Ask the Scholar

{
    "localId": "4526502",
    "label": "Dinner in Honor of Congressman Bob Sikes, Pensacola, FL, June 14, 1973",
    "core": "doc",
    "dtoType": "document",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/4526502"
}

{
    "id": "4526502",
    "sourceUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/4526502",
    "contentType": "document",
    "title": "Dinner in Honor of Congressman Bob Sikes, Pensacola, FL, June 14, 1973",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/4526502",
    "collections": [
        "Gerald R. Ford Congressional Papers",
        "Speeches"
    ],
    "iiifBase": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/ford/grf-0054/642080/4526502.pdf",
    "thumbnailUrl": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/ford/grf-0054/642080/4526502.pdf",
    "largeImageUrl": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/ford/grf-0054/642080/4526502.pdf",
    "imageCount": 1,
    "hasImages": true,
    "source": "import",
    "hasTranscription": false
}

{
    "url": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/4526502",
    "naId": 4526502,
    "coverageEndDate": {
        "logicalDate": "1973-06-30",
        "month": 6,
        "year": 1973
    },
    "coverageStartDate": {
        "logicalDate": "1973-06-01",
        "month": 6,
        "year": 1973
    },
    "levelOfDescription": "fileUnit",
    "recordType": "description",
    "ocrSource": "nara-archive"
}

{
    "seq": 1,
    "pageIndex": 0,
    "type": "document",
    "url": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/ford/grf-0054/642080/4526502.pdf",
    "mediaId": "721a671eef59d2eb",
    "ocrText": "The original documents are located in Box D35, folder \"Dinner in Honor of Congressman\nBob Sikes, Pensacola, FL, June 14, 1973\" 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 The Council donated to the United\nStates of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.\nWorks prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public\ndomain.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.\nno distribution\nM OFFICE COPY\nREMARKS BY REP. GERALD R. FORD, R-MICH.\nREPUBLICAN LEADER, U. S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES\nAT A TESTIMONIAL DINNER\nIN HONOR OF CONGRESSMAN BOB SIKES\nPENSACOLA, FLORIDA\nTHURSDAY EVENING, JUNE 14, 1973\nWE ARE GATHERED HERE TONIGHT TO HONOR A MAN WHO MERITS\nEVERY BIT OF PRAISE WHICH MAY BE SHOWERED UPON HIM. BoB SIKES\nIS -- AS WE ALL KNOW -- ONE OF FLORIDA'S MOST DISTINGUISHED SONS,\nWE HAVE SOME PROOF OF THAT IN THE BRIDGE THAT WAS DEDICATED JUST\nTHIS AFTERNOON -- THE ROBERT L. F. SIKES BRIDGE -- FLORIDA'S\nGATEWAY TO THE GULF ISLANDS NATIONAL SEASHORE. IT IS MOST FITTING\nTHAT THIS BRIDGE SHOULD HAVE BEEN NAMED AFTER BoB SIKES WHEN WE\nCONSIDER HIS MANY AND NOTABLE ACCOMPLISHMENTS DURING HIS 33 YEARS\nIN THE U. S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES -- NOT THE LEAST OF THESE\nBEING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE NATIONAL SEASHORE TO WHICH THE\nROBERT L. F. SIKES BRIDGE LEADS,\nBoB SIKES HAS LIVED A MOST REMARKABLE AND MOST PRODUCTIVE\nLIFE. HE HAS A LIST OF CREDITS AS LONG AS YOUR ARM -- PROBABLY THE\nLONGEST LIST OF CREDITS OF ANY MEMBER OF THE CONGRESS. To REVIEW IT\nWOULD TAKE FAR MORE TIME THAN HAS BEEN ALLOTED TO ME, so I WILL\nONLY TOUCH ON THE HIGHLIGHTS.