[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 80 (Wednesday, June 22, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: June 22, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                       EULOGY FOR EDITH BERGTRAUM

                                 ______


                         HON. GARY L. ACKERMAN

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 22, 1994

  Mr. ACKERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to bring to the attention of 
my colleagues the achievements of Edith Bergtraum, a teacher, school 
board member, and social leader in Flushing, Queens, who passed away in 
May. Below is the eulogy which I delivered at Mrs. Bergtraum's funeral. 
Edith Bergtraum served her community in many ways, and in her absence 
we now fondly remember the contributions which she made:

       Edith Bergtraum wasn't just a hero. You see, a hero is an 
     ordinary person who, for one brief instant of their life, 
     rises above it all and, with tremendous courage, does 
     something positive and extraordinary, causing us all to gasp 
     and say something like, ``Gee, I wish I could have done 
     that.''
       Edith Bergtraum wasn't just a hero, she was a community 
     giant. Her extraordinary acts were so constant and 
     nonchalant, never giving us pause to think of how remarkable 
     a person she was. She wanted it that way.
       It was her love for children, her caring, her self-
     sacrificing, her lack of self-aggrandizing, her sincerity and 
     warmth, that made us hardly notice how much of an impact she 
     made.
       I must confess I didn't always know her as the Edith 
     Bergtraum she proved to be.
       To us kids growing up in the neighborhood, she was a 
     regular mom to people we called ``Howie and the twins.'' 
     That's Judy and Marcia.
       Only Edith knew then that they were lawyers and doctors.
       She was always so proud of them, as she was later of Susan 
     and Dan--Dr. Dan.
       If one is to be judged by their children, Edith hit a home 
     run.
       She was so proud--but never bragged. (Now her 
     grandchildren--that was something else.)
       To hundreds of other kids, she was Mrs. B, the creative and 
     innovative teacher, in a career that spanned three decades.
       To others, she was the PTA president, the community 
     activist, the Hadassa leader.
       She was a wonderful sister to Pearly, Janice and Adele, 
     sister-in-law to Max and Nat, Stanley and Bernice. And she 
     was just Aunt Edie to so many others.
       And then, of course, we knew her as Mrs. Murry Bergtraum--
     wife and No. 1 supporter of a larger than life figure in our 
     city.
       So major was his contribution to out town that a high 
     school bears his name, joining the ranks of Jefferson, Adams, 
     Jackson, Dewey, Edison, and Cardozo.
       Throughout those years, Edith Bergtraum played a superb, 
     but supporting role to a powerful public figure.
       I remember my first run for office--it was the school 
     board. I lost. But it was close enough to try to get a 
     recount.
       For that I was told I had to serve papers on the President 
     of the Board of Education by midnight. Serve papers on Murry 
     Bergtraum? I was petrified. How do you serve papers on Murry 
     Bergtraum?
       The Board of Ed was closed. It was 7 p.m. I went over to 
     the Bergtraum's house. The twins were teenagers then. They 
     were sitting in front of the house. (I'm not sure where 
     Howard was--probably trying to arrange a merger between North 
     and South Carolina).
       Judy said, ``People sue him all the time.'' But I was a new 
     teacher. ``He'll be furious with me.'' Edith was in the house 
     listening. She casually walked outside, took the papers out 
     of my house and said, ``I'll serve him. He'll get over it 
     quicker.''
       Nobody would have blamed Edith if when Murry passed away 
     she did the ordinary thing. If she retired. If she took life 
     easy. If she became a full-time grandmother to Jordan, 
     Matthew, Andrea, Rellie and Mark, each of whom she cherished 
     dearly.
       But grandmother did the unexpected. She picked up the ball 
     and ran. Literally. She was elected to the school board. (I 
     don't know how she did that so easily.) She ran and won, over 
     and over and over again. She set some kind of record for the 
     number of votes and number of wins over such a large number 
     of years.
       And it had nothing to do with politics. It had to do with 
     children. For the last twenty years she did exactly that!
       She was one of those rare individuals who believed society 
     has a collective responsibility to our schools and children. 
     She dedicated her life to that proposition.
       Not that she couldn't have run for another office. As a 
     matter of fact, the entire political establishment breathed a 
     collective sigh of relief when Edith announced each time that 
     it was the school board she was running for.
       To her it was a calling, and she answered the call. She was 
     respected not just in our community but throughout the 
     city. Mayors, political figures and chancellors sought her 
     advice.
       Integrity--you can't think of Edith without the word 
     ``integrity.''
       You see, she never needed or wanted anything for herself. 
     Not even ego gratification. She didn't need the spotlight. 
     She had headlights.
       She always knew where she was going and only wanted to 
     give.
       So high were her standards, yet she was down to earth. So 
     haimish.
       And in the end she suffered. She had so much yet to give, 
     yet wouldn't go along with the medical predictions. How many 
     times did they say she couldn't last the week, the month, the 
     day, another month?
       She endured the pain; she had work to do, fights to fight.
       At one of those times a few months ago, when told again she 
     couldn't last the week, the family had again gathered to say 
     their goodbyes, to hear Edith's last instructions. (Don't 
     mourn too long for me. I've had a great and happy life.'' 
     Indeed she did; she was education's happy warrior.)
       A few moments later she opened her eyes. ``I've got to make 
     a phone call. I don't want them to put the Special Ed kids in 
     the basement of P.S. 165.''
       She wanted so much to keep on going. To keep on giving. She 
     had so much more to give.
       What do you call a person who every day, every day, every 
     day was a hero?
       In Edith Bergtraum's case you call her ``TEACHER.'' Goodbye 
     dear friend, our hero.
       Thanks for the lesson plans you gave us.
  


