[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 80 (Tuesday, June 4, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5778-S5779]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF THE NATIONAL SCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAM

 Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, 50 years ago this June, 
President Harry Truman signed the National School Lunch Act into law 
declaring ``Nothing is more important in our national life than the 
welfare of our children, and proper nourishment comes first in 
attaining this welfare.'' This created the modern School Lunch Program 
operated through the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
  By the end of its first year about 7.1 million children were 
participating in the National School Lunch Program. Today, over 25 
million children receive a nutritious lunch under the program.
  The National School Lunch Program is administered by Food and 
Consumer Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. At 
the State and local levels, the program is usually administered by the 
State education agency in cooperation with local school districts.
  Throughout my career, I have been a strong supporter of child 
nutrition programs. We in public service have no greater responsibility 
than to ensure the health an well-being of our Nation's children. I 
pledge my commitment to continue to support the tremendously successful 
School Lunch Program.
  Studies confirm and teachers readily agree, that there is a clear 
link between sound nutrition, learning ability, and the behavior of 
children. The best education programs we can devise will have little 
effect if children are simply too hungry to concentrate.
  The School Lunch Program is a vital ingredient in the recipe to 
provide nutritious meals for America's children. For many of our 
Nation's children, the meals they receive through the various nutrition 
programs, especially the School Lunch Program, are the only nutritious 
foods they eat all day. Over 93,000 schools and residential child care 
institutions participate in the National School Lunch Program. The 
program is available in 95 percent of all public schools, representing 
97 percent of all public school children.
  Today, we not only celebrate the 50th anniversary of the School Lunch 
Program but also salute the women and men who contribute to the success 
of this program. I also want to thank the American School Food Service 
Association and their members for providing high-quality, low-cost 
meals to children across the country.
  The School Lunch Program is an investment in our kids, an investment 
in our Nation's future. Happy anniversary and congratulations on a job 
well done.

[[Page S5779]]



                     IN MEMORY OF IVAN FRANK KARDOS

 Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, I rise to pay tribute to Ivan 
Frank Kardos, an attorney, formerly of Washington, DC, who died in his 
home in Grove, OK, April 2, 1996, with his family and friends in 
attendance, after a 2\1/2\-year battle with cancer. He was cremated and 
his ashes were inurned in a ceremony on May 21, 1996, at Arlington 
National Cemetery with full military honors.
  Mr. Kardos, born August 2, 1920, in Budapest, Hungary, was the son of 
William and Olga Kovacs Kardos, who preceded him in death. The family 
emigrated to New York City when Frank was 2 years old.
  He graduated from New York University Law School in 1948. His bar 
admissions included New York, Maryland, District of Columbia, Oklahoma, 
U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2d, 10th, and District of Columbia 
Circuits, U.S. district courts for the Southern District of New York, 
Northern, Eastern and Western Districts of Oklahoma, and for the 
District of Columbia, U.S. Courts of Military Appeals, U.S. Court of 
Claims, and the U.S. Supreme Court.
  His legal career in the public sector included service with the 
United States Postal Service, United States Army Corps of Engineers in 
New York and Washington, DC, and Karachi, Pakistan. He was the 
Principal Deputy to the General Counsel of the U.S. Postal Service, 
responsible for writing and administering the Department's Code of 
Ethical Conduct and Conflicts of Interest Programs.
  He was liaison with the Department of Labor for the Service Contract 
Act of 1965 and other labor requirements under Federal contracts and 
was also liaison with the Department of Justice concerning various 
criminal matters and the Public Information Act, and with the then 
Civil Service Commission for Inter-Agency Committee for Procurement. He 
served as a legal advisor concerning equal opportunity employment, and 
administered on behalf of the general counsel the Release of 
Information Program under the Freedom of Information Act.
  Frank's Military service began in the ROTC in 1937. He was on active 
duty with the United States Army in the armored branch when Pearl 
Harbor was bombed and served 42 months in the Southwest Pacific 
theater, including the Philippines and New Guinea. In 1980, he retired 
from the military with the rank of lieutenant colonel.
  In addition to his successful professional career in public service, 
Frank also was generous with his time in the private sector. He 
strongly believed in giving back to society by being actively involved 
with such organizations as SCORE, the American Legion, Masonic Bodies, 
and Literacy Programs.
  A man of great intellect who lived his life with integrity and 
honesty, he will be sorely missed by his family and friends. He is 
survived by his wife, Bettie Crumpler Kardos of Grove, OK; sons 
Christopher and his wife Sherry and their son Jonathan of Cedar Rapids, 
IA; Michael and his wife Kay of Austin, TX, Gregory and his wife Brenda 
with their daughter Kelly and son, Scott of Farmington, NM, and 
daughter, Pamela Kardos-Gordon and her husband, Wayne Gordon, of Upper 
Marlboro, MD.

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