[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 138 (Monday, September 30, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11968-S11969]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  RETIREMENT OF SENATOR CLAIBORNE PELL

  Ms. MOSELEY-BRAUN. Mr. President, in a very short time, the 104th 
Congress will adjourn for the last time

[[Page S11969]]

and bring to a close this chapter of the magnificent career of Senator 
Claiborne Pell.
  Senator Pell's contributions to education have expanded opportunities 
and opened doors for millions of Americans. His foreign policy 
accomplishments have made the world a safer and more peaceful place for 
everyone. His grace, dignity, and dedication have reminded us all for 
the last 36 years what public service is all about.
  Senator Pell has authored or been a major contributor to dozens of 
laws expanding educational opportunities. No single achievement stands 
out clearer than the creation of the Pell grant program in 1972. This 
program has given 60 million students access to the American Dream, by 
providing $70 billion in Federal grants to students to help them attend 
postsecondary educational institutions. This program, and the dozens of 
others that Senator Pell has contributed, are lasting tributes to his 
recognition that education is a public good, even more than it is a 
private benefit.
  The rungs of the ladder of opportunity in America are crafted in the 
classroom. Quality, public education gave America a strong middle 
class, and has given children of all socioeconomic and racial 
backgrounds reason to believe that the promises of life, liberty, and 
the pursuit of happiness apply equally to each of them.
  Educational attainment has always correlated to career earnings. The 
most educated Americans today earn 600 percent more than the least 
educated Americans.
  Education is more important than ever. By the year 2000, the 
Department of Labor estimates that more than half of all new jobs will 
require an education beyond high school.
  Senator Pell's contributions to education will continue to allow 
millions of Americans to access education beyond high school--assuring 
them that, at least by the accident of their family's wealth, they will 
not be shut out of the American dream.
  He has also been a leader in foreign policy, carefully helping to 
steer American foreign policy from his seat on the Foreign Relations 
Committee for more than two decades. He has contributed to worldwide 
arms control, nuclear disarmament, and international law. He even 
helped to draft the original United Nations charter--shaping an 
organization that, 50 years later, helps to preserve peace and 
stability around the world.
  The incomparable list of legislative and policy accomplishments 
aside, what I will miss most is the careful grace with which Senator 
Pell approaches his day-to-day work and his job as Senator. His 
presence is a constant reminder to me--and to many of my colleagues I 
know--of exactly why it is an honor to serve in this body as a U.S. 
Senator.

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