[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 188 (Tuesday, November 28, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S17674]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO ISRAEL COHEN

 Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to a 
great man and a great friend. Late last Wednesday, Israel Cohen, the 
chairman of Giant Food, passed away at 83.
  Mr. Cohen came to this country as a young boy and learned the grocery 
business in his father's store on Georgia Avenue--one of the first 
self-service stores of its kind in the country. From this beginning, 
Mr. Cohen built the Giant Food & Drug empire. In a rapidly changing 
retail food market, Mr. Cohen survived and prospered through 
innovation. He experimented with selling items under private labels to 
cut costs and his stores were the first in the country to use scanners 
at the checkout counters.
  Mr. Cohen was more than simply a successful businessman. He knew that 
the success of his business was directly related to the health and 
well-being of his employees. He was a man who always had time to visit 
with his employees, no matter how busy he may have been. He created a 
family atmosphere with his employees, refusing to be called Mr. Cohen, 
but insisting on Izzy. And he worked as hard for them as they did for 
him. His employees tell of waiting around after putting in a full shift 
to meet and shake hands with him. Mr. Cohen recognized the value and 
importance of every single worker at his stores, from the President of 
the company to the high-schooler who bags groceries on Saturday 
afternoons.
  Mr. Cohen was dedicated to providing the best service possible. Even 
if that meant he had to jump in behind a cash register and bag a 
customer's groceries himself. This is a lesson from which every 
American should learn.

                          ____________________