E 946 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks May 3, 1995

businesses fill voids in their communities and

in the labor market that otherwise may be left

empty.

Despite the importance of small and minority-owned businesses, they nevertheless face

numerous problems. The primary obstacle facing most small businesses, regardless of their

ownership, is the lack of capital. Despite numerous creative programs at the Federal,

State, and local levels, the fact remains that

capital is hard to come by.

This is especially true of minority- and

women-owned businesses. In addition to the

fact that minorities and women often lack the

business connections and record of experience that has been so useful to many

nonminority men in establishing their businesses, discrimination unfortunately also remains a problem. Further, many banks or

lending institutions are hesitant to lend capital

to minorities or women, especially if their business is going to be based in a poor, inner-city

neighborhood.

As a member of the Small Business Committee as well as the Banking and Financial

Service Committee, I am committed to do

what I can to see that small and minorityowned businesses are provided with the tools

necessary to succeed. Small and specifically,

minority-owned businesses are too important

to our national economy and our communities

to allow them to falter. As we salute Small

Business Week, I hope we will move forward

with an agenda that supports the growth and

development of small and minority-owned

businesses.

TRIBUTE TO GERALD E. EDWARDS

OF DELTA, OH

f

HON. MARCY KAPTUR OF OHIO

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Wednesday, May 3, 1995

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to

pay tribute to Mr. Gerald E. Edwards of Delta,

OH, in my district. Mr. Edwards is to be honored by his community as the 1995 Delta Citizen of the Year. The award is indeed a fitting

one, as he embodies all of the best attributes

of the term ‘‘good citizen.’’

In addition to the insurance agency that he

manages and the six properties he owns and

maintains, Mr. Edwards has always found the

time to engage in a multitude of volunteer activities. Always one to take the lead, he is an

excellent example of one who takes his civic

responsibilities seriously.

Committed to his community, Mr. Edwards

has served as a long-time volunteer on the

Delta fire/rescue squad, including his service

as a past chief of the rescue squad. He is a

past president of the Delta Chamber of Commerce and past president and past district

governor of the Delta Rotary Club. Equally

committed to his faith, he has served as an

elder of the Delta Church of Christ. Currently,

Mr. Edwards serves as the president of the

Delta Family FOCUS [Friends of the Community United in Service] and as president of the

Delta Library Board.

Perhaps most telling of his giving nature

and commitment to his community is Mr. Edwards’ Thanksgiving tradition of inviting members of his community who are without a traditional Thanksgiving meal to join him and his

family for theirs. This past Thanksgiving, the

Edwards family baked 30 pies, peeled 50

pounds of potatoes, cooked 5 turkeys, and

picked enough green beans and served

enough homemade applesauce, rolls, and coffee to feed nearly 200 people in Delta, OH,

who may not have been able to experience

the American tradition of Thanksgiving. He is

truly an inspiration to those who know him.

Mr. Speaker, I know my colleagues join me

in honoring a man whose sevice and responsibility to his community should serve as a reminder to us all of the limitless ability of one

man or woman to improve and contribute to

the lives in their community. Gerald Edwards

of Delta, OH, represents in many ways the

true meaning of citizenship. His contributions

to the village of Delta have earned him a most

deserved designation as its Citizen of the Year

for 1995. I am honored to have this opportunity to recognize his selflessness and to represent him in the Congress of the United

States.

LOYALTY DAY IS A CELEBRATION

OF AMERICA

f

HON. MARSHALL ‘‘MARK’’ SANFORD OF SOUTH CAROLINA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Wednesday, May 3, 1995

Mr. SANFORD. Mr. Speaker, Loyalty Day is

a time for all Americans to challenge ourselves to capture the spirit of America, and to

bring it to life in everything that we do. It is observed every May 1 as a celebration of life,

liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Loyalty Day was established by the Veterans of Foreign Wars. I am proud to pay tribute

to the VFW and its members, both for the sacrifices that they have made in the service of

their country, and for their dedication to the

principles that made this country great. The

State commander for the department of South

Carolina, Keith Harper, has spent many years

promoting American values. He is one of the

finest Americans that I know, and I hope that

every Member of this House will take the time

to read his comments on Loyalty Day, and to

join me in saluting the VFW for establishing

this holiday.

