[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 111 (Tuesday, July 11, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S9652]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                        IN MEMORY OF WHITE EAGLE

  Mr. PRESSLER. Mr. President, last Friday, the operatic tenor White 
Eagle passed away at age 43. My wife, Harriet and I join with countless 
others from around the world in expressing our condolences to his 
friends and family. Our Nation has lost an exemplary individual who had 
an extraordinary voice.
  White Eagle was a Lakota. His Lakota name was Wanbli ska. He first 
sang in public in his father's church. He was only 5 years old. It was 
the voice of the great Mario Lanza that inspired the young White Eagle 
to become an opera singer. In 1985, he graduated from the Merola Opera 
Program at the San Francisco Opera. He went on to perform with the 
Pennsylvania Opera Theater, the Florentine Opera, the Western Opera 
Theater, the Cleveland Opera, and the Skylight Comic Opera.
  Many of my friends and colleagues here in Washington should remember 
well White Eagle's rich tenor voice. In 1989, White Eagle performed the 
finale at the Inaugural Gala for President George Bush. Two years 
later, the President and I had the opportunity to hear and appreciate 
his extraordinary talent at the Golden Anniversary of the Mount 
Rushmore National Memorial. And in 1993, he debuted in Carnegie Hall, 
and was inducted into the South Dakota Hall of Fame as Artist of the 
Year.
  I am pleased that a scholarship fund has been established in his 
name. It is a fitting remembrance of his spirit, his leadership, and 
his legacy as a role model for native American youth.
  It is said that a man's talents are a mere extension of his soul. 
That is certainly true of White Eagle. The strength, the beauty, and 
the richness of his voice were a reflection of his character, and the 
values of the Lakota Sioux--the values of bravery, integrity, wisdom, 
determination, and generosity. His voice moved us all.
  Mr. President, White Eagle exemplified those values yet again when, 
in 1990, he was diagnosed with AIDS. After he made his illness public, 
he became a tireless advocate for AIDS awareness. His role as advocate 
was equal to his role as artist, because through his voice, through his 
message, he brought people together. His last years are a reminder to 
each of us of the capacity in ourselves to reach out to family and 
friends in times of human struggle and suffering.
  White Eagle left us in the manner he lived among us--with dignity and 
bravery. He has left us richer for his courage and perseverance. For 
all the extraordinary gifts he possessed and shared with us, we are 
grateful. We will miss him.


                          ____________________