[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 43 (Monday, April 14, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E647-E648]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      IN MEMORIAM OF BLANCHE WOLFF

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. GARY L. ACKERMAN

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, April 14, 1997

  Mr. ACKERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in sorrow over the passing of 
Blanche Wolff, a friend, a constituent and the wife of our former 
colleague, Lester Wolff.
  Lester held the seat which I now represent for eight terms; over the 
years, I have come to know the family quite well. Beside him, always 
rendering counsel and advice was his helpmate of 58 years, Blanche, a 
compassionate able lady who was loved by constituents to whom she was 
always available. Theirs was a romance that began in elementary school 
and flourished through the years.
  Blanche was born in New York City, matriculated at Hunter College and 
graduated with an accounting degree in 1940. She was a selfeffaciing 
person who was comfortable with heads of state whom she met with 
Lester, and as well was always sensitive to the needs of those less 
fortunate than her.

[[Page E648]]

  During World War II she volunteered for the security detail at the 
LaGuardia airport control tower. Never one to pursue her own place in 
the spotlight, she was the doting parent of Diane and Bruce and 
glorified in their careers as well as Lester's.
  Blanche held strong views in the area of human rights and she used 
for good purpose the influence that her position allowed. She was an 
active participant in ORT, Hadassah, Association to Help Retarded 
Children and the NAACP. She truly exemplified American womanhood: A 
modern woman who grew with the times, but one who never forgot her 
heritage or her principles.
  This land of ours is better for Blanche; its loss is even greater.
  I have lost a constituent. America has lost one of its great ladies.

                          ____________________