LOYALTY DAY 1995

Of all the holidays we celebrate in this

country, none gets less attention than Loyalty Day. Even Labor Day is better known.

So that’s why I’m happy to be here today, to

share with you some thoughts on Loyalty

Day and what this day is all about.

Unlike the 4th of July, it does not celebrate a specific date in our history. Unlike

Veterans Day, it does not recognize a certain

group of individuals. Unlike President’s Day,

it does not honor some of our former Presidents. Unlike Memorial Day, it does not ask

us to pause and remember those who did so

much for our country.

What it does is this: Loyalty Day is a celebration of America. It’s a celebration of life,

liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It’s a

celebration of what you are and what you

want to be.

In a way, Loyalty Day is a challenge. It

challenges each and every one of us to capture the spirit of America and bring it to life

in everything we do. Loyalty Day is a trip

into the future.

The Veterans of Foreign Wars take great

pride in this holiday. After all, we started it.

During the dark days of the 1920’s, when

America was wracked by the worst depression anyone had ever seen, many Americans

began to question our Government, our economy, our politics, and our very way of life.

And where there were people with questions, there were Communists running

around with their own kind of answers. They

say in our hard times, good times for them

to overthrow our Government.

They were everywhere. They held meetings, they marched in parades, they catered

to the out-or-work and the hungry, and they

even tried to get American children to join

their Communist youth organizations, right

here in America.

The VFW fought back, our members had

given too much, suffered too much, and sacrificed too much in WWI to let a bunch of

Communists take America away from us.

We held our own meetings, we helped our

own out-of-work and hungry, and we began

to teach the children of this country what

America was all about.

And on May Day we held our own parades.

That was a day the Communists had claimed

as their own, the one on which they celebrated their revolution. Well, we set things

straight. We made it an American holiday.

And when the Communists paraded down one

street, we paraded up the next.

On May 1st, 1930, we held a parade in New

York City that had 10,000 VFW and Ladies

Auxiliary members in it. Over 100,000 people

turned out to see it.

And when the parade reached Union

Square, there was a patriotic rally, with

speeches and dozens of bands playing the

Star Spangled Banner.

Though wracked by depression, America at

heart was alive and well, and in the tough

times that followed, each celebration of Loyalty Day gave new hope that America would

survive. And as our VFW parades grew larger, the Communists’ parades grew smaller

and smaller. Today they are completely

gone.

In 1955, we asked Congress to proclaim

Loyalty Day a national holiday, and one of

our members who was a Senator from Pennsylvania introduced that legislation in Congress.

In signing the legislation, President Eisenhower said, ‘‘The prime requisite for retaining our freedom is unswerving devotion to

the liberties embodied in our Constitution.’’

You who came here today are the kind of

people he was talking about. The kind of

people who know what America stands for

and who take the time and make the effort

to support what America stands for.

We meet here for one day to celebrate what

we enjoy everyday, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Those are the ideals on

which America was founded and for which

millions of Americans have fought to protect

and preserve.

We carry on that fight today. We fought

communism on the streets of America and

on battlefields all over the world. Along the

way, we fought the Axis powers in Europe,

and the Japanese in the Pacific.

We paid a high price for the liberty and

freedom we enjoy today. Yet, even as we

meet here as free people in a strong and powerful nation, the question hangs over us; who

will be our enemy tomorrow?

Will they attack us on main street or from

some foreign location? No one knows. But

one thing is certain, you and I will be the

first line of defense. Patriotism is the best

weapon you can have in any battle, and patriotism is based on knowing what your

country stands for, and believing in what it

stands for.

