[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 155 (Friday, November 7, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2189]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO SYBIL BRAND

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. HOWARD L. BERMAN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 5, 1997

  Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to pay tribute to Sybil Brand, 
a woman of extraordinary compassion and a keen sense of social justice. 
Now in her 90's, Mrs. Brand has devoted her life to helping people in 
need. We would all do well to emulate her example.
  Born in Chicago, Mrs. Brand moved with her family to Los Angeles when 
she was only 2. Her involvement in charitable service began at the 
tender age of 12, when she and her friends made diapers for patients at 
Childrens' Hospital. The material was donated by her father, A.W. 
Morris. In her teens, Mrs. Brand volunteered as a nurse's aid in the 
orthopedic ward of the hospital, bringing gifts and cheer to children 
with disabilities.
  These early acts of charity led to the work that would make Mrs. 
Brand both beloved and honored throughout in southern California. 
Nearly 40 years ago, she was appointed to the Institutional Inspection 
Committee of the Public Welfare Commission. She was appalled at the 
overcrowded conditions, and skillfully used her position to lobby for 
change.
  She spoke to law enforcement and elected officials and worked hard to 
get the voters to approve funding for another facility. Due primarily 
to her efforts, the Sybil Brand Institute was constructed to house 
female prisoners in Los Angeles. Mrs. Brand is the only living woman to 
have a correctional institute bear her name.
  Mrs. Brand has received hundreds of commendations from civic and 
charitable organizations, including her selection as Woman of the Year 
by the cities of Beverly Hills and Los Angeles and by the Friars Club 
Charity Foundation. In recognition of her 50 years of service to the 
people of Los Angeles and her 90th birthday, the Los Angeles County 
Board of Supervisors in May 1992, honored Mrs. Brand at a ceremony held 
in the Grand Hall of the Music Center.
  I ask my colleagues to join me and the Chaplain's Eagles of the Los 
Angeles Probation Department in saluting Sybil Brand, who has worked 
tirelessly to make this a better world. She is an extraordinary example 
of what one dedicated individual can accomplish. We thank her for her 
service to the human family.

                          ____________________