Whereas with the passing of Evelyn H. Lauder, the world
has lost an energetic and dedicated friend and ally who catapulted to the world
stage the quest to prevent and cure breast cancer in this lifetime;
Whereas Evelyn was born Evelyn Hausner on August 12, 1936,
in Vienna, Austria;
Whereas in 1940, the Hausner family fled Nazi-occupied
Austria, eventually settling in the State of New York, where Eveyln was a proud
product of the New York City public school system and met her future husband of
more than half a century, Leonard Lauder;
Whereas Evelyn and Leonard wed in July 1959;
Whereas, Evelyn joined the family cosmetic company, Estée
Lauder, handling many roles in the early years and later becoming Senior
Corporate Vice President and Head of Fragrance Development Worldwide;
Whereas Evelyn helped bring global awareness to breast
cancer after being diagnosed with early stages of the disease in 1987;
Whereas in 1989, Evelyn initiated the fundraising drive to
establish the Evelyn H. Lauder Breast Cancer Center at Memorial Sloan-Kettering
Cancer Center in New York City, which opened in 1992 and quickly became the
model for similar breast cancer diagnostic centers around the world;
Whereas the expanded Evelyn H. Lauder Breast Cancer Center
opened in 2009 and provides the most up-to-date breast cancer prevention,
diagnosis, and outpatient treatment services under 1 roof;
Whereas in 1992, Evelyn worked with longtime friend
Alexandra Penney, former editor-in-chief of SELF magazine, to create the Pink
Ribbon Campaign for breast cancer;
Whereas Evelyn launched the Estée Lauder Companies’ Breast
Cancer Awareness Campaign, which has distributed more than 115,000,000 pink
ribbons worldwide;
Whereas in 1993, Evelyn founded The Breast Cancer Research
Foundation, thereby affirming her commitment to preventing breast cancer and
finding a cure in this lifetime through funding some of the most innovative
clinical and translation research at leading medical centers worldwide;
Whereas The Breast Center Research Foundation, which to
date funds 186 researchers around the world and has raised $350,000,000, has
grown to become the largest national organization dedicated exclusively to
funding research relating to the causes, treatment and prevention of breast
cancer;
Whereas during Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October
2010, Evelyn and the Estée Lauder Companies’ Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign
achieved a first-ever Guinness World Record, Most Landmarks Illuminated
for a Cause in 24 Hours
, by illuminating 38 iconic landmarks, including
the Taj Mahal, the Tokyo Tower, the Hotel Majestic, the Empire State Building,
and Niagara Falls;
Whereas in October 2011, the Lauder family was honored
with the prestigious Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy for commitment to
philanthropic endeavors and public service;
Whereas Evelyn will be remembered for her vision and
leadership in achieving funding for promising scientific research that lead to
breakthrough drugs, including Herceptin and Avastin, a better understanding of
how tumors develop and risk factors for recurrence, and an improved quality of
life for breast cancer survivors;
Whereas her work continues to help promising scientists
who have equally promising, imaginative, and innovative proposals get research
off the ground;
Whereas there is no doubt that we must find a cure, and
research is instrumental to achieving this goal;
Whereas this year, nearly 40,000 women of the United
States are expected to die of breast cancer; and
Whereas we must keep up the battle and recruit more heroes
like Evelyn if we are to achieve prevention and a cure in our
lifetime
: Now, therefore, be it
That the Senate—
(1)mourns the loss
of Evelyn H. Lauder;
(2)honors the life
and accomplishments of Evelyn H. Lauder, a world renowned advocate for breast
cancer awareness and health of women; and
(3)offers the
deepest condolences to the beloved husband, Leonard, sons, William and Gary,
and 5 grandchildren of Evelyn H. Lauder.