[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 101 (Wednesday, July 10, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H7246]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




VISIT OF ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER NETANYAHU AND TRIBUTE TO ALONZO SUDLER, 
                                  JR.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Fox] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. FOX of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I first want to compliment the 
comments of the prior speaker, the gentleman from Illinois [Mr. 
Manzullo]. I think they are well taken in regards to the working man 
and woman and how much we need to do to make sure that our pro-people 
and pro-economy philosophies that the gentleman just outlined certainly 
need to be adopted in this Congress, and I compliment the Congressman 
for his hard work in moving that agenda forward for America's workers.
  Today was a historic day in the Congress, Mr. Speaker. We had a visit 
from the new prime minister of Israel. Unlike prior visits which have 
been certainly important to the country, I had a more personal 
involvement today because Binyamin Netanyahu, the new prime minister, 
and I share the same alma mater. We went to the same high school.
  While he was born in Israel and is now Israel's prime minister, he 
was taught at a Montgomery County school, Cheltenham High School, in my 
district. I think people should know that his focus of seriousness of 
purpose, of vision for the future is one of peace and progress, and 
someone who certainly has good values and good morals and principles 
for the community and having the world's interest at heart as well as 
this country. Binyamin Netanyahu is certainly a credit to Israel and to 
the relationship with our country.
  It was interesting to note in his speech today, which I think was 
very important, that he says that we can have peace in the Middle East 
and in our lifetime but we need 3 pillars of that peace.
  The first, security, and end to terrorism; two, reciprocity, to make 
sure that we in fact have on both sides, whether it be Israel or 
whether the Arab neighbors, that there be peaceful resolutions and to 
have agreements actually held up to and actually abided by; and, third, 
having a strengthening of the democracy and of human rights in that 
region of the world.
  I was also happy to hear from the prime minister that he is working 
on trying to make sure that they have a free market economy in Israel 
and one that would reduce taxes, that would lead to deregulation and of 
Israel's economic self-reliance. That is certainly taking a page out of 
the majority House leadership, I think, from this year, and that is 
certainly an example we can live up to.
  I also want to take a moment of the time of my colleagues tonight to 
talk about an American hero, someone in my district who recently died, 
Alonzo Sudler, Jr. This gentleman was the chief pharmacist of our 
largest hospital in the district, Abington Memorial Hospital. He was 
married for 45 years to Winifred and loving father of Julia and Steven 
and the grandfather of twins Alexandra and Zachary. He was a great 
father and a great husband but beyond that a great community leader. He 
was involved with the Red Cross, involved with all community 
activities, and a humble man who cared deeply about his neighborhood, 
about his family, and about progress in Montgomery County and in 
Pennsylvania. He gave all this free time back to the community and his 
family. There is nothing he would not do for others.
  For me, he was an American hero, who died prematurely at the age of 
71. There are many more years I would liked to have had time to spend 
with him. He was like a father figure to me in teaching me lessons 
about life. He was almost a pastor in many respects because of the 
lessons he taught to younger people about how they should lead their 
lives.

  To Alonzo Sudler and his family and to those who will hear about him, 
I hope that we all can live our lives in his image and in his memory. I 
ask God's blessings on his family and we remember them tonight.

                          ____________________