[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 204 (Tuesday, December 19, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2389]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




[[Page E2389]]


              FEDERAL BAR ASSOCIATION'S LAWYER OF THE YEAR

                                 ______


                         HON. JAMES L. OBERSTAR

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, December 18, 1995

  Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, on Monday, December 4, it was my great 
privilege and pleasure, on behalf of the Federal Bar Association's 
Transportation Section, to present the ``Lawyer of the Year Award'' to 
David A. Heymsfeld, Democratic Staff Director, for the Committee on 
Transportation and Infrastructure. I would like to take this 
opportunity simply to restate my remarks at that very special occasion:

       David Heymsfeld's exquisite legislative craftsmanship has 
     defined and given direction to an entire generation of 
     aviation law. His 20 years of service on the Committee on 
     Transportation and Infrastructure; his keen eye for detail; 
     his zest for and command of the broad policy issues of 
     aviation law; his respect for the opinions and concerns of 
     others, and his exceptional ability to meld them into a 
     cohesive whole have left an indelible, constructive imprint 
     on the complete body of aviation law just prior to and since 
     enactment of the watershed Aviation Deregulation Act of 1978.
       David has been plying his legislative craftsmanship for so 
     long that Secretary of Transportation Federico Pena was 
     probably still in law school when David joined our committee 
     staff.
       David's immersion in aviation law began during his service 
     at the Civil Aeronautics Board with the ``father'' of 
     aviation deregulation, Chairman Alfred Kahn--but, I think it 
     is fair to say that David has had a more enduring impact on 
     aviation law than Chairman Kahn since then.
       His Senate staff counterparts, over the years, have gone on 
     to other pursuits: Phil Bakes to Texas Air; Will Ris to 
     American Airlines; and one, Steven Breyer, made it to the 
     Supreme Court.
       Many of his colleagues in the field of aviation law have 
     made important contributions over the years, but David 
     Heymsfeld stands alone, astride the entire compendium of law 
     and regulation in the field of aviation. Every day 
     practitioners of the art and science of aviation law 
     diligently analyze, report on, and make marketplace decisions 
     based upon statutes and their accompanying reports that David 
     Heymsfeld has crafted--and they will do so for generations to 
     come.
       David's great gift is his openness, his willingness to work 
     with all segments of the aviation sector, both public and 
     private, and to work collaboratively with his colleagues in 
     both the House and Senate on a truly open, bipartisan basis.
       Mr. Heymsfeld received his BA from Columbia College in 1959 
     and an LLD from Harvard Law School in 1962.
       It is now my great pleasure to present the award, which 
     reads: ``Transportation Lawyer of the Year Award'' to David 
     A. Heymsfeld, Minority Staff Director, House Committee on 
     Transportation and Infrastructure, Monday, December 4, 1995.
       Congratulations, David, this is an honor richly deserved 
     and truly earned.

                          ____________________