Federal building renamed

There is one federal office building in the 9th Congressional District. \nAnd what was once a place of federal business now also serves to commemorate the hard work and diligence of former Rep. Lee Hamilton.\nPresident George W. Bush signed a bill into law this week renaming the New Albany, Ind., building the Lee H. Hamilton Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse.\nAfter 34 years of distinguished service for Indiana in the House of Representatives, Hamilton now serves as the director of the Woodrow Wilson International Center in Washington and as the director for IU's Center on Congress.\n"I'm honored that the community that I served has remembered me," Hamilton said. "This is a great honor in which I am very pleased and deeply gratified."\nThe bill was initially sponsored by the Indiana Delegation, and in April 2001 was jointly introduced to Congress by Rep. Baron Hill and Sen. Evan Bayh.\nIn an April press release, Hill praised Hamilton for his years of hard work and diligence.\n"His common sense leadership in Congress helped make Southern Indiana a better place for Hoosier families to live and work for over 30 years," Hill said. "I want to thank him for everything he has done."\nBayh also praised Hamilton's distinctive service and ability to gain the respect of everyone who surrounded him.\n"During his long tenure in office, he was widely respected for his powerful intellect and impressive knowledge of foreign affairs," Bayh said in a release. "(He) remains to this day one of our nation's foremost experts on foreign policy."\nWayne Vance, Hamilton's administrative assistant at the IU Center for Congress and close friend for more than 25 years, remembers Hamilton's terms in office as "conscientious and dedicated."\n"For the first 10 to 12 years of his service, he was back in his district three out of four weeks per month," Vance said. "He averaged 41 trips back to Indiana per year."\nDescribed by friends and colleagues as a very personable and approachable man, Hamilton made an impact on almost everyone he came in contact with. Hamilton was known to frequently hold "post office visits" for individual constituents and could often be found immersed in the legislative process of government.\nVance said Hamilton was dedicated and concerned about the personal well being of the individual and the smaller communities. \n"I think he was at his best when he was working for communities that needed federal aide," Vance said. "He truly believed in the representative form of government, and he worked hard at it." \nHamilton reminisced about the days he served as a representative and voiced gratitude for his former constituents.\n"The individual was always very important to me," Hamilton said. "I will never forget the people that put me in Washington"