House Proceeding 04-28-09 on Apr 28th, 2009 :: 1:44:40 to 1:49:55
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1:44:36 to 1:44:56( Edit History Discussion )

Jim Costa: the gentleman from california. mr. baca: thank you very much, mr. speaker. i don't know if you have additional speakers. mrs. biggert: yes, i have additional speakers. mr. baca: go ahead and recognize your additional speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from illinois. mrs. biggert: i'd like to yield

1:44:40 to 1:49:55( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Jim Costa

1:44:57 to 1:45:17( Edit History Discussion )

Jim Costa: as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. murphy. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from pennsvania is recognized for as much time as he may consume. mr. murphy: thank you, mr. speaker. it's not often that we get to talk about people that we consider to be a true gentleman, a true friend and a great american. that is what arnold palmer is to all of us. i am honored that he lives in

1:45:18 to 1:45:38( Edit History Discussion )

Jim Costa: my congressional district, at least during the warm months out in youngstown, philadelphia, an area close to the latrobe, pennsylvania, at the place where he grew up. now, i'm not a great golfer and in fact would be an embarrassment to me but i got a chance to play with mr. palmer once and in so doing traveling

1:45:39 to 1:45:59( Edit History Discussion )

Jim Costa: across his golf course he points to a tree, formerly a tree which is now carved in likeness of his father anthat brings about many a story about deacon and how he taught young arnold to play golf and, of course, many other things that became famous icons, that actor which he brings out now and then to show people when

1:46:00 to 1:46:20( Edit History Discussion )

Jim Costa: they come to the golf course or how you unoften see arnold sitting about there talking to anybody who mes by signing anything they put before him because he is just so close to the people of the district and of america, always willing to shake their hand. . a handshake meansing this to arnold palmer. he had that long-term agreement

1:46:21 to 1:46:42( Edit History Discussion )

Jim Costa: with his manager that lasted from 1960 until his death in may of 2003. he has the same kind of agreement with doc given, his assistant. that's the way he does business. handshake means something to him. you don't have to put it in writing. you also look at other parts of his life. back when he was a champion golfer at wake forest, he left there after the death of a friend, joined the coast guard.

1:46:43 to 1:47:03( Edit History Discussion )

Jim Costa: and one would have thought he gave up golf entirely except he played golf in cleveland and rediscovered his great talent and the rest becomes history. but more so than t stories of golf are the stories of what he has done in western pennsylvania and really around the nation. as a pilot he helped to develop la trobe airport. interestingly enough served in

1:47:04 to 1:47:24( Edit History Discussion )

Jim Costa: its authority for many years except during a time when he had his own business interest there. being the true gentleman and person of high ethics that he is, he stepped off that aviation board for a while to make sure he didn't have any conflicts of interest. he's also given a great deal to many charities. helped established the whinny palmer nature reserve that just

1:47:25 to 1:47:47( Edit History Discussion )

Jim Costa: yesterday there was a laughter of children there at the st. vincent's college campus exploring the area in the woods and marshes that his former wife had talked about how it was so important to preserve that area. he's also given so much of la trobe hospital, remains head of their charitable board, after raising so many millions of dollars for that hospital to help with charitable care.

1:47:48 to 1:48:09( Edit History Discussion )

Jim Costa: and also the arnold palmer pavilion. part of the hospital's medical if a sifments beyond that other ways to describe him is when you go to his office there, along the same road where he grew up, out there in arnold palmer road it's now called, you go up to his office you'll see it filled with trophies and photos of people he's played with of all levels. of course that famous room where

1:48:10 to 1:48:30( Edit History Discussion )

Jim Costa: he always tinkers and works on his own putters and a wall filled with i don't know how many thousands ever putters and a warehouse filled with everything that anybody has given him. i gave him some congressional golf balls. he said i'll put these in the warehouse with everything else. i'm sure he catalog it is all. we walked through and pointed to claub. do you know what these are for?

1:48:31 to 1:48:51( Edit History Discussion )

Jim Costa: sure, you name a certain hole, a certain year, a certain course, he'll tell you what club he used and what happened on that most famous, he has that twin set of golf balls mounted on the wall in his office. this is when he hit the back to back holes and won in 1968 at t.p.c. avon nell. he hit it one year, hit it the

1:48:52 to 1:49:13( Edit History Discussion )

Jim Costa: next day he shows up in the hole again and there's the camera crews there. we want to watch and s you hit another hole in one. he didn't expect it but that's what he did. there's a couple other things about him in his office. he has a table filled with the medals he receives from every tournament he wins. but there is a couple of empty spaces on that table. i remember asking arnold what

1:49:14 to 1:49:34( Edit History Discussion )

Jim Costa: those are for, he said you never know. you might just win another medal. quite frankly i think that would be a good place for this congressional medal to go. a story about him and gf was told to me by a person who probably does not want me to use his name so i won't. but it's probably some of the best golf advice any of us could have. and again shows some of the

1:49:35 to 1:49:55( Edit History Discussion )

Jim Costa: spirit of aold palmer. he was playing with this other golfer who was not having a very good day and probably was doing his share of slamming his club down and cussing and swearing i suppose as he shanked the ball or hit it to the left and right off the course. at some point palmer said to him, would you like some advice?