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    "title": "Testimonial Dinner for John Kunkel, Harrisburg, PA, February 13, 1967",
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    "ocrText": "The original documents are located in Box D21, folder \"Testimonial Dinner for John\nKunkel, Harrisburg, PA, February 13, 1967\" of the Ford Congressional Papers: Press\nSecretary and Speech File at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.\nCopyright Notice\nThe copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of\nphotocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. The Council donated to the United\nStates of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.\nWorks prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public\ndomain. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to\nremain with them. If you think any of the information displayed in the PDF is subject to a valid\ncopyright claim, please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.\nREMARKS AT TESTIMONIAL DINNER FOR JOHN KUNKEL\nLadies and Gentlemen: Tonight we pay tribute to a man we all love and\nadmire. There are many reasons why we hold John Kunkel close to our hearts.\nHe is a great gentleman. He is a fine individual. He epitomizes all those\ntraits of themxx early Americans that have made America the great and glorious\nland it is.\nWhen you go to purchase a piece of silverware, you look for the word\n\"sterling\" on it. That is the word that best describes John Knunk Kunkel's\ncharacter. He is as solid as the Bock of Gibralter, always to be counted on,\nalways there when you need him.\nJohn Kunkel is a tremendously capable man. Many others who have ability RD\nhave a flaw in their charabter. They toot their own horn. Not John. He is\nGER\nLIBRARY\nquiet and unassuming. His ability speaks for itself.\n2/\nI am one of those people who have great respect for hard work. This is\none of the reasons I admire John Kunkel. Believe me, he is a worker. When he\nserved in Congress, he worked day and night, seven days a week. It was only\nbecause he thought he was slowing downy that he gradefully insisted\non retiringsx from public service.\nPublic service has been the theme of John Kunkel's life. He had no reason\nto be interested in the salary and emoluments accruing to a member of Congress.\nHe was simply devoted to the cause of good government. And he loved the people\nof his district and served them well. reciprotated, and he\nwon election to Congress by txx huge majorities. I'm told he led the ticket\nin his district in every election-in all four of his counties--receiving\nbroad Democratic as wells as Republican support.\nGERALD FORD LIBRARY\nDigitized from Box D21 of The Ford Congressional Papers: Press Secretary and Speech File at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library\n3/\nI guess I don't have to tell you that John Kunkel comes from a family\ntree which provided many of the roots of our modern American democracy. Except\nfor one generationk, its his family has always had some member serving in the\nCongress. His illustrious ancestry traces back to the Revolutionary War days.\nHis great-great grandfather, Jonathan Dickinson Sergeant, was a member of the\nContinental Congress. His great-grandfather, John Sergeant, was a candidate for\nthe Vice-Presidency. At one time, grandparents from both sides of the Kunkel\nfamily served in the Congre SS xij S imulteneously--one from Lancaster and one from\nDauphin County.\nJohn Kunkel made many enduring contributions to the strength of America\nduring his tenure in Congress. Perhaps few remember that he served with the\nlate Tad Walter on the Herter Committee just after World War II and helped to\n4/\nformulate the recommendations that led to establishment of the Marshall Plan.\nJohn was a membersi of the House Banking and Currency Committee in those years.\nHe later served on the Public Works Committee, and-after I was elected minority\nleader--I named him to the House Pulicy Republican Policy Committee. John was\none of my earliest supporters when I decided to go after the job of minority\nleader in January, 1965.\nThese remarks in tribute to John Kunkel would be incomplete if I NWX\nneglected to mention his wife. Mrs. Kunkel, you know, has been very popular\nin Washington because she is such a fine lady. And I know John is proud of the\nfact that his wife was president of the Congressional Wives Club for the past FORD\ntwo years and did a great job in that office. She xkwa also was president of\nthe Ladies Prayer Group and for two years preceding presided over the Ladies\nLIBRARY\nSection of the Presidential Prayer Breakfast.\n5/\nJohn received his share of recognition, too. For 10 years he was\npresident of the 76th Club--the Republican congre ssmen first elected in\n1938. After he left the House in 1950 to make a run for the Senate,\nPresident Eisenhower offered him an ambassadorship or two-but John politely\ndeclined. You all know that John returned to the House in 1961 after Walter\nMumma passed on.\nMaybe you know, too, that John is a whiz of a bridgeplayer...one of the\nbest in the country. He has won many regional championships and once won the\nnational championship of men's pairs in Baltimore.