The U.S. Association of Former Members of Congress is pleased to announce that the Honorable Lou Frey (R-FL) has been chosen as the recipient of the Association’s 2009 Distinguished Service Award. Former Representative Frey will receive the award during a ceremony in the Chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday, June 16, 2009.
The Distinguished Service Award recognizes a former Member of Congress who has shown an exemplary dedication to public service before, during, or after his or her time on Capitol Hill. This is the 37th year the U.S. Association of Former Members of Congress has bestowed this award. Past recipients include Gerald Ford, Thomas “Tip” O’Neill, Dick Cheney, Al Gore, Bob Dole, and George Mitchell.
Lou Frey’s service to our country began in 1955 when he joined the U.S. Navy. He was on active duty until 1958, and continued his military career in the Navy Reserve until 1978. His life in politics and public service began in 1961 as an Assistant County Solicitor in Orange County, FL. He served the people of Florida in many different capacities, including five terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. He was a member of the Republican House Leadership in the 93rd and 94th Congress. In his last campaign he received nearly 80% of the vote in a Democratic district. He retired in 1979.
It is his dedication to the youth of America and to teaching about public service which has earned him the 2009 Distinguished Service Award. While in Congress, Frey was instrumental in involving young Americans in their government. He co-authored the report on Youth of America titled: Congress Looks at the Campus (1969). The report called for the 18-year-old vote, draft reform, expansion of various student loan programs, opposition to repressive legislation against colleges where protests against the Vietnam War took place, and establishment of a Commission on Higher Education. He authored the Drug Pusher Elimination Act and sponsored legislation to allow tuition tax credits for higher education. He established a high school intern program where over 300 students from his district elected by their peers came to Washington for seven days to learn first hand about their government. After leaving Congress, Frey continued reaching out to America’s next leaders by teaching in high schools and colleges on a volunteer basis. He established the Lou Frey Institute of Politics and Government at the University of Central Florida to promote a responsible and actively engaged citizenry. Together with former Senator Bob Graham (D-FL), Lou Frey created the Florida Joint Center for Citizenship to strengthen and greatly improve civic education at high schools in Florida and nationwide. He has edited and written two books on the Congress. The first is Inside the House: Former Members Reveal How Congress Really Works. The second, out this year, is Political Rules of the Road: Representatives, Senators and Presidents Share their Rules for Success in Congress, Politics and Life. Charles Cook, editor of The Cook Political Report said: “A great contribution to the understanding of Capital Hill and how it works and how to succeed.”
As the first two-term President of the U.S. Association of Former Members of Congress (1996-1998), Lou Frey greatly improved the Association’s outreach to college students, particularly via the Congress to Campus Program (a project which sends a bipartisan team of former Members of Congress to about 30 college campuses per academic year). He also initiated the Association’s sole fundraising event, The Statesmanship Award Dinner, which he has chaired since its inception 12 years ago. He remains active on the Association’s Board of Directors and has involved the organization in many of the public service projects of the Lou Frey Institute. For example, in 2008 the two organizations partnered on the Civics Connection, which brings former Members of Congress into high school civics education classrooms via webcasts and the Internet.
The U.S. Association of Former Members of Congress (FMC) is a bipartisan group of almost 600 former Senators and Representatives. The organization was founded in 1970 and is chartered, but not funded, by the U.S. Congress. FMC seeks to promote the improved public understanding of the role of Congress as a unique institution as well as the crucial importance of representative democracy as a system of government, both domestically and abroad. For more detailed information, please visit the Association’s website at www.usafmc.org.