\nFIRST OF ALL, I WOULD SAY BoB HAS MADE ONLY ONE SERIOUS\nMISTAKE IN HIS LONG AND ILLUSTRIOUS CAREER. HE FAILED TO JOIN\nTHE REPUBLICAN PARTY, CHOOSING INSTEAD TO HONOR MY LONGTIME AND\nERSTWHILE OPPONENTS.\nGERALD FORD LIBRARY\nDigitized from Box D35 of The Ford Congressional Papers: Press Secretary and Speech File at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library\nPAGE 2\nI MIGHT NOW QUICKLY MENTION THAT BoB AND I HAVE VERY\nOFTEN BEEN ON THE SAME SIDE OF THE FENSE ON VOTES IN THE HOUSE,\nWHENEVER, FOR INSTANCE, THE ISSUE HAS BEEN ONE OF A STRONG\nNATIONAL DEFENSE BoB AND I HAVE STOOD SHOULDER TO SHOULDER, WE\nSERVED TOGETHER ON THE DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE BEFORE\nI BECAME MINORITY LEADER -- AND BoB SIKES IS A TOWER OF STRENGTH\nON THAT GROUP. As YOU MAY KNOW, BoB IS VICE-CHAIRMAN OF THE\nDEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE AND IS CHAIRMAN OF MILITARY\nCONSTRUCTION. HE HAS FIVE MILITARY BASES IN HIS DISTRICT, AND\nNEED I SAY THAT HE TAKES CARE OF THEM.\nYou KNOW OF COURSE THAT BoB SIKES IS A HOLDER OF THE LEGION\nOF MERIT AND IS A RETIRED MAJOR GENERAL. BoB NOT ONLY WAS A\nMAJOR GENERAL; HE LOOKS LIKE A GENERAL OUGHT TO LOOK,\nEARLY ON I MENTIONED BOB'S ROLE IN ESTABLISHMENT OF THE\nGULF ISLANDS NATIONAL SEASHORE -- AND I KNOW HE IS PROUD OF THAT.\nTHIS MIGHT BE THE PROPER TIME TO POINT OUT THAT BoB SIKES HAS\nALSO BEEN A LEADER IN PROMOTING FORESTRY LEGISLATION. IN FACT,\nBoB SIKES' NAME IS ON JUST ABOUT EVERY PIECE OF FORESTRY LEGISLATION\nTHAT HAS BEEN PASSED BY CONGRESS OVER THE LAST 30 YEARS, SMALL\nWONDER THAT LAST YEAR HE RECEIVED THE DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARDS\nOF THE AMERICAN FORESTRY ASSOCIATION AND THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION\nOF STATE FORESTERS.\nBoB SIKES HAS -- OVER THE YEARS -- RECEIVED so MANY\nDISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARDS FROM SO MANY DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS\nPAGE 3\nTHAT THERE IS LITTLE WE CAN DO OR SAY HERE TONIGHT THAT WILL ADD\nTO THE TRIBUTES ALREADY PAID TO HIM.\nBUT I THINK I KNOW WHAT WE CAN SAY THAT WOULD PLEASE\nBoB SIKES MOST TONIGHT. WE CAN HONOR HIM FOR THE SERVICE HE HAS\nGIVEN TO THE PEOPLE OF FLORIDA AND, PARTICULARLY, TO THE PEOPLE\nOF OKALOOSA COUNTY.\nHE IS, AS YOU KNOW, THE DEAN OF THE FLORIDA DELEGATION IN\nCONGRESS AND HE HAS SERVED IN CONGRESS LONGER THAN ANY OTHER\nFLORIDIAN, ADD TO THAT THE FOUR YEARS HE SPENT IN THE FLORIDA\nLEGISLATURE BEFORE HE FIRST WAS ELECTED TO CONGRESS AND YOU FIND\nA SUPERB RECORD OF 37 YEARS OF SERVICE TO THE PEOPLE OF\nOKALOOSA COUNTY. WHAT A MAGNIFICENT RECORD OF SERVICE! THAT,\nTHEN, IS THE GREATEST TRIBUTE WE CAN PAY TO BoB SIKES -- TO HONOR\nHIM AS A GREAT PUBLIC SERVANT, A MAN WHO HAS ALWAYS DONE WHAT HE\nFELT WAS BEST FOR \"HIS PEOPLE.\"\n###\nR.FORD\nno distribution\n0\nOFFICE COPY\nREMARKS BY REP. GERALD R. FORD, R-MICH.\nREPUBLICAN LEADER, U. S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES\nAT A TESTIMONIAL DINNER\nIN HONOR OF CONGRESSMAN BOB SIKES\nPENSACOLA, FLORIDA\nTHURSDAY EVENING, JUNE 14, 1973\nWE ARE GATHERED HERE TONIGHT TO HONOR A MAN WHO MERITS\nEVERY BIT OF PRAISE WHICH MAY BE SHOWERED UPON HIM. BoB SIKES\nIS -- AS WE ALL KNOW -- ONE OF FLORIDA'S MOST DISTINGUISHED SONS.