[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 203 (Monday, December 18, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2376]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    BARNEY GOTTSTEIN: PHILANTHROPIST, BUSINESSMAN AND EXTRAORDINARY 
                                AMERICAN

                                 ______


                            HON. TOM LANTOS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, December 18, 1995

  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Barney Gottstein through his life's work 
and achievements, has become the quintessential embodiment of the 
American Dream in its finest form. As Barney celebrates his 70th 
birthday, I rise today as a friend and an admirer to honor his 
extraordinary spirit and character.
  Born of hardy pioneer parents who created a warm and nurturing home 
in the cold, forbidding, and primitive surroundings of Alaska in the 
early 1920's, he eagerly and gratefully absorbed their profoundly 
puritan values. Barney's father spent his first bitterly cold Alaska 
winter in a tent. His mother was an outstanding school teacher who 
overcame the physical hardships with her contagious and living passion 
for Alaska's children and the pursuit of knowledge.
  Barney's life has consisted of a never-ending attempt to put the 
finest values on which this country was built into daily practice in 
all his endeavors. He served our country with great distinction in the 
military and he was a brilliant student at the University of 
Washington. His analytical excellence was widely acclaimed by his 
professors and fellow students. He was a magnificent father to his five 
children, and he contributed in a vast and unique way to the economic 
development of his beloved home State of Alaska.
  His passion was to open doors of opportunity to others, and he found 
endless avenues to pursue these goals through local, statewide, and 
national leadership. He served as a Democratic National Committeeman, 
Democratic State Chairman, delegate to national conventions, strategist 
and leader in countless political races for local, State, and Federal 
office.
  Barney Gottstein's philanthropic activities are far-flung, enormously 
generous, creative, and overwhelmingly anonymous. I have never met a 
person who is more interested in getting the job done and less 
interested in getting credit for it.
  For many years, Barney has been a leader in helping Israel through a 
biotech venture capital investment foundation designed to make that 
country self-sufficient and functioning at the cutting edge of 
technology.
  Despite his propensity for anonymous philanthropy, Barney has been 
widely recognized for his life's achievements. He was awarded an 
honorary Doctor of Laws by the University of Alaska at Fairbanks in 
1991 ``for his outstanding record of public service and for his 
leadership in building and promoting Alaska's educational system.'' He 
was named to the Alaska Business Hall of Fame in 1989 for his immense 
contributions to the economic well-being of the State.
  I invite my colleagues to join me in congratulating Barney on his 
70th birthday for his many substantial contributions to our country and 
in wishing him many happy years with his wonderful family and many 
friends.

                          ____________________