[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 71 (Monday, May 20, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E845-E846]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 GALE AND GERALD MESSERMAN: RECIPIENTS OF AMERICAN ORT'S JURISPRUDENCE 
                                 AWARD

                                 ______


                           HON. LOUIS STOKES

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, May 20, 1996

  Mr. STOKES. Mr. Speaker, on May 21, 1996, members of the Cleveland 
chapter of the American Organization for Rehabilitation Through 
Training [ORT] will hold a tribute dinner in honor of two residents of 
my congressional district. Attorneys Gale and Gerald Messerman are the 
first northeast Ohio residents to be awarded the ORT Jurisprudence 
Award. This distinguished award recognizes the Messermans for their 
extraordinary contributions to the enhancement of the community and to 
the pursuit of justice. As the Honorary Chairperson for the tribute 
dinner, I am proud to salute the Messermans on this occasion.
  The Organization for Rehabilitation Through Training [ORT] was 
founded in 1880 in Tsarist, Russia for the purpose of providing 
critical job skills to the poor of Eastern Europe. Today, the 
organization is the largest nongovernmental education and training 
organization in the world. Over the years, ORT has trained over 3 
million students, helping both immigrants and American-born individuals 
to locate work in an ever-changing job market. The ORT network includes 
junior and senior high schools, technical high schools, junior and 
senior colleges, apprenticeship centers, and adult education 
classrooms. The Greater Cleveland area and communities around the globe 
benefit as a result of the organization's strong commitment to 
assisting others.
  The Jurisprudence Award was created by American ORT to recognize and 
honor members of the legal community. These are individuals whose 
professional lives have substantially improved the quality of life for 
their fellow human beings; they are role models for others to emulate; 
and they have established new directions for the enhancement of their 
profession and their community. Gale and Gerald Messerman are more than 
deserving of this special recognition. The Messermans have not only 
distinguished themselves within the legal profession, but they are 
committed to helping others achieve. They share the guiding principle 
upon which ORT was founded--that the highest form of charity is to help 
people help themselves.
  Mr. Speaker, since 1980, Gale and Gerald Messerman have practiced law 
at Messerman & Messerman, a leading firm in the Cleveland area. Gale 
received her legal education at Southern Methodist University School of 
Law. She is a former Associate Professor of Law and former Dean for 
Student Affairs at the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. At the law 
school, Gale also taught courses in Civil Procedure, Urban Housing, and 
Poverty and the Law. Gale also established a civil clinical education 
program at the school. Attorney Messerman has also been employed with 
the Case Western Reserve University School of Law, where she instructed 
students in law and served as assistant director of the Clinical Legal 
Education Program.
  Attorney Gerald Messerman is a graduate of the Georgetown University 
Law Center. His career has included serving as assistant and associate 
professor of law at the Ohio State University College of Law. He taught 
classes in evidence, family law, legal ethics, law and psychiatry, and 
seminars relating to the legal problems of the poor. He was also 
successful in establishing a clinical program for the representation of 
those who are poverty stricken. Attorney Messerman is also a former 
assistant U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia.
  Gale and Gerald Messermans have been successful in reaching out and, 
indeed, reaching back, to make certain that students reach their 
fullest potential. They are active in teaching, and they serve on the 
boards of organizations that benefit students of all ages. Most 
important, they are individuals who give freely of their time and 
talents.
  Mr. Speaker, I have enjoyed a close friendship with attorneys Gale 
and Gerald Messerman over the years. They are individuals of the 
highest caliber whom I respect and admire. Gale and Gerald are most 
deserving of the American ORT's Jurisprudence Award, and I take special 
pride in saluting them on this occasion. I am also pleased to note that 
proceeds from the ORT tribute dinner will be used to create a 
scholarship fund honoring the Messermans. It represents a fitting 
tribute to these dedicated individuals who have given so much to 
helping others.

[[Page E846]]



 CONGRATULATING PRESIDENT LEE TENG-HU ON HIS INAUGURATION AS THE FIRST 
  DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF CHINA ON TAIWAN

                                 ______


                            HON. TOM LANTOS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, May 20, 1996

  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I wish to urge my colleagues to join me in 
extending the warmest congratulations of the United States Congress to 
Lee Teng-hui, newly elected President of the Republic of China on 
Taiwan, on his inauguration today as the first directly elected 
President in Chinese history. President Lee and the people on Taiwan 
deserve our most heartfelt congratulations for so marvelously achieving 
this ultimate democratic goal, a free and fair and open Presidential 
election.
  Mr. Speaker, ever since I sponsored the legislation which passed the 
Congress nearly unanimously to urge that the administration grant a 
visa to President Lee to attend a reunion at his alma mater, Cornell 
University, in June 1995, the world has focused its attention on 
Taiwan's economic and political achievements. After President Lee's 
visit to Cornell, the People's Republic of China began a concerted 
campaign of intimidation and violence toward Taiwan in a vain effort to 
deny the reality of Taiwan's ever-growing prosperity and democratic 
development. During China's war of words and military intimidation 
aimed at Taiwan, President Lee fiercely refused to be cowed. For his 
steadfast defense of Taiwan's security and international stature, the 
people on Taiwan rewarded him with a landslide victory in their first 
direct Presidential election. For students of Chinese history, this 
election is a watershed event whose repercussions for the future of 
democracy in China will be deeply felt for generations to come.
  Mr. Speaker, in all probability, the regime in Beijing will continue 
to writhe in anger at the vibrant democratic society whose government 
is based on principles of freedom and human rights and which now exists 
just across the Taiwan Strait. As China seeks to escape responsibility 
for its appalling human rights record and its flaunting of 
international trade agreements, Taiwan will likely remain a lightning 
rod for Beijing's nationalist saber rattling. What is certain, however, 
is that Taiwan has earned and will have the support of the United 
States Congress and the American people as it faces the challenges 
posed by its aggressive neighbor. It is in the spirit of mutual respect 
for democracy and freedom that United States-Taiwan relations have 
continued to blossom. On this auspicious occasion, the inauguration of 
the first directly elected President in Chinese history, I urge my 
colleagues to join me in expressing the Congress' warmest wishes for 
continued success to President Lee Teng-hui.

                          ____________________