[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 38 (Friday, March 21, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E569-E570]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO ANDREW STEVENS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TOM LANTOS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, March 21, 1997

  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Mr. Andrew 
Stevens, a dear friend, a fellow Californian, and a prominent 
businessman and civic leader. Andrew was presented the Golden Cross of 
the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary by the Hungarian Consul 
General in Los Angeles, Mr. Imre Helyes, at a recent ceremony in Los 
Angeles.
  In his letter informing me that Andrew Stevens would be honored, Mr. 
Helyes explained why the decision was made to grant this award. In 
particular, the Hungarian Government wanted to recognize Andrew's 
courageous actions during the Holocaust:

       In spite of his youth, Mr. Stevens' courage and bravery 
     drove him enthusiastically to become a ``rebel with a 
     cause.'' He took part in a number of broad-ranging, life-
     saving activities in Budapest under the masterful guidance of 
     the famous and heroic Swedish Diplomat, Raoul Wallenberg. 
     Without concern for his own safety, Mr. Stevens rescued a 
     large number of our persecuted countrymen from almost certain 
     death towards the last period of the Second World War. 
     Fortunately, some of these individuals are still alive and 
     attested to the dangerous feats undertaken by Mr. Stevens.

  Mr. Speaker, I most enthusiastically welcome the presentation of this 
well-deserved

[[Page E570]]

honor to Andrew. It is an appropriate tribute for his remarkable 
efforts during those harrowing and darkest of days in Budapest during 
1944. Andrew repeatedly risked his own life to save the lives of 
others. He was motivated not simply by the instinct to survive and to 
preserve himself, but by the drive and the passion and the commitment 
to help others, and that is what makes Andrew unique.
  For all of these reasons, Mr. Speaker, it is most appropriate and 
meaningful that Andrew Stevens has been honored by President Goncz of 
Hungary and by the people of Hungary in presenting to him this high 
honor. It is also a tribute to the Government and people of the newly 
democratic Hungary that they have chosen to honor Andrew Stevens.
  Mr. Speaker, the people of the United States are fortunate to have as 
an honored citizen of our Nation a man of integrity, compassion, and 
commitment such as Andrew Stevens. America is richer for his life and 
for the contributions he has made to his adopted country.
  It is my sincere hope, Mr. Speaker, that the awarding of this honor 
to Andrew will strengthen the ties of mutual friendship between the 
United States and Hungary. I invite my colleagues in the Congress to 
join me in paying tribute to Andrew Stevens.

                          ____________________