[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 134 (Wednesday, September 25, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11237-S11238]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SENATOR CLAIBORNE PELL

  Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, with the adjournment of the 104th 
Congress, the Senate will lose one of its most respected and 
accomplished members, Senator Claiborne Pell.
  For a period that spans more than three decades, Senator Pell has 
served Rhode Islanders and the Nation in the finest tradition of our 
elected civil servants. His accomplishments since coming to the Senate 
in 1961 are extraordinary; particularly in the areas of the arts and 
humanities, environmental protection, foreign affairs, human rights, 
and education. He has without question touched and improved the lives 
of every American family.
  Early in his Senate career, Senator Pell was the principal architect 
of the 1965 law establishing the National Endowment for the Arts and 
the National Endowment for the Humanities. One year later, he authored 
the National Sea Grant College Act, legislation to encourage the 
careful use of our resources from the sea, and to establish marine 
sciences programs at universities across the country.

[[Page S11238]]

  Unquestionably, Senator Pell's most significant contribution in 
education has been his effort to ensure that every student has the 
opportunity to pursue education and training beyond the high school 
level--financial barriers should not prevent a student from continuing 
education. In pursuit of this goal, Senator Pell introduced legislation 
to establish the Basic Educational Opportunity Grant, a program later 
named the Pell Grant Program in 1980. Last year alone, more than 3.6 
million Pell grants were awarded to students attending institutions of 
higher education. Since 1973, when the first Pell Grants were awarded, 
more than 60 million grants have enabled students to meet their 
educational goals through this student financial assistance program.
  Mr. President, Senator Pell's remarkable record in the Senate has not 
been limited to education and the arts. Over the years, and through his 
leadership in foreign affairs as chairman of the Senate Foreign 
Relations Committee, Senator Pell has worked tirelessly on behalf of 
refugees, against human rights abuses, and to reduce the threats from 
weapons of mass destruction. As a result of these efforts, treaties 
have been ratified that reduce nuclear weapons, prohibit the 
emplacement of weapons of mass destruction on the seabed, and the use 
of environmental modification techniques as weapons of war.
  Mr. President, Senator Pell's legacy is one of hope, opportunity, and 
integrity. For those of us who remain in the Senate, we are challenged 
to continue his important work on behalf of peace, and to ensure that 
our children can realize their fullest potential through the widest 
possible educational opportunities. We have all been enriched by 
Senator Pell's service in the Senate, and are deeply grateful for his 
immeasurable contributions to the Nation.

                          ____________________