[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 103 (Friday, July 12, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Page S7813]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            MORNING BUSINESS

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                    IN REMEMBRANCE OF LEE SCHOENHARD

  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I rise today to honor the memory of 
Leland ``Lee'' Schoenhard, a good friend and one of the most charitable 
men South Dakota has ever known.
  At the age of 4, Lee Schoenhard moved with his family to South Dakota 
in 1924. At the young age of 17, he moved to Chamberlain, SD, to begin 
a career in farming. He would change careers often in life. At 
different times, he made a living in the construction, trucking, and 
the lumber businesses. In 1965, he built and opened Lee's Motor Inn, a 
60-unit motel that is still one of the finest places to stay in Central 
South Dakota. From 1973 to 1977, he owned and operated the Missouri 
Valley Grain Co. as well as a feed lot in central South Dakota that fed 
over 80,000 cattle. Lee's hard work and keen sense of business turned 
almost every opportunity he encountered into a success. Despite having 
attained only a sixth grade education, he became one of the most 
successful and wealthy businessmen in the State of South Dakota.
  But, Lee Schoenhard's wealth extended far beyond his earnings.
  After he passed away last month, Lee was remembered, not as a man of 
riches but rather as a man of compassion, and the fond recollections of 
the people he helped will forever remain the most powerful public 
statement that can be made about his life. People will remember him 
driving over 18,000 miles in 4 months to raise money for a hospital in 
Lyman County. They will remember the 22 carloads of scrap iron and the 
500 carloads of wheat straw that he bought and delivered to the Army 
for material purposes in World War II. They will remember the $9,000 he 
gave every year in scholarships for area school children, and the $1 
million foundation he created to fund community projects in his 
hometown and surrounding areas. Through these and other numerous gifts, 
his wealth will continue to help South Dakotans into the next century, 
and it is in these acts of kindness that the memory of Lee Schoenhard 
will continue to live.
  I will remember Lee Schoenhard as a dear friend, and can truly say he 
was among the wisest and most caring men I have known. He embodied the 
South Dakota spirit with a kind and honest heart, and we will all miss 
him greatly.

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