[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 154 (Friday, September 29, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S14768-S14769]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                               GORDON LAU

 Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to 
my friend and associate, Gordon Lau. Over the years, I have worked 
closely with Gordon as San Francisco supervisors and as partners in 
establishing the first Sino-America Sister City relationship between 
San Francisco and Shanghai. I am proud of what we have managed to 
accomplish together.
  Gordon is a longstanding pillar of the Chinese community in San 
Francisco and a key leader for crucial non-profits such as the Self-
Help for the Elderly and the Chinese Culture Foundation.
  Since Gordon graduated from the University of San Francisco Law 
School he has worked as an attorney and spent a great deal of his time 
in public service. Gordon was appointed to the San Francisco Board of 
Supervisors by former Mayor George Moscone in 1977. He later kept his 
seat in district elections becoming San Francisco's first Asian-
American supervisor.
  Gordon also served the city of San Francisco as a past board member 
for the Legal Aid Society, as founding member of San Francisco Lawyers 
Committee for Urban Affairs and Civil Rights, and as a former San 
Francisco Port Commissioner and the San Francisco Planning Commission.
  I have worked closely with Gordon and the San Francisco-Shanghai 
Sister City Committee. Since the creation of this sister city committee 
in 1979, Gordon has played a crucial role in its development and 
served, virtually uninterrupted, as its chairman. This partnership is 
very dear to me and nobody has worked harder to make it the success 
that it is than Gordon.
  Since 1979, there have been 150 exchanges between San Francisco and 
Shanghai making it not only the first, but most active, sister city 
relationship between China and the United States. Sister Cities 
International ranks the San Francisco-Shanghai relationship as the most 
active of any cities involved in sister city partnerships.
  People-to-people relationships are critically important in overall 
foreign relations. During many complicated times between the United 
States and China this sister city relationship has provided a strong 
link between the people of San Francisco and Shanghai.
  Since its inception, the San Francisco-Shanghai Sister City Committee 
has produced 150 projects in art, culture, law, economics, medicine, 
education, development, trade, investments, and public works. One of 
the highlights has been business management training program in which 
San Francisco businesses participate in the training of China's new 
business leaders. This training of midlevel managers has been pointed 
to repeatedly as one of the most effective in supporting the economic 
changes underway in China.
  The success of this sister city relationship culminated with the 
celebration of Shanghai Week in San Francisco this past July, 
celebrating a 15-year relationship between San Francisco and Shanghai. 

[[Page S 14769]]

  Gordon Lau is truly a model of dedication to a community and to a 
cause. I join with his wonderful wife Mary, a public school teacher in 
San Francisco, their remarkable daughters, Stephanie, Diane and 
Carolyn, as well as the people of San Francisco and Shanghai in 
thanking Gordon for his devotion and hard work.
  There are people in life who quietly go about the business of getting 
things done. Gordon sets a perfect example of what can be accomplished 
when you believe in what you do and work hard to achieve success. He 
has worked, year after year, with little fanfare to achieve one of the 
world's most productive sister city relationships in the world. It is 
time that we say thank you.

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