E 886 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks May 1, 1995

RECOGNIZING THE ‘‘DEAN OF

CALIFORNIA CITY ATTORNEYS’’

MR. ALLEN E. SPRAGUE

HON. FORTNEY PETE STARK OF CALIFORNIA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Monday, May 1, 1995

Mr. STARK. Mr. Speaker, today, I would like

to pay tribute to city attorney Allen E. Sprague

for his dedicated years of service to the city of

Fremont. During his tenure, Mr. Sprague has

provided strong leadership to a city which has

risen to new heights.

After graduating from University of California

Boalt Law School, Mr. Sprague was hired as

the city of Freemont’s assistant city attorney in

1963. Six years later, he was appointed as

their city attorney, thus attaining the title of

‘‘Dean of California City Attorneys,’’ as the

longest serving, continuous, and surviving city

attorney in northern California. Mr. Sprague

served as counsel to 18 separate city councils, and as a mentor to numerous staff members who have gone on to serve other California cities as city attorneys. During a difficult

transitional period, Mr. Sprague also acted as

interim city manager in 1980 and 1981.

Mr. Sprague’s community commitment goes

well beyond his years with the city. He was an

active participant with the Kiwanis International

Club for 20 years, where he served as local

chapter president, regional and national officer. Mr. Sprague also shared his fellowship as

a lay Eucharist minister at St. Anne’s Episcopal Church in Fremont and by raising the

spirits and bringing comfort to those in need

as a volunteer with the Vespers Hospice.

Mr. Speaker, I come before you today to

recognize Mr. Allen E. Sprague for all his

achievements and commitment to our community. I hope you and my colleagues will join

me in congratulating this leader for his illustrious career and wish him and his family well

in their future endeavors.

CHRISTMAS WONDERLAND

HAPPY 50TH BRONNER’S

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HON. JAMES A. BARCIA OF MICHIGAN

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Monday, May 1, 1995

Mr. BARCIA. Mr. Speaker, there have been

many times when we have wished it could be

Christmas 365 days of the year. The special

feeling that this wonderful holiday inspires enlightens us, and helps us to focus on kindness

toward all.

Well, the people who work at Bronner’s

CHRISTmas Wonderland should be the envy

of us all because for them it is Christmas

every day of the year. This Wednesday,

Bronner’s, the world’s largest Christmas store,

celebrates its 50th anniversary at its store on

25 Christmas Lane in Frankenmuth, MI. This

fantastic store, operated by Wallace ‘‘Wally’’

Bronner, supported by his parents, Herman

and Ella Bronner, started as a small sign store

to its current enviable position of offering a selection of more than 50,000 items from all over

the world. The design and production of

Christmas panels for merchants from Clare,

MI, marked the first official sale of Christmas

decorations to other communities.

Bronner’s CHRISTmas Wonderland is a

must-see holiday store for the consumer. And

it is also a major supplier for churches, businesses, industries, cities, parks, shopping centers, parades and parties. It is a family-owned

and operated business, now including its third

generation of Bronners, that has grown from

its early days as a small sign shop through

several expansions that now allow it to boast

a showroom equal to the size of four football

fields. At peak time, more than 400 people are

employed on a full or part-time basis at this

manger of holiday spirit. Much of the merchandise is imported from other manufacturers, but

the most special pieces include those designed and produced by Wally Bronner himself.

And not forgetting that the true part of

Christmas is its religious heritage; Wally, Irene

and other members of the Bronner family 3

years ago opened Bronner’s Silent Night Memorial Chapel to both signify their thanks for

God’s blessings, as well as to provide an opportunity for the millions of people who surely

visit Bronner’s over the years to pause and

offer their own thanks for what life has given

them.

Mr. Speaker, Frankenmuth is a community

that speaks volumes about what commitment

to one’s neighbor and hard work can accomplish. Like a sturdy tree, it supports many

branches that extend through its commercial,

agricultural, educational, and social greatness.

