S6532 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE September 20, 2012 

given back to the State as a social 

studies teacher at Berlin High School 

since 1998. Beloved by students, he has 

inspired proficiency in communication 

skills, analysis, and reading comprehension by comparing current 

events with historical patterns. Mr. 

Bosso has also advised student government and coached basketball. He is a 

national leader for social studies, serving on the board of directors of the 

Connecticut Council for the Social 

Studies, as cochair of the Northeast 

Regional Conference on the Social 

Studies in 2012, and a participant of 

this year’s National Council for the Social Studies’ annual national conference. He has been published in Connecticut History and is currently working towards a doctorate in education. 

When named 2011 Connecticut Teacher of the Year, Ms. Record eloquently 

described her role and the important 

job of educators around the world, recognizing that ‘‘tonight, we celebrate 

the fact that, as a teacher, you never 

truly know where your influence will 

end.’’ Mr. Bosso similarly proclaimed 

the significant, multifaceted role of 

teachers, while speaking at the Connecticut Education Association’s Representative Assembly this year, urging 

fellow teachers to ‘‘never, never, again 

use the phrase, ‘I am just a teacher.’’’ 

I invite my colleagues to join me in acknowledging Ms. Record and Mr. Bosso, 

and ask for their continued support of 

our concerned, courageous teachers. 

f 

CONGRATULATING DOUGLAS 

HUTTON 

Mr. BLUMENTHAL. Mr. President, 

today I wish to honor Douglas Hutton, 

recipient of the 2011 Milken Educator 

Award. He is the first teacher from 

Glastonbury High School to have ever 

received this prestigious award and the 

only educator from Connecticut to be 

awarded last year by the Milken Family Foundation. 

Since 1985, the Milken Family Foundation—under the leadership of education visionary Lowell Milken and his 

family—has given thousands of Milken 

Educator Awards to top innovators of 

elementary and secondary education 

across the country. Whether teachers, 

principals, or specialists, these honorees are an exclusive group of experts 

who contribute every day to the critical debate on how we can make our 

Nation’s schools better spaces for 

learning, growth, and the sparking of 

lifelong interests. One of the Milken 

Family Foundation’s initiatives— 

through the Lowell Milken Center—is 

distinguishing ‘‘unsung heroes that 

have changed the course of history.’’ 

And so with the Milken Educator 

Award, we acknowledge our Nation’s 

dedicated educators who are not usually spotlighted but conscientiously 

work to help turn ideas, thoughts, and 

questions into interests, passions, and 

projects. 

Mr. Hutton has taught physics for 19 

years, serving 17 of them at Glastonbury High School in Glastonbury, CT. 

He illuminates abstract concepts that 

are difficult to grasp, sharing his love 

of Stephen Hawkins, science, and math 

with his students. Through practical 

demonstrations, group projects, and experiments, he shows that problem-solving is challenging but rewarding. Mr. 

Hutton has said that teaching ‘‘all 

comes down to seeing [the students’] 

eyes light up when they understand a 

new idea.’’ 

Mr. Hutton did not apply for this 

award but was selected by a panel of 

education experts who, each year, seek 

out unsung teachers who demonstrate 

potential for and proven success in the 

classroom, engage in national discourse on academia, and convey an 

‘‘engaging and inspiring presence that 

motivates and impacts students, colleagues, and the community.’’ 

The Milken Family Foundation 

makes education a shared national 

agenda, connecting educators with 

other sectors of our society. The foundation’s multifaceted and interdisciplinary approach brings business, government, and philanthropic leaders together in the quest for innovative, realistic, and well-tested teaching methodology. Through programs administered 

by the Milken Family Foundation’s 

National Institute for Excellence in 

Teaching, NIET, such as the System 

for Teacher and Student Advancement 

and the NIET Best Practices Center, 

the Milken Educator Award regards 

our Nation’s best early to mid-level 

teachers as policy figures who can contribute their practical knowledge on a 

national stage. 

The Milken Family Foundation and 

especially Douglas Hutton, now a member of the Milken community, deserve 

thanks for restoring faith in our educational system. I invite my Senate 

colleagues to join me in congratulating 

Mr. Hutton, who has contributed to the 

lives of our young people in lasting, 

significant ways. 

f 

REMEMBERING ZEV WOLFSON 

Mr. BLUMENTHAL. Mr. President, I 

rise in a tribute to Zev Wolfson, an extraordinary philanthropist and humanitarian whose great deeds are unknown 

to most people because he never sought 

to make them known. Throughout his 

remarkable career, Mr. Wolfson offered 

millions of people—of all ages all 

around the world—the opportunity to 

experience Jewish education and give 

back to their families, religion, and 

communities with dignity and pride. 

He dedicated his life to supporting and 

advocating for Jewish outreach 

projects, tirelessly devoted to the 

power and importance of faith for future generations. 

Throughout his life, Mr. Wolfson constantly aided communities wherever 

Jewish education was endangered. He 

began as an advocate for the Jewish 

nation. Walking the halls of Congress, 

he vigorously and expertly supported 

programs and institutions in Israel, 

such as schools and other educational 

centers—many helping Jewish refugees 

and their children who had escaped 

from Arab countries. Committed to 

providing assistance on a global scale, 

he focused on a particular project and, 

once it was sustainable and self-sufficient, moved to the next one. 

Mr. Wolfson donated millions of dollars to underprivileged areas of the 

United States and underserved areas of 

the world. He drew from the personal 

pain of exile to Siberia in wartime— 

where he carried his father’s body to a 

place where he could have a proper 

Jewish funeral in the freezing tundra— 

and then served as a father figure to 

millions. He helped young people, students, and families to stay connected 

with the Jewish nation, in lands 

stretching from the former Soviet 

Union and Israel to France and the 

United States. 

As deliberately and tirelessly as he 

advanced his good deeds, he consistently avoided public recognition for 

them. He gave without any expectation 

of praise or acclaim, and his anonymity was purposeful and persistent. His 

diverse and numerous initiatives— 

birthright programs in colleges around 

the country, vocational and religious 

education activities around the globe, 

and many other programs—made Mr. 

Wolfson one of his generation’s most 

influential leaders, but he remained 

virtually unknown. Now, I invite my 

colleagues to join me in according Mr. 

Wolfson this measure of recognition for 

the millions of people whose lives he 

touched and enhanced. 

f 

100TH ANNIVERSARY OF CATHOLIC 

CHARITIES 

Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. President, I rise 

today to recognize the 100th anniversary of Cleveland Catholic Charities 

and its mission to serve people in need 

throughout the Catholic Diocese of 

Cleveland. 

Catholic Charities was established in 

Cleveland in 1912 under the direction of 

Bishop John Farrelly during a time 

when there were few organized charities in the United States. It was 

founded in response to challenging economic conditions that existed for the 

poor and orphaned of the day. Throughout the organization’s 100-year history, 

its work, programs and family centers 

have touched the lives of many people 

throughout northeast Ohio. 

Over the years, Catholic Charities’ 

leaders, employees, supporters and volunteers have cared for their neighbors 

and provided guidance to address the 

social needs of our community. Their 

charitable mission is inspirational and 

their generous work has had great impact, helping millions of people. Their 

efforts provide meals, shelter, emergency assistance, counseling services, 

training and employment for many 

throughout the 8 northeast Ohio counties in the diocese. 

On this occasion I would like to congratulate Bishop Richard Lennon, 


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