\nWE HAVE SOME PROOF OF THAT IN THE BRIDGE THAT WAS DEDICATED JUST\nTHIS AFTERNOON -- THE ROBERT L. F. SIKES BRIDGE -- FLORIDA'S\nGATEWAY TO THE GULF ISLANDS NATIONAL SEASHORE. IT IS MOST FITTING\nTHAT THIS BRIDGE SHOULD HAVE BEEN NAMED AFTER BoB SIKES WHEN WE\nCONSIDER HIS MANY AND NOTABLE ACCOMPLISHMENTS DURING HIS 33 YEARS\nIN THE U. S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES -- NOT THE LEAST OF THESE\nBEING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE NATIONAL SEASHORE TO WHICH THE\nROBERT L. F. SIKES BRIDGE LEADS.\nBoB SIKES HAS LIVED A MOST REMARKABLE AND MOST PRODUCTIVE\nLIFE. HE HAS A LIST OF CREDITS AS LONG AS YOUR ARM -- PROBABLY THE\nLONGEST LIST OF CREDITS OF ANY MEMBER OF THE CONGRESS, To REVIEW IT\nWOULD TAKE FAR MORE TIME THAN HAS BEEN ALLOTED TO ME, so I WILL\nONLY TOUCH ON THE HIGHLIGHTS.\nFIRST OF ALL, I WOULD SAY BoB HAS MADE ONLY ONE SERIOUS\nMISTAKE IN HIS LONG AND ILLUSTRIOUS CAREER. HE FAILED TO JOIN\nTHE REPUBLICAN PARTY, CHOOSING INSTEAD TO HONOR MY LONGTIME AND\nERSTWHILE OPPONENTS.\nGERALD FORD LIBRARY\nPAGE 2\nI MIGHT NOW QUICKLY MENTION THAT BoB AND I HAVE VERY\nOFTEN BEEN ON THE SAME SIDE OF THE FENSE ON VOTES IN THE HOUSE.\nWHENEVER, FOR INSTANCE, THE ISSUE HAS BEEN ONE OF A STRONG\nNATIONAL DEFENSE BoB AND I HAVE STOOD SHOULDER TO SHOULDER. WE\nSERVED TOGETHER ON THE DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE BEFORE\nI BECAME MINORITY LEADER AND BoB SIKES IS A TOWER OF STRENGTH\nON THAT GROUP. As YOU MAY KNOW, BoB IS VICE-CHAIRMAN OF THE\nDEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE AND IS CHAIRMAN OF MILITARY\nCONSTRUCTION. HE HAS FIVE MILITARY BASES IN HIS DISTRICT, AND\nNEED I SAY THAT HE TAKES CARE OF THEM.\nYou KNOW OF COURSE THAT BoB SIKES IS A HOLDER OF THE LEGION\nOF MERIT AND IS A RETIRED MAJOR GENERAL. BOB NOT ONLY WAS A\nMAJOR GENERAL; HE LOOKS LIKE A GENERAL OUGHT TO LOOK,\nEARLY ON I MENTIONED BOB'S ROLE IN ESTABLISHMENT OF THE\nGULF ISLANDS NATIONAL SEASHORE -- AND I KNOW HE IS PROUD OF THAT.\nTHIS MIGHT BE THE PROPER TIME TO POINT OUT THAT BOB SIKES HAS\nALSO BEEN A LEADER IN PROMOTING FORESTRY LEGISLATION. IN FACT,\nBoB SIKES' NAME IS ON JUST ABOUT EVERY PIECE OF FORESTRY LEGISLATION\nTHAT HAS BEEN PASSED BY CONGRESS OVER THE LAST 30 YEARS, SMALL\nWONDER THAT LAST YEAR HE RECEIVED THE DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARDS\nOF THE AMERICAN FORESTRY ASSOCIATION AND THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION\nOF STATE FORESTERS.\nBoB SIKES HAS -- OVER THE YEARS -- RECEIVED so MANY\nDISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARDS FROM so MANY DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS\nPAGE 3\nTHAT THERE IS LITTLE WE CAN DO OR SAY HERE TONIGHT THAT WILL ADD\nTO THE TRIBUTES ALREADY PAID TO HIM.\nBUT I THINK I KNOW WHAT WE CAN SAY THAT WOULD PLEASE\nBoB SIKES MOST TONIGHT. WE CAN HONOR HIM FOR THE SERVICE HE HAS\nGIVEN TO THE PEOPLE OF FLORIDA AND, PARTICULARLY, TO THE PEOPLE\nOF OKALOOSA COUNTY.\nHE IS, AS YOU KNOW, THE DEAN OF THE FLORIDA DELEGATION IN\nCONGRESS AND HE HAS SERVED IN CONGRESS LONGER THAN ANY OTHER\nFLORIDIAN. ADD TO THAT THE FOUR YEARS HE SPENT IN THE FLORIDA\nLEGISLATURE BEFORE HE FIRST WAS ELECTED TO CONGRESS AND YOU FIND\nA SUPERB RECORD OF 37 YEARS OF SERVICE TO THE PEOPLE OF\nOKALOOSA COUNTY. WHAT A MAGNIFICENT RECORD OF SERVICE! THAT,\nTHEN, IS THE GREATEST TRIBUTE WE CAN PAY TO BoB SIKES -- TO HONOR\nHIM AS A GREAT PUBLIC SERVANT, A MAN WHO HAS ALWAYS DONE WHAT HE\nFELT WAS BEST FOR \"HIS PEOPLE.\"\n###\nFORD LIBRARI"
}