It is filled with people who we would all like to

have as our own neighbors. When it is

crowned with the bright star of Bronner’s

CHRISTmas Wonderland, the decoration of

this tree is truly complete. I urge you and all

of our colleagues to wish the Bronner family

and the hundreds of dedicated, good-spirit inspiring employees the very best on the 50th

anniversary of Bronner’s CHRISTmas Wonderland.

IN RECOGNITION OF HELAINE

fSTRAUSS

HON. GARY L. ACKERMAN OF NEW YORK

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Monday, May 1, 1995

Mr. ACKERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today

with great pride to share with my colleagues in

the House of Representatives the inspiring

story of a woman who has been an active

member of the Jewish community in Suffolk

County for many years, Helaine Strauss.

Helaine Strauss became a Jewish community center professional on Long Island in

1967. This began a lifetime career in which

she vastly changed the landscape of Long Island’s Jewish community.

In 1980, a determined board of directors,

Suffolk County Y staff and Helaine took a bold

step forward. They moved the Y into a brand

new setting that provided the first Jewish day

care center in the United Jewish Appeal [UJA]

federation network, as well as a nursery

school, a senior citizen and singles’ center. In

addition to these conveniences, the Y developed and installed a state-of-the-art fitness

center.

When the initial construction of this enormous project was completed, Ms. Strauss

breathed a sigh of relief and embarked on a

new project: building bridges. Today, the Suffolk Y Jewish Community Center joins with a

multitude of Jewish agencies, synagogues and

community organizations sponsoring innovative programs and services.

Ms. Strauss’ leadership has been widely

recognized. She is past president of the New

York chapter of the Metropolitan Association

of Jewish Center Workers and participated in

Jewish Welfare Board’s Executive Development Program and the Jewish Community

Center Association’s Executive Fellows Program. Ms. Strauss serves on the nation board

of the Jewish Community Center Association

and on the advisory board of the Adelphi

School of Social Work. She received the

Woman of the Year Award from Friends of

Lubavitch of eastern Long Island.

In 1985, Ms. Strauss received the Samuel

W. and Rose Horowitz award from the Commission on Synagogue Relations of UJA–Federation of New York, and she has also been

honored by the Women’s American Organization of Rehabilitation Training (ORT).

I ask my colleagues in the House of Representatives to join with me in saluting Ms.

Helaine Strauss, for 20 years of outstanding

service, commitment and devotion to not only

the Suffork Y, but the entire Jewish community

of Suffolk County, Long Island.

THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF

SARATOGA SPRINGS V.F.W.

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HON. GERALD B.H. SOLOMON OF NEW YORK

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Monday, May 1, 1995

Mr. SOLOMON. Mr. Speaker, 75 years ago

this summer, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post

No. 420 was established in Saratoga Springs,

NY. The V.F.W., Mr. Speaker, has been and

continues to be an organization of exceptional

merit and service to the needs of many veterans. V.F.W. Post 420 was founded upon these

principles in the summer of 1920, and continues to serve and remember those veterans

who made sacrifices for America.

Post 420 was founded as a memorial to two

brothers who courageously fought for America

in WWI. On October 20, 1918, the Gurtler

brothers were both killed in battle along the

Hindenburg line in Germany. It is only appropriate that those brave men who placed themselves in harm’s way overseas be represented

by such an able organization.

Mr. Speaker, it is comforting to know that

those who served the needs of our country

and fought for the principles and ideas of

America all over the globe can depend on the

support of an organization like this post back

home in upstate New York.

Mr. Speaker, the service of Post 420 in

Saratoga Springs is worthy of significant recognition. This post, and others like it, are the

reason I fought so hard to attain departmentlevel status for Veterans’ Affairs. When President Ronald Reagan signed that legislation

into law, veterans were finally afforded the degree of national consideration they deserve.

The efforts of V.F.W. posts like this one, having served the needs of veterans since 1920,

played a major role in the grassroots efforts by

V.F.W. posts across this Nation to enact that

bill into law. For this, Mr. Speaker, we owe

Post 420 a tremendous debt.