[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 2 (Thursday, January 5, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S479]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   IN HONOR OF THE LATE JOE TALLAKSON

  Mr. McCain. Mr. President, I want to take a few moments to express my 
sincere sympathy to the family and friends of Joe Tallakson. ``Joe T'' 
as he was known to many, passed away on December 22, 1994 after a short 
but intense bout with cancer.
  Joe devoted his life to working for Indian tribes, first on the 
Quinault Indian Reservation in Washington and later here in Washington, 
DC. His talents were many. He earned great respect as a careful 
strategist who knew how to get results. He took the visions and goals 
of the tribal leaders for whom he worked and excelled at transforming 
them into real and tangible outcomes. He made a major contribution to 
the development of the policies of self-determination and self-
governance, in addition to the thousands of specific issues he handled 
for Indian tribes.
  Joe's last and perhaps greatest professional contribution to the 
development of Indian policy came with the enactment of Public Law 103-
413, which permanently authorized the self-governance project in the 
Department of the Interior.
  Joe will be sorely missed by all of us who work in the field of 
Indian Affairs. His integrity, skill, and commitment were uncommon. I 
am proud to have known him. I join with his friends and family in 
saying that we will miss him and his contributions to our work and our 
lives very much in the coming months and years.


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