[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 138 (Monday, September 30, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H12180]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO DR. JOHN N. LEIN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Washington [Mr. Dicks] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. DOCKS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Dr. Jack Lein, who has 
been a great friend to me and my office over the years during his long, 
distinguished career at the University of Washington. During Jack's 32-
year career at the University of Washington, he has served in many 
capacities which encompass most aspects of modern medicine, medical and 
health sciences education, university administration and Federal 
relations. At the end of this year, Jack will begin a well-earned 
retirement. The many skills that he brought to his job will be hard to 
replace. I want to join the many people in the University of Washington 
family to express our debt of gratitude to Dr. Lein for his decades of 
conscientious service.
  Jack has spent most of his life in the State of Washington, having 
been born in Spokane. He received his MD degree from the University of 
Washington in 1955. After finishing his internship and residency in 
1960, Jack returned to Spokane to begin an obstetrics and gynecology 
practice. After 4 years in his medical practice, Jack began his 
distinguished career at the University of Washington.
  Although Spokane lost a good physician, the University gained a 
tremendous asset and advocate. Dr. Lein founded the University of 
Washington School of Medicine Continuing Medical Education Program and 
was its first director for 19 years. He was also assistant dean and 
then associate dean of the School of Medicine. From 1965 through 1969, 
he was the director of the Washington/Alaska Regional Medical Program 
and was one of the founders of the widely acclaimed WAMI Program which 
set up a regionalized medical education system for Washington, Alaska, 
Montana, and Idaho.
  From 1970 until 1984, Jack was the State legislative liaison for the 
health sciences. For the past 29 years, he has coordinated all Federal 
relations for the University. Dr. Lein served as vice president for 
health sciences for 10 years, making him the highest ranking 
administrative official ever to graduate from the University of 
Washington Medical School. Since ending his service as vice president 
in 1992, he has been the first full-time director of Federal relations, 
reporting directly to the university president. At the same time, he 
has continued to be a professor of obstetrics and gynecology.
  During the years that Dr. Lein has headed up the Federal relations 
efforts, the University of Washington has become the No. 1 recipient of 
Federal contract and grant dollars among State universities nationwide. 
When Jack began his tenure, the University received $40 million in 
Federal dollars. For each of the last 3 years, these Federal monies 
have totaled more than $400 million.
  Dr. Lein's understanding of the relationship between a world-class 
university and the Federal Government reminds me of the dedication of 
the Warren G. Magnuson Health Science Center. Jack remarked to Senator 
Magnuson that he had better keep the Federal money flowing to the 
University or else we had just dedicated the world's largest Christian 
Science reading room.
  The research that this money has helped fund has produced some very 
impressive results. Over the last decade, the University of Washington 
research programs have produced Nobel Prizes in medicine and physics, 
along with medical advances in bone marrow transplantation and the 
Hepatitis B vaccine. Other achievements include assisting key State and 
regional industries through research into advanced materials and 
methods for aerospace and electronics manufacturing and for the growing 
biotechnology industry. The university has been key to advancements 
made in developing new methods for sustainable management of our 
fisheries and forest resources, which is vitally important for the 
district I represent. The university's research has led to patented 
technologies for more than 20 startup companies. And perhaps most 
importantly, this research has provided training for more than 8,000 
graduate and professional students each year. These successes testify 
to the legacy that Dr. Lein is leaving the University of Washington.
  As Jack prepares to begin his retirement, I want to wish him all the 
best. I know, Jack, that you will be missed. Every happiness to both 
you and your family. As a graduate, I want to thank you for your 
dedicated service to the University of Washington.
  Mrs. SCHROEDER. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. DICKS. I yield to the gentlewoman from Colorado.
  Mrs. SCHROEDER. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from 
Washington for talking about Dr. Lein. I wanted to congratulate this 
wonderful doctor, because he has brought another dimension to the 
gentleman from Washington. We usually hear you talking about the 
Huskies. This shows that you have tremendous allegiance to all sorts of 
parts of that university. I thank you, and I thank you for being such a 
wonderful friend of it.
  Mr. DICKS. Well, I appreciate very much the very kind comment of my 
distinguished friend from Colorado, who will also be missed from this 
House, and who has done so much for women's issues in this country.
  Dr. Lein, of course, would appreciate those remarks, and I appreciate 
them very much as well.
  I would also like to say this: You mentioned the Huskies. Dr. Lein 
and I, I hope over many, many years to come, will be able to spend a 
little time on Saturday afternoons watching those University of 
Washington Huskies, and hopefully they are going to have a great 
future, as they hopefully will have a great season this year.
  Dr. Lein, you will be missed. Thank you for the great job you have 
done for the University of Washington and for our country.

                          ____________________