[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 10 (Thursday, January 30, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S851]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO PAUL TSONGAS

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I stand here today to pay tribute to Paul 
Tsongas, one of the most courageous men and of the greatest 
humanitarians that I have had the honor of serving with in the U.S. 
Senate.
  Paul Tsongas' work for his fellow man did not start nor stop here in 
Washington. Before he even dreamed of running for elected office, he 
donated his time to the Peace Corps, serving in Ethiopia and the West 
Indies.
  But whether it was Ethiopia or Washington, DC, Paul Tsongas left his 
mark wherever he went.
  In his hometown of Lowell, MA, one only needs to look at the Lowell 
National Historical Park to realize what he meant to his fellow 
citizens of that historical New England town.
  He only served in the Senate for one term. But in just his second 
year, he led the efforts to pass the Alaska Lands Act of 1980 which has 
been recognized as one of the most important pieces of conservation 
legislation in history.
  When diagnosed with lymphoma, he left the Senate to spend more time 
with his family. But he did not give in to his cancer. He fought it 
with the tenacity that those of us who knew him would only come to 
expect.
  After undergoing experimental surgery to beat the cancer, he felt 
even more compelled to donate his life to helping his fellow citizens. 
One person he helped was my close friend Bill Gray. Bill, suffering 
from cancer, was constantly encouraged and cheered by Paul.
  As we all remember, his remarkable run for President as an advocate 
for a balanced budget in 1992 helped shape America's political agenda.
  After contributing to the campaign in a losing effort, he co-founded 
the Concord Coalition to advocate a balanced budget. Since then, the 
deficit has been cut in half and the Concord Coalition has become one 
of the most well respected bipartisan organizations in Washington.
  Paul Tsongas will be remembered here in Washington and in his 
hometown of Lowell not only for his work as a legislator but for his 
work as a father, a husband, and a humanitarian.
  My thoughts and prayers go out to his wife Niki, and his daughters 
Ashley, Katina, and Molly.

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