\nIt turns out that **** Secretary of State Dean Rusk is a sharp bridge\nplayer, too, and during an international bridge tournament at the State Department\nhe and John Kunkel played the same kind of hand. When the hand\n6/\nwas over, Rusk axkudxenhnx told John he had made six points and asked John\nhow many he had made. John replied, \"Seven.\"\nNow you know why John Kunkel is my candidate for Secretary of State in\nthe next Repjict Republican Administrations\nSeriously, there is little I can say to pay adequate homage to our dear\ngood friend, John Kunkel. He is the best there is, the kind of man you want\nalways at your side. I miss him greatly in the Congress. He is my kind of\nman, your kind of man, a truly outstanding American. Thank you.\n#####\nFORD\nCONGRESSMAN\nNEWS\nGERALD R. FORD\nHOUSE REPUBLICAN LEADER\nRELEASE\nFOR RELEASE AT 6:30 P.M.\nMONDAY, FEB. 13, 1967\nREMARKS BY REP. GERALD R. FORD, R-MICH., AT TESTIMONIAL DINNER FOR JOHN KUNKEL AT\nHARRISBURG, PA.\nLadies and Gentlemen, tonight we pay tribute to a man we all love and admire.\nThere are many reasons why we hold John Kunkel close to our hearts. He is a great\ngentleman. He is a fine individual. He epitomizes all those traits of the early\nAmericans that have made America the great and glorious land it is.\nWhen you go to purchase a piece of silverware, you look for the word \"sterling\"\non it. That is the word that best describes John Kunkel's character. He is as\nsolid as the Rock of Gibraltar, always to be counted on, always there when you need\nhim.\nJohn Kunkel is a tremendously capable man. Many others who have ability have\na flaw in their character. They toot their own horn. Not John. He is quiet and\nunassuming. His ability speaks for itself.\nI am one of those people who have great respect for hard work. This is one of\nthe reasons I admire John Kunkel. Believe me, he is a worker. When he served in\nCongress, he worked day and night, seven days a week. It was only because he thought\nhe was slowing down that he gracefully insisted on retiring from public service.\nPublic service has been the theme of John Kunkel's life. He had no reason to\nbe interested in the salary and emoluments accruing to a member of Congress. He was\nsimply devoted to the cause of good government. And he loved the people of his\ndistrict and served them well. They reciprocated, and he won election to Congress\nby huge majorities. I'm told he led the ticket in his district in every election--\nin all four of his counties--receiving broad Democratic as well as Republican support.\nI guess I don't have to tell you that John Kunkel comes from a family tree\nwhich provided many of the roots of our modern American democracy. Except for one\ngeneration, his family has always had some member serving in the Congress. His\nillustrious ancestry traces back to the Revolutionary War days. His great-great\ngrandfather, Jonathan Dickinson Sergeant, was a member of the Continental Congress.\nHis great-grandfather, John Sergeant, was a candidate for the Vice-Presidency. At\none time, grandparents from both sides of the Kunkel family served in the Congress\nsimultaneously--one from Lancaster and one from Dauphin County.\nJohn Kunkel made many enduring contributions to the strength of America during\nhis tenure in Congress. Perhaps few remember that he served with the late Tad Walter\n-2-\non the Herter Committee just after World War II and helped to formulate the recom-\nmendations that led to establishment of the Marshall Plan. John was a member of the\nHouse Banking and Currency Committee in those years. He later served on the Public\nWorks Committee, and-after I was elected minority leader--I named him to the House\nRepublican Policy Committee. John was one of my earliest supporters when I decided\nto go after the job of minority leader in January, 1965.\nThese remarks in tribute to John Kunkel would be incomplete if I neglected to\nmention his wife. Mrs. Kunkel, you know, has been very popular in Washington because\nshe is such a fine lady. And I know John is proud of the fact that his wife was\npresident of the Congressional Wives Club for the past two years and did a great job\nin that office. She also was president of the Ladies Prayer Group and for two years\npreceding presided over the Ladies Section of the Presidential Prayer Breakfast.\nJohn received his share of recognition, too. For 10 years he was president of\nthe 76th Club--the Republican congressmen first elected in 1938. After he left the\nHouse in 1950 to make a run for the Senate, President Eisenhower offered him an\nambassadorship or two--but John politely declined. You all know that John returned\nto the House in 1961 after Walter Mumma passed on.\nMaybe you know, too, that John is a whiz of a bridgeplayer...one of the best\nin the country. He has won many regional championships and once won the national\nchampionship of men's pairs in Baltimore.\nIt turns out that Secretary of State Dean Rusk is a sharp bridge player, too,\nand during an international bridge tournament at the State Department he and John\nKunkel played the same kind of hand. When the hand was over, Rusk told John he had\nmade six points and asked John how many he had made. John replied, \"Seven.