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.