[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 54 (Thursday, March 23, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S4488]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                     NOMINATION OF DR. HENRY FOSTER

  Mr. PELL. Mr. President, I recently had the opportunity to meet with 
Dr. Henry Foster, President Clinton's nominee for the position of 
Surgeon General. I did so because, as a member of the Senate Labor and 
Human Resources Committee, I will be called upon to cast one of the 
first votes on this nomination before it is brought to the floor of the 
Senate. And I wanted to know what kind of man this is, who has been 
demonized by some and canonized by others.
  Mr. President, what I found before me was a man of substance, who has 
worked very hard all his life to achieve the kind of success that is 
neither materialistic nor public. Dr. Henry Foster was raised in the 
rural South at a time of segregation so intense that he was forced, 
even while in medical school, to drink from a separate water fountain. 
He suffered the indignities of segregation with the kind of dignity, 
intelligence, and vision that enabled him both to see that he could 
achieve something very important in his life--and to do it. He spoke of 
his father's teachings of the value of education and hard work, and he 
incorporated those values into everything he has done in his life.
  Dr. Foster's credentials alone certainly render him a qualified 
candidate for Surgeon General. A practicing obstetrician-gynecologist 
for 38 years, Dr. Foster is also a medical educator who has devoted 
much of his professional life to reducing infant mortality and 
preventing teen pregnancy. He has served as both Dean of the School of 
Medicine and acting President of Meharry Medical College in Nashville--
one of the Nation's most prominent historically black colleges. Dr. 
Foster is currently on sabbatical from Meharry and is scholar-in-
residence at the Association of Academic Health Centers in Washington, 
DC. He has been the recipient of many awards and honors--too numerous 
to mention here--but ranging from induction into the Institute of 
Medicine to receiving a ``Thousand Points of Light'' award from 
President George Bush for his ``I Have A Future'' program that promotes 
self-esteem and positive life choices among at-risk teens.
  But as has been pointed out by his detractors, qualifications alone 
may not be sufficient for a person to hold a position of leadership and 
trust in our government. Especially with a position attracting as much 
attention as Surgeon General, it is important that the person appointed 
be an example of the best that our country has to offer.
  Mr. President, from what I know of Dr. Foster, and
   from what I expect the Labor Committee hearings to bring out, Dr. 
Foster is such a person. In addition to excellent academic and 
leadership qualifications, Dr. Foster has traveled an admirable path, 
in the early years forfeiting a life of great wealth in a more 
comfortable, ivory tower setting and returning to his roots--this time 
to poor, rural Alabama--to help an under-served population that needed 
his care. Since then, Dr. Foster has helped train the minds and 
influence the careers of hundreds of Meharry Medical College students, 
many of whom have followed in Dr. Foster's footsteps.

  While Dr. Foster's life and career have not been without their 
controversial moments, there are few, if any, individuals of prominence 
and principle in this country who have not experienced such moments in 
life. I have reviewed carefully the information available to me about 
those times in Dr. Foster's life and the actions that he took, and I 
have asked him about others. I am satisfied that Dr. Foster is telling 
the truth about discrepancies that arose shortly after his nomination 
was announced, and I am comfortable that Dr. Foster's actions can be 
explained in the context of both the times and the nature of his work.
  While I realize that it is still possible to learn information that 
might raise questions or cause concern about Dr. Foster's suitability 
for this position, I must say that I doubt that this will occur. I have 
been most impressed by the strong support he has received from the 
medical community, from public health and social service advocates, and 
from many individuals--including several Rhode Islanders who have 
contacted me to say that they personally know and admire Dr. Foster.
  Mr. President, it is my hope that prompt hearings can be held on Dr. 
Foster's nomination. I believe that the Senate Labor and Human 
Resources Committee, and its able Chairwoman, Senator Nancy Kassebaum, 
will hold fair, even-handed and comprehensive hearings on Dr. Foster's 
nomination. In my view, it is very much our duty to hold such hearings 
on any nominee forwarded to us by the President of the United States. 
As my colleagues know, I have voted to confirm many nominees of 
Presidents not of my own party, and I have voted to confirm numerous 
nominees who did not share my view of the world and who would not have 
been my choice. But I believe that every President deserves great 
deference in the choice of nominees and--at the least--deserves to have 
the Senate consider every nominee in a prompt fashion.
  I urge my colleagues to meet and talk with Dr. Foster, and to 
discover a person of compassion, and humor, and dedication, whom I 
believe deserves the chance to serve his Nation.


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