[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 119 (Friday, July 21, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10505-S10506]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


               TRIBUTE TO THE HONORABLE ALBERT J. STIFTEL

 Mr. BIDEN. Mr. President, on June 22, the superior court of my 
home State held a special session--special not only in the technical 
sense, but in spirit, in its purpose and its meaning. The court met, 
with all of its current judges and many of its distinguished alumni 
present, in appreciation of the services of Albert J. Stiftel.
  I am proud today, Mr. President, on behalf of many other of his 
fellow citizens, to offer another expression of appreciation for Albert 
Stiftel, who served on the Superior Court of the State of Delaware from 
1958 to 1990, including 24 years as presiding judge. The quality and 
character of Judge Stiftel's service merit not only our attention and 
appreciation, but also, if we are up to the challenge, our best attempt 
at emulation.
  My colleagues have indulged me before--indeed, some have joined me, 
in praising the tradition of excellence that has made Delaware's 
judiciary a standard for the Nation. It is a tradition of excellence 
not only in the administration and dispensation of justice, but in 
principled as well as practical bipartisanship, in fun as well as 
functional collegiality, and in that often neglected cornerstone of 
democratic society, civility.
  Mr. President, Albert Stiftel embodies that tradition.
  Albert, as he is by choice most widely known, is pure Delaware: born 
and raised in Wilmington--raised, in fact, in the house where he still 
lives--a graduate of Wilmington High School and of the University of 
Delaware.
  He entered law school at the University of Virginia in 1939, an 
undertaking interrupted when he was called to duty as a second 
lieutenant in the U.S. Army. As his lifelong friend and longtime 
colleague on the Delaware bench, retired State Supreme Court Justice 
William Duffy, remarked, ``Albert was born in Wilmington but, like many 
of his generation, he grew up in the South Pacific, including a place 
called Guadalcanal.'' After his military service, Major Stiftel 
returned to the University of Virginia Law School, graduating in 1947.
  Young Albert Stiftel's years of private practice were driven by a 
public spirit. Before becoming a judge, he was an attorney for the 
Legal Aid Society, attorney for the Delaware State House of 
Representatives, and a Deputy Attorney General. And he was also a 
teacher, a role he wears naturally and with grace.
  In 1958, my distinguished predecessor in this body, then-Gov. J. 
Caleb Boggs, a Republican, appointed Albert to the superior court. In 
1966, he was appointed as the court's presiding judge by Democratic 
Gov. Charles Terry, and he was subsequently reappointed by a Republican 
Governor, our former colleague in the other Chamber, Pete du Pont.
  During his long tenure, Judge Stiftel confronted the challenge of 
times, both for the community and for the court, that he himself has 
described as ``change and more change.'' Through it all, his leadership 
won ever-deepening respect.
  In acknowledging his debt to his predecessor, the current presiding 
judge of superior court, Henry du Pont Ridgely, thanked Judge Stiftel 
for an example that taught ``the importance of comradeship and 
demonstrated the work ethic you expect from others, of being even-
handed and setting high standards, under-promising, over-delivering, 
and sharing the credit.'' Lessons we would all do well to learn.
  But despite the universal relevance of his example, Judge Stiftel's 
impact on the court, and on all who have known him, has been distinctly 
personal. Another longtime Delaware judicial colleague, now-Vice 
Chancellor Bernard Balick, put it this way: ``All of us are unique, but 
Albert is more unique than most.''
  Albert Stiftel's defining qualities, as a judge and as a person, are 
humility, kindness, and compassion. In and beyond superior court, he 
has been truly the best of teachers and the best of friends--welcoming, 
helpful, encouraging to all. I am told that the superior court's 
``Judge Stiftel Award'' is reserved for that employee who does the most 
to brighten the lives of his or her colleagues. It is aptly named.
  As Justice Duffy put it, ``Other judges may have served longer, but I 
doubt it, or have more entries in Lexis, perhaps, and a few may have 
been better administrators--but none has been held in higher personal 
esteem than Albert Stiftel.''
  Mr. President, I left one quality off the list of Judge Stiftel's 
defining characteristics, and it will be a glaring omission to anyone 
who knows him. And in fact, the reason I left it out is that I wanted 
to call individual attention to it. ``It'' is His Honor's sense of 

[[Page S10506]]
humor. Let there be no doubt that Judge Stiftel's commitment to 
fairness is passionate and sure, but its expression has often been 
punctuated by a one-liner.
  Vice Chancellor Balick told this story at the June 22 special 
session: ``There was the time when Albert was presiding in a criminal 
trial, and the defendant was on the witness stand, exercising his right 
to lie in his own defense. Albert was fooling with the microphone, as 
he always does. He turned the volume up, which caused a loud screech. 
That startled the defendant, at which Albert said, `Relax, it's just 
the lie detector'.''
  Whether conveyed in wit or wisdom--and usually it is with both--Judge 
Stiftel's regard for his colleagues and for the court on which he 
served has been unwavering and inspiring. As Resident Judge Vincent 
Bifferato said, ``He taught me to love this court as he does.'' And 
Judge William Quillen said of Judge Stiftel, ``He has been a 
cheerleader, not only for the court but for each member of the court * 
* * he has made each of us better than we otherwise would have been.''
  At the special court session, Judge Quillen presented a portrait of 
Judge Stiftel, which will hang in what was known as courtroom No. 1 
when Albert was first appointed to the bench. The portrait was 
commissioned not by the court, not by the State, not by the Bar 
Association, but personally by the judges, past and present, of the 
superior court. This public tribute is all the more official coming as 
it does out of the sincere affection, respect, and gratitude of Judge 
Stiftel's colleagues.
  That affection, respect, and gratitude are felt throughout and beyond 
Delaware's legal community, Mr. President, and it is my privilege to 
give voice to them today. We in Delaware honor Judge Albert Stiftel for 
the achievements and contributions of his public leadership and for his 
countless acts of personal kindness and courtesy. He leaves good will 
and good humor, as well as high standards, in his refreshing wake.
  It is most appropriate that in the portrait that will now be a 
permanent physical presence, as its subject is a permanent spiritual 
presence, in Delaware's Superior Court, Albert Stiftel is doing what he 
has inspired so many others to do--he is smiling.


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