[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 85 (Wednesday, June 29, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: June 29, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                   TRIBUTE TO PHYLLIS J. SHORENSTEIN

                                 ______


                           HON. ANNA G. ESHOO

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 29, 1994

  Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Phyllis J. 
Shorenstein--patron of the arts, civic leader, and loving wife and 
mother--who passed away earlier this month in San Francisco. Having 
been friends with Phyllis and her husband, Walter, for many years, I 
know she will be sorely missed. But I also know that her contributions 
to the San Francisco community will endure for generations to come.
  From the moment Phyllis met Walter at Travis Air Force Base during 
World War II, they formed a close partnership in both their personal 
and public lives.
  Together, they raised three exceptional children and were blessed 
with six grandchildren. When their daughter, Joan, died in 1986, 
Phyllis and Walter Shorenstein honored her memory as a distinguished 
reporter and producer for the CBS Evening News by establishing the Joan 
Shorenstein Barone Center on the Press, Politics, and Public Policy at 
Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government.
  Phyllis Shorenstein's leadership to improve the Bay Area's cultural 
life is legendary. She was known around the world as the founder of the 
Asian Art Museum of San Francisco in Golden Gate Park. Having served as 
a commissioner of the museum for several terms, she was largely 
responsible for this magnificent facility acquiring a large part of its 
collection. She played a key role in obtaining the Avery Brundage 
collection for the museum in 1960 and spent the past two decades with 
her family donating works to it from throughout Asia. Her contributions 
were recognized in May 1994 when the museum opened a special exhibition 
and named a gallery in honor of Phyllis Shorenstein and her family.
  Phyllis Shorenstein was a major supporter of the United Way, the 
Catholic Youth Organization, and the University of California/San 
Francisco and Stanford University Medical Centers. She did this because 
she had an unswerving commitment to the betterment of her community and 
humanity.
  Those who were fortunate enough to know Phyllis Shorenstein remember 
her as a gracious and generous woman. She was a celebrated hostess who 
opened her home to heads of state, local dignitaries, family members, 
and scores of friends, inspiring one and all with her vibrant spirit 
and dedication to causes she held dear.
  Mr. Speaker, Phyllis Shorenstein was one of the most remarkable 
individuals I have ever had the privilege to know and her passing is a 
great loss for her family, her community, and our Nation. I ask my 
colleagues to join me at this time in paying tribute to her, the life 
of purpose she led, and extend our deepest of sympathies to her husband 
Walter and the family she loved so much.

                          ____________________