                       SENATE COMMITTEE MEETINGS

  Title IV of Senate Resolution 4, agreed to by the Senate on February 
4, 1977, calls for establishment of a system for a computerized 
schedule of all meetings and hearings of Senate committees, 
subcommittees, joint committees, and committees of conference. This 
title requires all such committees to notify the Office of the Senate 
Daily Digest--designated by the Rules Committee--of the time, place, 
and purpose of the meetings, when scheduled, and any cancellations or 
changes in the meetings as they occur.
  As an additional procedure along with the computerization of this 
information, the Office of the Senate Daily Digest will prepare this 
information for printing in the Extensions of Remarks section of the 
Congressional Record on Monday and Wednesday of each week.
  Meetings scheduled for Thursday, June 23, 1994, may be found in the 
Daily Digest of today's Record.

                           MEETINGS SCHEDULED

                                JUNE 24
     9:00 a.m.
       Joint Economic
         To hold hearings to examine the future challenges facing 
           the biotechnology and medical device industries.
                                                            SD-628
     10:00 a.m.
       Finance
       International Trade Subcommittee
         To hold hearings on the implementation of the Special 301 
           (section 182 of the Trade Act of 1974) trade remedy 
           law, focusing on the prospects for the law after the 
           creation of the World Trade Organization by the Uruguay 
           Round agreement.
                                                            SD-215
       Foreign Relations
         To hold hearings on pending nominations.
                                                            SD-419
     10:30 a.m.
       Governmental Affairs
         To hold hearings on the nomination of Phyllis Nichamoff 
           Segal, of Massachusetts, to be a Member of the Federal 
           Labor Relations Authority.
                                                            SD-342

                                JUNE 27
     2:30 p.m.
       Armed Services
         To hear and consider the nomination of Lt. Gen. Buster C. 
           Glosson, USAF, to retire in grade.
                                                            SR-222