Abraham Lincoln described our American

government as being a government of the
May 3, 1995 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E 947

people, for the people, and by the people. As

such, we determine our own future.

You and I are some of the most important

people in this country. What we want today

is what America will be tomorrow. Washington does not tell us what we will be, we tell

them.

But as wonderful as it sounds, our government requires a lot of work from each of us.

And no one knows that better than the mayors who are with us today. They are really

on the frontlines.

If we want a drug-free society, we have to

fight for a drug-free society. Thinking about

it won’t make it happen.

If we want a better education system for

our children, we have to fight for it. Thinking about it won’t make it happen.

If we want our American military to be the

best in the world and not be thrown away

piece by piece in little battles that serve no

national purpose, we have to fight for it.

Thinking about it won’t make it happen.

Freedom and democracy require a lot of

work from each of us, and you do not have to

wear a uniform or carry a weapon to defend

them. You just have to do what you’re doing

right now, taking an active part in America.

And to the mayors here, I offer the full support of the VFW.

That’s the purpose and that’s the message

of Loyalty Day. It’s a day on which we discuss the future of America, and the part each

of us will play in reaching those goals.

It’s a day to take pride in yourself, our

community, our nation and our flag.

And I thank you for taking part in our

Loyalty Day celebration. God bless you, and

God bless America.

TRIBUTE TO RALPH NEAS AND

THE LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE

fON CIVIL RIGHTS

HON. STENY H. HOYER OF MARYLAND

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Wednesday, May 3, 1995

Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to

pay tribute to Ralph Neas and the Leadership

Conference on Civil Rights, true leaders in the

fight for civil rights. For the last 45 years the

conference has worked diligently on this effort

and has been successful in accomplishing

some of the biggest civil rights victories in our

Nation’s history.

Many of these victories were won during the

past 14 years under the successful leadership

of Ralph Neas. Ralph has directed the lobbying, grassroots, legal research, and media efforts of the largest, oldest, and most broadly

based civil rights coalition in this Nation. Ralph

always believed his professional training as

chief legislative assistant to two Senators and

his triumph over Guillan-Barre syndrome had

adequately prepared him for the challenges

which were ahead for LCCR. During his tenure, Ralph served as a coalition builder as he

kept the conference’s diverse leadership united and effective. Through his work with LCCR,

he has earned respect for his ability to build

bridges between disparate communities of interest and across the spectrum of political

ideologies.

The first major victory which Ralph and his

LCCR colleagues won was passage of the

Voting Rights Act of 1982. Bipartisanship, creativity, and leadership were all necessary to

win this uphill battle. The Leadership Conference, led by Ralph exhibited all of these

qualities during the almost 2-year campaign to

enact this major piece of legislation. The hard

work of LCCR set the stage for what would be

numerous victories throughout his next 14

years as executive director.

Ralph Neas was one of the first leaders of

the mainstream civil rights movement to recognize the civil rights struggle of people with

disabilities. He brought disability issues to the

forefront of the civil rights struggle and was instrumental in securing the enactment of the

first civil rights laws for people with disabilities,

the Americans With Disabilities Act. This

would not have been possible without Ralph’s

vision, leadership, and commitment.

Ralph is also well known as a brilliant legislative strategist. Using that skill, as well as

creativity and leadership, he led the fights

which resulted in the passage of several additional major legislative initiatives. These initiatives include: the Civil Rights Act of 1991, the

fair housing amendments of 1988, the Japanese-American redress bill, and the Civil

Rights Restoration Act.

Not only did Ralph Neas experience great

legislative success as the executive director of

LCCR, he also experienced great institutional

successes. His astute management led to a

massive growth of the conference. The organization’s budget grew seven fold since 1981

and added more than 50 new national organizations. Currently, 180 national organizations

with memberships totaling more than 50 million Americans now belong to the conference.

This significant growth has allowed LCCR to

meet new challenges as an even stronger,

more united, and effective group.

