[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 148 (Wednesday, October 29, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2118-E2119]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO RICHARD L. SWIG

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TOM LANTOS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 29, 1997

  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to pay tribute to the life of 
Richard L. Swig, who passed away on September 25, 1997, at the age of 
72. Dick was a universally respected San Francisco businessman, a 
dedicated philanthropist, and a devoted community leader in the bay 
area.
  Mr. Speaker, I have known Dick, Cissie, and the whole Swig family for 
almost 50 years, and my wife Annette and I have loved and admired them 
for all that they have meant to our community. We first met Dick's 
wonderful parents in the summer of 1950. Although they were part of San 
Francisco's social and business elite, and we were just a young couple 
in the academic community, they enthusiastically accepted our 
invitation for dinner at our tiny and modest apartment. Dick's late 
father, Ben Swig, made one of his very last public appearances at the 
wedding of our younger daughter, Katrina, in the summer of 1980.
  Dick first set foot in San Francisco over half a century ago. After 
serving in the Navy during World War II, the Massachusetts-born Swig 
moved to the west coast to begin a career with the Fairmont Hotel, 
which his family had purchased a few years earlier. Dick spent several 
years learning about every facet of the business, working in 
management, publicity, and service-oriented positions. In 1953, at the 
age of 27, he became the hotel's president.
  For over four decades, Dick's leadership made the Fairmont the model 
of luxurious hospitality and one of the most highly regarded hotels in 
America. World leaders, famous celebrities, and San Francisco visitors 
with an eye for excellence would call the Fairmont home during their 
visits to the bay area. The hotel's unqualified success spawned six 
similarly elegant hotels across the country, in New York, Boston, 
Chicago, New Orleans, Dallas, and San Jose. Dick demanded the same 
levels of superiority and class at these establishments as he did at 
his San Francisco flagship, and they realized the same degree of 
achievement.
  Said his son Rick: ``His legacy both to the Fairmont, a company he 
dearly loved, and as a hotelier in general, is inestimable. . . . His 
management style was inspired not only by great care and attention to 
hotel guests, but also the extraordinary recognition of his hotel 
staff. In the days of independently owned luxury hotels . . . he set 
standards for us all.'' Upon his death, the Fairmont flags flew at 
half-staff. So did every other flag on ever other San Francisco 
building, per the order of Mayor Willie Brown. This tribute reflects 
the scope of Dick's contributions, which extended well beyond the 
Fairmont to the entire bay area community and humanitarian concerns 
around the world.
  Dick Swig, along with his equally dedicated wife Cissie, devoted a 
large portion of his life to serving the bay area and to fighting for 
compassionate causes that he cared so much about. He served as trustee, 
chairman, or board member of more than 40 charitable, professional, and 
educational institutions, ranging from the Leukemia Society of America 
to the San Francisco Symphony Association to the San Francisco 
Convention and Visitors Bureau, of which he served as president.

  Dick assumed a particularly strong leadership role in the Jewish 
community, both in the bay area and nationally, and he worked 
tirelessly for humanitarian and charitable groups that fought 
discrimination, educated the public, and served the interests of the 
community. These organizations included the Anti-Defamation League of 
B'nai B'rith, the Jewish Community Federation, the Jewish Museum of San 
Francisco, and numerous others.
  Dick received many distinguished honors for his philanthropic work, 
including the prestigious Mahatma Gandhi Humanitarian Award, the Golda 
Meir Award, the U.S. Coast Guard's Distinguished Public Service Award, 
and the

[[Page E2119]]

City College of San Francisco President's Award. He was truly a man who 
cherished the value of public service, and his heartfelt generosity 
improved the lives of many Americans.
  Mr. Speaker, shortly after the passing of Dick Swig, the San 
Francisco Chronicle reported on a recent event that, in my opinion, is 
characteristic of this fine man. The September 26, 1997, edition reads:

       A while ago, Cissie Swig was honored at a reception at the 
     Fairmont, and her husband, Richard, wanted to be there but he 
     wasn't feeling well enough (waiting for a heart transplant at 
     the time) to stand in a receiving line. So he managed it in 
     his own great style: sat in a chair in his favorite lobby in 
     the world and greeted everyone--for what turned out to be a 
     last time.

  Mr. Speaker, Dick Swig was a man who loved people, who loved San 
Franciscans, and who devoted his life to making others feel 
comfortable, whether as guests in his hotels or beneficiaries of his 
generosity. He will be greatly missed by all of us who knew him and who 
had the opportunity to enjoy his ebullient and compassionate spirit.

                          ____________________