The publication is reproduced in full below:
IN RECOGNITION OF THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF FRED ARBANAS
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HON. EMANUEL CLEAVER
of missouri
in the house of representatives
Monday, April 26, 2021
Mr. CLEAVER. Madam Speaker, I rise today with a heavy heart to recognize the life and accomplishments of Fred Arbanas, who recently passed away at the age of 82. A husband, father, grandfather, athlete, public servant, and Kansas City icon, Fred was widely loved and will be fondly remembered. In his youth, Fred played for the Kansas City Chiefs and set records on the field. After his retirement from professional football, Fred dedicated himself to a life of service as an influential player in the Jackson County legislature for more than four decades of stunning community development.
Born in Detroit, Michigan, Fred's introduction to Kansas City was through his time on the Kansas City Chiefs, then the Dallas Texans, as a tight end. For eight years, Fred set records for the Chiefs and helped bring them to two Super Bowls and a World Championship. Before his remarkable life came to end, Fred had been inducted into the Chiefs' Hall of Fame, the Missouri Hall of Fame, the Michigan Hall of Fame, and the Pro Football Hall of Fame's All-Time AFL Team. Even in the face of an injury at the height of his career, Mr. Arbanas continued to play and persevere, inspiring those around him.
In 1973, after his departure from the NFL, Fred joined the Jackson County legislature. Between 1974 and 1989, Mr. Arbanas served as the chairman of the legislature four separate times. His tenure in politics was dedicated to transforming the County's recreational services and amenities. Over the course of his 41-year career, Jackson County came to boast the third largest county parks system in the United States, with more than 20,000 acres of land dedicated to that purpose. Fred also played a considerable role in the paving of every road in unincorporated Jackson County and in the relocation of the county jail, projects of great importance to the county at the time.
There is no doubt that Fred Arbanas was a pillar of the Jackson County community. His dedication to the county and his place in Kansas City history will not be forgotten; his contributions to his community will be memorialized in the happy memories created in the green spaces his work made possible; and his inspiring example will be carried forward by a loving family and a grateful community, whose lives were touched, in so many ways, by his devotion to service. Fred is survived by his four children and eight grandchildren. His name will also live on through the Fred Arbanas Golf Course, christened in his honor.
Fred was an icon to his community and a model public servant. His good deeds and commitment to helping others bring to mind Acts 20:35:
``In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, `It is more blessed to give than to receive.' '' Fred Arbanas embodied what it means to give rather than receive. Whether he was giving his all on the field, or giving his service in the halls of the Jackson County legislature--whether he was giving to his team or to his community at large--Fred Arbanas was always giving.
Madam Speaker, please join me in remembering the incredible, vibrant life of Fred Arbanas. Please also join me in offering condolences to his family and all those mourning his loss. Let us seek to emulate his example in the work we do here in Congress by remembering that service is about setting our talents upon the alter of change and making life better for those in our communities.
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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 71
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