[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 114 (Friday, July 14, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S10070]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                        IN MEMORY OF WHITE EAGLE

  Mr. DASCHLE. My State of South Dakota is small in population but 
large in spirit. This is particularly true of the native American 
population that calls South Dakota home. Indian people have blazed 
their way into American history in countless ways. Even their names 
convey poetry and magic: from great leaders like Sitting Bull, Crazy 
Horse, and Black Elk, to modern day role models like Billy Mills and 
Jim Thorpe.
  White Eagle--Wanblee Ska--was a Rosebud Sioux who soared on the wings 
of classical music. Last week, at his parents' home in Mission, SD, 
White Eagle died at the age of 43. In spite of his untimely death, he 
left a legacy that will live on for generations.
  In a State where country/western music is heard on most radios, White 
Eagle turned his natural gift for song into a polished operatic tenor 
talent. He sang for the inauguration of a President and at Carnegie 
Hall. Despite his relative youth, he had already been enshrined in the 
South Dakota Hall of Fame at the time of his death.
  Dennis Holub, director of the South Dakota Arts Council, says that 
White Eagle was ``the epitome of a great artist * * * [he] sang in some 
of the world's finest halls but also brought his songs home so South 
Dakotans could enjoy them, too.''
  But it was not only his gift of song that made White Eagle rise on 
currents of critical and public acclaim. It was his courage in 
overcoming obstacles and misfortune, his ability to make himself 
continually better while remaining utterly human, that made him an 
inspiration to the people of South Dakota.
  Although he began singing as a child and achieved some success as a 
church soloist and musical performer, he stopped singing after 
developing nodes on his vocal cords. Nevertheless, when he was 
subsequently asked by a friend to help out the Mile High Opera Workshop 
after the company lost its tenor, it became clear that White Eagle had 
found his true vocation.
  His 30th birthday was already behind him when he began voice lessons. 
He continued his studies and graduated from the San Francisco Opera's 
Merola Opera Program. He went on to work in New York City, and with the 
Pennsylvania Opera Theater, the Cleveland Opera, and others.
  White Eagle developed AIDS in the late 1980's. In a State where AIDS 
is even rarer than classical concerts, he became the human face of the 
disease. He could have hidden; instead, he became a powerful force for 
understanding and compassion.
  White Eagle overcame many obstacles in his tragically short life. He 
succeeded, but fate decreed he would not have enough time to fully 
savor his success. Nor did we have enough time to enjoy his gift.
  But White Eagle left an enduring legacy. Many who otherwise might not 
have been exposed to classical music became devotees because of White 
Eagle's gift. Many who might never have seen the human face of AIDS 
gained understanding through his courage and dignity.
  My connection to White Eagle stems not only from my love of his 
music, but also from the fact that his brother, Robert Moore, is a 
former member of my Washington staff. I know I speak for my office, and 
all of South Dakota, as I offer our condolences and prayers of support 
for his family in this difficult time. We join them in mourning the 
untimely death of White Eagle. But, even as we mourn, we celebrate his 
life and his gift of music, and we remember his courage and compassion.
  White Eagle will be missed, but he will not be forgotten, for the 
spirit of his gifts will endure for generations to come.


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