[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 2 (Thursday, January 5, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E38]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


   IN PRAISE OF HOWARD YERUSALIM, RETIRING PENNSYLVANIA SECRETARY OF 
                             TRANSPORTATION

                                 ______


                            HON. BUD SHUSTER

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, January 4, 1995
  Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to pay tribute to an 
individual who has an attachment to his native State of Pennsylvania 
that is as enduring as it is remarkable.
  We often talk about men and women, Mr. Speaker, who leave their mark 
on their communities. We often mean this in a figurative way. But I 
want to recognize a man who has quite literally left his mark on the 
landscape of the Keystone State--the retiring Secretary of 
Transportation, Howard Yerusalim.
  Howard and I have two important things in common. We both are native 
Pennsylvanians, and we both have viewed transportation as an organizing 
principle for the State and national economy.
  Howard is an engineer by birth and training, and he has built upon 
this foundation. Indeed, he has combined two remarkable elements. 
First, he has had a visionary ability to look at the vast State of 
Pennsylvania and understand its many present and future transportation 
needs. At the same time, he has the knack of translating these 
visionary plans into simple blueprints and then taking these blueprints 
and translating them into the nitty gritty of steel rods and asphalt. 
There are many people in the transportation industry who are good at 
one of these endeavors. Howard has been extremely able in both.
  He understands roads, rails, and runways and he has the management 
skills to complement this knowledge. A list of his achievements and 
awards would fill these pages. But, I am particularly impressed by his 
selection as one of the Nation's top ten public works leaders for 1992 
by The American Public Works Association, and his tenure as president 
of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation 
Officials for 1994.
  It seems, Mr. Speaker, that everyone in the transportation industry 
knows Howard, and everyone has their favorite moment involving him. My 
favorite concerns the time when he and I worked on the historic 
Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991. I was in 
constant contact with Howard, relying heavily upon his counsel on many 
major issues covered by the bill. Most of all, he provided me with an 
honest interpretation of how provisions in the bill would work in 
actual practice.
  Great men and women rise to their potential. It was Pennsylvania's 
great fortune that Howard came to PennDOT in 1968 and rose through the 
ranks to become its chief. As I've said in the past Howard Yerusalim is 
a capable and reliable advocate for public works expenditures and has 
earned my respect through his dedication and commitment to integrity in 
public service.
  Mr. Speaker, transportation is the lifeblood of our communities, our 
Commonwealth, and our Nation, and yet it is often taken for granted--as 
are the individuals who plan, design, and build it, and thus leave 
their mark on the landscape. In many ways, Howard Yerusalim is one of 
those individuals. And yet, through his leadership, Pennsylvania has 
developed--and continues to develop--a first-rate transportation 
system, a system which breathes life into our economy, and into our 
daily lives.


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