the time of his retirement, many of my

colleagues paid tribute to his judgement and dedication. His impact, behind the scenes, was immense. He was a mentor not only to Members, but to other people who staffed the floor, particularly the many Pages who have come and gone over the years.

Ron was born a year after Pearl Harbor Day, December 7, 1942, and died on November 14, 2022. His classmate, Congressman Jim Kolbe, died days later on December 3rd. Donn Anderson died July 30, 2020. I am personally grateful for the service of these three men of the House.

Madam Speaker, I include in the Record a statement from the Honorable Robert E. Bauman, one of Ron's colleagues on the staff here who later represented the First District of Maryland in the House.

In Memoriam--Ronald W. Lasch

The Honorable Robert E. Bauman, First District, Maryland (1973-1981)

Owen Lovejoy, a member of the House from Illinois (1857-

1864), was close to President Abraham Lincoln, who called him

``my most generous friend.'' On an obelisk in Princeton,

Illinois, in his honor are the words of Lincoln: ``Let him

have his marble monument along with the well assured and more

enduring one in the hearts of all those who love Liberty

unselfishly and for all.''

Indeed, Lincoln was correct; true friendship is a matter of

the heart. Ron Lasch was my friend, and a respected friend to

many on Capitol Hill during the 37 years he served on the

House Republican floor staff.

He started his 42-year House career as a Page in 1958,

sponsored by Representative William B. Widnall of New Jersey.

In 1963, he was named as telephone clerk in the House

Republican Cloakroom. Ron joined me there where I was also a

phone clerk.

On November 22, 1963, a Friday, the House had adjourned

when news of President Kennedy's death in Dallas came over

the news tickers in the House Lobby. Ron and I were flooded

with anxious calls to the cloakroom.

It is no exaggeration to say that Ron Lasch made possible

my elective career to the Maryland State Senate and to

Congress. He did so by working the cloakroom phones countless

late days, allowing me to go to night school and obtain

degrees from Georgetown University foreign service and law

schools.

As manager of the Republican Cloakroom, he knew intimately

party positions and floor developments and became a trusted

source of information for Members and their staffs. He

mentored many Pages over the years and was a graduate of the

Capitol Page School in the Library of Congress.

In 1968, after I resigned and returned to my home on the

Eastern Shore of Maryland, Lasch became manager of the

Republican Cloakroom, the official floor source of

information for Republican Members.

As a private space for Member interaction, the cloakroom

was ideally suited for Lasch to answer questions about

pending legislation. He was a friend and protector of the

gracious lady who for decades ran the cloakroom lunch

counter, the late Helen Jones Winfield Sewell. When Ron

retired in 2000, many House Members joined in paying him

tributes.

Ron was trusted because of his vast knowledge of House

parliamentary procedure and traditions. He understood the

personal side of lawmaking, forging relationships with

Members from both sides of the aisle. He was careful to

respect House Members, remembering his staff role. But while

he was a quiet, reserved presence, in private he had his own

sardonic estimate of those he served.

Ron's role as Republican floor staffer expanded over the

years, culminating in his work as Floor Assistant to Speaker

Newt Gingrich in 1995. In my opinion, Gingrich could have

avoided many of his subsequent troubles had he taken Ron's

advice about House rules.

My own daughter, Genie Eardley, a House Page (CPS Class of

1983), knew him well and called Ron ``irreplaceable.'' As

Lincoln suggested, Ron's monument endures in the hearts of

those who knew and respected ``the gentleman from New

Jersey.''

Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Mt. Zion Baptist Church for 100 years in the Kalamazoo community.

This church--one of the first to be built by African Americans for African Americans in Kalamazoo--has been a pillar of the city for a century now after it was founded by Reverend Yale H. Putney in a storefront on Main Street. Only a few years after its founding, the growing church relocated to a one-room schoolhouse on East Ransom Street and next moved into a vacated church in 1945 on the corner of North Edwards and Parsons Streets. Finally, the congregation built their home on then-Chestnut Street in 1979, where it remains to this day. Chestnut Street was later renamed Roberson Street in 1980 to honor former pastors B.A. and A.E. Roberson.

Under each of these roofs, Mt. Zion Baptist Church established a place of worship and built a Christ-like community around it. Mt. Zion always has offered a helping hand to our city, recently offering their church to double as a COVID-19 vaccination site under the leadership of Reverend Addis Moore. As always, the Church saw a need, and met it. Reverend Moore has said in the past that a church's purpose in the African American community is to be ``the lifeline of that community, where you find everything you need.'' I thank Reverend Moore for his servant's heart and strong leadership that has brought Mt. Zion to 100 years of service.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Pamela Klyn upon her receipt of the Good Scout Award. Pamela Klyn has dedicated her life to bettering Southwest Michigan through her work with the Whirlpool Corporation. A graduate of Michigan Technological University, Pam came to Benton Harbor in 1993 with a sharp mind and has brought the corporation to new heights locally as well as internationally.

In addition to her incredible work ethic, Pam is also an accomplished scholar. She completed her master's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan in 1995. She also achieved an Executive MBA from Bowling Green State University. At the start of this year, Pam was named Senior Vice President of Corporate Relations and Sustainability for Whirlpool Corporation.

Pam was raised by an Eagle Scout. Her father taught her to ``always be prepared'' and to ``leave things better than you found them.'' It's clear that she has reflected these lessons in everything she does. In addition to heading corporate relations and sustainability for Whirlpool Corporation, Pam is also an active Board member of the Boys & Girls Club of Benton Harbor and a Trustee for the Whirlpool Foundation. Pam also serves on the External Advisory Board for the Dean of Engineering at her alma mater, Michigan Tech, and as a board member for the American Association of Home Appliances and the Board of Directors for Patrick Industries.

Congratulations to Pam. There truly is no one more fitting to receive the honor of the Good Scout Award.