[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 77 (Thursday, May 30, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E960]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               RECOGNITION OF SAMMY GORDON, A LOCAL HERO

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                       HON. CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 30, 1996

  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, not long ago I received word of 
some remarkable work by a very special young man from my district in 
Trenton, NJ. His efforts were truly commendable and an inspiration to 
us all. And so I rise today to pay tribute to Sammy Gordon for his 
efforts to help the victims of last year's bombing in Oklahoma City.
  Last April, upon hearing of the tragedy in Oklahoma, Sammy, then age 
12 and a 7th grader at Holy Cross School in Trenton, decided he wanted 
to help the victims. And help he did. Enlisting support from friends, 
parents, and local merchants, but mostly by his own wits and gritty 
determination, Sammy managed to raise $3,300 selling lemonade. He chose 
a truly ingenious location--a local drive-by ATM machine--where the 
customers were both easily accessible and possessed of ready cash.
  Sammy and his friend's original motivation for the endeavor had been 
the worthwhile goal of building a clubhouse. However, when Sammy heard 
of the hardships that the bombing victims were enduring, he decided 
that it would be better to put the needs of others ahead of his own 
wants.
  Sammy's compassion and determination to relieve suffering, stands in 
marked contrast to the despicable act of wanton cruelty which inspired 
his efforts in the first place. When a calamity like Oklahoma City is 
intentionally inflicted, it defies explanation. In the face of such 
meaningless terror, all of us can be tempted to despair. Responses like 
Sammy's, however, offer the rays of hope we all need to prevent this 
despair from setting in. By his act of kindness, Sammy reminds us that 
this world is far more defined by goodness, than by the evil. The 
extraordinary success of his endeavor also reminds us that when we take 
a small step to do good, it can serve as a catalyst and big things can 
sometimes result.
  Finally, Mr. Speaker, this young man demonstrated that personal acts 
of charity are indispensable to the kind of society we all want to live 
in. In contrast to Sammy's fast action, it took the Government over a 
year to decide what the appropriate legal response to this tragedy 
ought to be. Sammy and others like him stepped forward almost 
immediately, as only individuals can, and began to fill the 
overwhelming needs of a community which had been so terribly battered.
  In these respects, the money Sammy raised selling lemonade, and 
forgoing--temporarily, I hope--the construction of his clubhouse, not 
only helped those who were directly affected by tragedy, but rather it 
helps us all. That is no small accomplishment.
  And so, Mr. Speaker, I rise not only to commend Samuel Gordon, but to 
thank him as well. I wish Sammy and his friends the best of luck in 
whatever the future brings them. I believe that if they continue to put 
the needs of others ahead of their own desires, they will be very happy 
in their own lives and we will all be richer for it.

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