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Childhood lessons served Norris well
It started as a youngster moving stones in an Ohio farm field, but every time Sen. George W. Norris faced an obstacle, he relied on the strength of his faith.
Portrayed by Pastor Clark Bates, Sen. George Norris, who served in Congress for more than 40 years, told the crowd at the Norris Prayer Breakfast in McCook this morning the lessons he learned in "Faith Lessons from the Frontier."
As the oldest boy of the family, his mother a widow, Norris' job was to clear stones from the family's field, huge stones that were seven to eight feet in length, half a ton in weight and partially buried. His method was to dig a deep pit, Norris said, then using a tree trunk as a lever, roll the great stones into the pit and cover it with soil.
"I would work and sweat, at times to the point of exhaustion, but in the end my will would win out," Norris said.
The arduous task prepared Norris for battles in Washington, he said, when often he was at odds with the Republican Party for not following the party line.
"My interest is not in partisan politics but in people. I do not seek the power of office; it is my purpose to use the office to serve the people," he said.
His resolve was tested with the Tennessee Valley Authority bill, a measure he deeply believed in. After a seven-year battle, the TVA bill passed both the House and the Senate, only to be vetoed by President Coolidge. Two years later, his hopes were dashed again when President Hoover vetoed the measure. But finally in 1933, the TVA bill passed, providing flood control, adding industry and providing affordable electrical power to thousands.
In addition to faith, moving obstacles requires the help of others, he said, mentioning the help he received from his wife, Ellie, whom Norris married after his first wife died in childbirth. Prayer is another vital component when facing conflict, he said.
"I have often thought of a quote by one of my heros, Abraham Lincoln, who said, 'I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had absolutely no other place to go,'" Norris said. "This is a lesson we all would do well to remember and put into practice.'
The Prayer Breakfast was sponsored by the George W. Norris Foundation and hosted by Gene Morris, vice president of the Norris Foundation, with help from Flora Lundberg, president, who started the breakfast in 1990, Leon Kuhlen, secretary treasurer and many other volunteers.
Musical selections was provided by Tre Sostre, and honored guests included Eleanor Harris, Heritage royalty Hailey Jo Buddenberg and Austin Edwards and Honor Family Don and Alice Harpst.