[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 84 (Tuesday, June 17, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S5789]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        IN MEMORY OF BARRY SKLAR

  Mr. SARBANES. Mr. President, I rise today to express my sadness at 
learning of the passing of Barry Sklar, a long-time staffer on the 
Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who died unexpectedly on Sunday. 
Barry was well known to a number of Members and staff who had occasion 
to work with him during the more than a decade he served on the 
professional staff of the Committee, as an able advisor on Latin 
American and Caribbean affairs.
  In a recommendation for Barry just a few short months ago, I wrote 
that he ``demonstrated an in-depth knowledge of the issues and great 
professionalism and integrity in his work.'' But that only describes 
the qualities that led to his intellectual accomplishments and career 
success. It does not begin to tell why Barry won the personal 
admiration, friendship and esteem of all who came to know him.
  Barry Sklar was a warm, gentle, kind and unassuming man who was 
devoted to upholding moral principles in his work and his personal 
life. Despite his involvement in issues and policies that made frequent 
headlines, Barry maintained a sense of modesty and great humility. He 
never forgot that his family came first.
  Throughout the turbulent decade of the 1980's for Latin America, 
Barry worked for peace and conflict resolution through international 
cooperation. Due to his work on human rights, as was noted at his 
funeral, many children today have mothers and fathers and sisters and 
brothers who might otherwise have been forgotten by the world when they 
disappeared from their villages. Barry's life reveals his commitment to 
keeping families safe and together, in his own case and around the 
world.
  Mr. President, I would like to extend to Barry's wife, Judith, and 
his sons Joel Mark and Adam Benjamin my deepest condolences. I am sure 
I speak for my colleagues in expressing these sentiments. He will be 
greatly missed by all of us.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from North Carolina.

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