\"\nNow you know why John Kunkel is my candidate for Secretary of State in the\nnext Republican Administration!\nSeriously, there is little I can say to pay adequate homage to our dear good\nfriend, John Kunkel. He is the best there is, the kind of man you want always at\nyour side. I miss him greatly in the Congress. He is my kind of man, your kind of\nman, a truly outstanding American. Thank you.\n###\nCONGRESSMAN\nNEWS\nGERALD R. FORD\nHOUSE REPUBLICAN LEADER\nRELEASE\nFOR RELEASE AT 6:30 P.M.\nMONDAY, FEB. 13, 1967\nREMARKS BY REP. GERALD R. FORD, R-MICH. AT TESTIMONIAL DINNER FOR JOHN KUNKEL AT\nHARRISBURG, PA.\nLadies and Gentlemen, tonight we pay tribute to a man we all love and admire.\nThere are many reasons why we hold John Kunkel close to our hearts. He is a great\ngentleman. He is a fine individual. He epitomizes all those traits of the early\nAmericans that have made America the great and glorious land it is.\nWhen you go to purchase a piece of silverware, you look for the word \"sterling\"\non it. That is the word that best describes John Kunkel's character. He is as\nsolid as the Rock of Gibraitar, always to be counted on, always there when you need\nhim.\nJohn Kunkel is a tremendously capable man. Many others who have ability have\na flaw in their character. They toot their own horn. Not John. He is quiet and\nunassuming. His ability speaks for itself.\nI am one of those people who have great respect for hard work. This is one of\nthe reasons I admire John Kunkel. Believe me, he is a worker. When he served in\nCongress, he worked day and night, seven days a week. It was only because he thought\nhe was slowing down that he gracefully insisted on retiring from public service.\nPublic service has been the theme of John Kunkel's life. He had no reason to\nbe interested in the salary and emoluments accruing to a member of Congress. He was\nsimply devoted to the cause of good government. And he loved the people of his\ndistrict and served them well. They reciprocated, and he won election to Congress\nby huge majorities. I'm told he led the ticket in his district in every election--\nin all four of his counties--receiving broad Democratic as well as Republican support.\nI guess I don't have to tell you that John Kunkel comes from a family tree\nwhich provided many of the roots of our modern American democracy. Except for one\ngeneration, his family has always had some member serving in the Congress. His\nillustrious ancestry traces back to the Revolutionary War days. His great-great\ngrandfather, Jonathan Dickinson Sergeant, was a member of the Continental Congress.\nHis great-grandfather, John Sergeant, was a candidate for the Vice-Presidency. At\none time, grandparents from both sides of the Kunkel family served in the Congress\nsimultaneously--one from Lancaster and one from Dauphin County.\nJohn Kunkel made many enduring contributions to the strength of America during\nhis tenure in Congress. Perhaps few remember that he served with the late Tad Walter\n-2-\non the Herter Committee just after World War II and helped to formulate the recom-\nmendations that led to establishment of the Marshall Plan. John was a member of the\nHouse Banking and Currency Committee in those years. He later served on the Public\nWorks Committee, and--after I was elected minority leader--I named him to the House\nRepublican Policy Committee. John was one of my earliest supporters when I decided\nto go after the job of minority leader in January, 1965.\nThese remarks in tribute to John Kunkel would be incomplete if I neglected to\nmention his wife. Mrs. Kunkel, you know, has been very popular in Washington because\nshe is such a fine lady. And I know John is proud of the fact that his wife was\npresident of the Congressional Wives Club for the past two years and did a great job\nin that office. She also was president of the Ladies Prayer Group and for two years\npreceding presided over the Ladies Section of the Presidential Prayer Breakfast.\nJohn received his share of recognition, too. For 10 years he was president of\nthe 76th Club--the Republican congressmen first elected in 1938. After he left the\nHouse in 1950 to make a run for the Senate, President Eisenhower offered him an\nambassadorship or two--but John politely declined. You all know that John returned\nto the House in 1961 after Walter Mumma passed on.\nMaybe you know, too, that John is a whiz of a bridgeplayer...one of the best\nin the country. He has won many regional championships and once won the national\nchampionship of men's pairs in Baltimore.\nIt turns out that Secretary of State Dean Rusk is a sharp bridge player, too,\nand during an international bridge tournament at the State Department he and John\nKunkel played the same kind of hand. When the hand was over, Rusk told John he had\nmade six points and asked John how many he had made. John replied, \"Seven.\"\nNow you know why John Kunkel is my candidate for Secretary of State in the\nnext Republican Administration!\nSeriously, there is little I can say to pay adequate homage to our dear good\nfriend, John Kunkel. He is the best there is, the kind of man you want always at\nyour side. I miss him greatly in the Congress. He is my kind of man, your kind of\nman, a truly outstanding American. Thank you.\n# # #"
}