In addition to his duties as executive director, Ralph Neas managed the Leadership

Conference’s education fund, an independent

organization that supports educational activities relevant to civil rights. In this capacity, he

has supervised projects promoting tolerance

an diversity, has led a successful children’s

antidiscrimination campaign, and published

books and reports on emerging civil rights issues.

This month, Ralph will step down as executive director of the Leadership Conference and

will embark upon new challenges in his life

and career. We can all be assured that the

new challenges which lie ahead for him will be

marked by continued commitment to justice

and equality for all Americans.

It is my pleasure to join many Americans in

thanking Ralph for his unselfish service to his

Nation and its people. It is also my distinct

pleasure to congratulate the Leadership Conference on its 45th anniversary. Due to the

Ralph Neas and the Leadership Conference’s

commitment and dedication to the civil rights

movement, the past 45 years have been a

strong, legislative, bipartisan reaffirmation of

civil rights. We are a greater Nation because

of the many successful battles fought and won

by Ralph Neas and the Leadership Conference on civil rights, and I know that Ralph

and the LCCR will continue to lead the way towards a nation of equality, justice, and

strength.

TRIBUTE TO GIRL SCOUT GOLD

AWARD RECIPIENTS

HON. RAY LaHOOD OF ILLINOIS

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Wednesday, May 3, 1995

Mr. LAHOOD. Mr. Speaker, today I would

like to salute a group of outstanding young

women who will be honored with the Girl

Scouts of the U.S.A. Gold Award by Kickapoo

Council of Girl Scouts in Peoria, Illinois.

All are being honored on May 7, 1995, for

earning the highest achievement award in Girl

Scouting. The Girl Scout Gold Award symbolizes outstanding accomplishments in the areas

of leadership, community service, career planning, and personal development. The Girl

Scout Gold Award can be earned by girls

aged 14–17, or in grades 9–12.

Girl Scouts of the U.S.A., an organization

serving over 2.6 million girls, has awarded

more than 20,000 Girl Scout Gold Awards to

Senior Girl Scouts since the inception of the

program in 1980. To receive the award, a Girl

Scout must fulfill five requirements: earn four

interest project patches, earn the Career Exploration Pin, earn the Senior Girl Scout Leadership Award, earn the Senior Girl Scout Challenge, and design and implement a Girl Scout

Gold Award project. A plan for fulfilling the requirements of the award is created by the

Senior Girl Scout and is carried out through

close cooperation between the girl and an

adult Girl Scout volunteer.

The earning of the Girl Scout Gold Award is

a major accomplishment, and I believe all of

these girls should receive the public recognition due them for this significant service to

their community and their country.

Following are the honorees: Jodi King, Kelly

Cox, Buffie Icenogle, Monica Knapp, Marcy

Mattern, Jolene Zessin, Jennifer Isaacs,

Stacey Utley, and Rachel Moreno.

CARNEGIE HILL NEIGHBORS’ 25TH

ANNIVERSARY

f

HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY OF NEW YORK

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Wednesday, May 3, 1995

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today

to pay tribute to Carnegie Hill Neighbors, Inc.

on this, its 25th anniversary. On May 1, Carnegie Hill Neighbors celebrated two and a half

decades of outstanding service to the city of

New York.

For over 25 years, the group’s record of

achievement in community service has been

outstanding. Carnegie Hill Neighbors has been

a major force in protecting thousands of New

York City’s most important buildings, and improving the aesthetic surroundings that we in

New York have come to enjoy.

Carnegie Hill Neighbors represents a district

that traverses from Museum Mile up to Third

Avenue and from 86th Street to 98th Street.

As the proud Member of Congress from this

area, I know first-hand how Carnegie Hill

Neighbors has strived to preserve 19th century brownstones, museums, prewar limestone

apartment buildings, and other institutions that

make up one of New York City’s most unique

architectural districts.