                                JUNE 28
     9:30 a.m.
       Energy and Natural Resources
       Energy Research and Development Subcommittee
         To hold hearings on S. 2104, to establish within the 
           National Laboratories of the Department of Energy a 
           national Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator 
           Fellowship Program.
                                                            SD-366
     10:00 a.m.
       Environment and Public Works
         To hold hearings on S. 1834, authorizing funds for 
           programs of the Comprehensive Response, Compensation, 
           and Liability Act (Superfund).
                                                            SD-406
       Finance
         To hold hearings on the Administration's proposed welfare 
           reform legislation.
                                                            SD-215
       Foreign Relations
         To hold hearings on the Agreement to Promote Compliance 
           with International Conservation and Management Measures 
           by Fishing Vessels on the High Seas (Treaty Doc. 103-
           24).
                                                            SD-419
       Governmental Affairs
         To hold hearings to examine issues relating to delinquent 
           criminal debt.
                                                            SD-342
     2:00 p.m.
       Foreign Relations
       Western Hemisphere and Peace Corps Affairs Subcommittee
         To hold hearings to examine United States policy toward 
           Haiti.
                                                            SD-419

                                JUNE 29
     9:00 a.m.
       Foreign Relations
         To hold hearings on the nominations of Brian J. Donnelly, 
           of Massachusetts, to be Ambassador to Trinidad and 
           Tobago, and George Charles Bruno, of New Hampshire, to 
           be Ambassador to Belize.
                                                    S-116, Capitol
     9:30 a.m.
       Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
         To hold hearings on pending pesticide legislation, 
           including S. 985, to revise the Federal Insecticide, 
           Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act with respect to minor 
           uses of pesticides, S. 1478, to revise the Federal 
           Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act to ensure 
           that pesticide tolerances adequately safeguard the 
           health of infants and children, and S. 2050, to revise 
           the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide 
           Act.
                                                            SR-332
       Governmental Affairs
         To hold hearings on S. 29, to fully apply the rights and 
           protections of Federal law to employment by Congress, 
           S. 103, to fully apply the rights and protections of 
           Federal civil rights and labor laws to employment by 
           Congress, S. 579, to require Congress to comply with 
           the laws it imposes on others, and S. 2071, to provide 
           for the application of certain employment protection 
           and information laws to the Congress.
                                                            SD-342
       Rules and Administration
         Business meeting, to consider the nominations of Lee Ann 
           Elliott, of Virginia, and Danny Lee McDonald, of 
           Oklahoma, each to be a Member of the Federal Election 
           Commission.
                                                            SR-301
     1:00 p.m.
       Judiciary
         To hold hearings on the nomination of Guido Calabresi, of 
           Connecticut, to be United States Circuit Judge for the 
           Second Circuit, and John R. Schmidt, of Illinois, to be 
           Associate Attorney General, Department of Justice.
                                                            SD-226
     2:30 p.m.
       Commerce, Science, and Transportation
       Communications Subcommittee
         To hold hearings on S. 2120, to authorize appropriations 
           for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting for fiscal 
           years 1997 through 1999.
                                                            SR-253
       Governmental Affairs
         To hold hearings on the nomination of Zoe Bush, Rhonda 
           Reid Winston, and Judith Bartnoff, each to be an 
           Associate Judge of the Superior Court of the District 
           of Columbia.
                                                            SD-342
       Labor and Human Resources
         To hold hearings on proposed legislation to reform the 
           Davis- Bacon Act.
                                                            SD-430

                                JUNE 30
     9:30 a.m.
       Governmental Affairs
         To hold hearings on the nomination of John A. Koskinen, 
           of the District of Columbia, to be Deputy Director for 
           Management, Office of Management and Budget.
                                                            SD-342
     10:00 a.m.
       Foreign Relations
         To hold hearings on foreign policy issues.
                                                            SD-419

                                JULY 13
     9:30 a.m.
       Commerce, Science, and Transportation
       Foreign Commerce and Tourism Subcommittee
         To hold hearings to examine current tourism policy 
           activities.
                                                            SR-253

                                JULY 14
     9:30 a.m.
       Energy and Natural Resources
         To hold oversight hearings to examine the scientific and 
           technological basis for radon policy.
                                                            SD-366

                             POSTPONEMENTS

                                JUNE 23
     9:30 a.m.
       Energy and Natural Resources
         To hold oversight hearings to examine the scientific and 
           technological basis for radon policy.
                                                            SD-366