[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 26 (Thursday, March 12, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E366-E367]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     HONORING CHRISTOPHER BREISETH

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. PAUL E. KANJORSKI

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 12, 1998

  Mr. KANJORSKI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a man who 
is not only a highly respected leader in my community and an excellent 
educator, but also a very close friend of mine. This past Sunday, Dr. 
Christopher Breiseth was honored by the highly-respected S.J. Strauss 
Lodge of the B'nai B'rith as the recipient of the 54th Annual Community 
Service Award, which is presented to an outstanding citizen who, by 
courageous leadership and dedication on behalf of humanity, has made a 
valuable contribution to the fabric of our community life. It is my 
great privilege to join the entire Northeastern Pennsylvania community 
in congratulating Dr. Breiseth for this well-deserved award.
  Chris Breiseth became president of Wilkes College in Wilkes-Barre, 
Pennsylvania in 1984, and over the last fourteen years he has had a 
tremendous impact on the Wilkes-Barre community, as well as all of 
Northeastern Pennsylvania. He transformed the college into one of the 
region's finest universities, which has gained recognition as an 
increasingly-sophisticated regional center for teaching and research, 
as well as a rich source for cultural and public service programs. 
Under his leadership, Wilkes University established a six-year Doctor 
of Pharmacy degree program, the Allan P. Kirby Center for Free 
Enterprise and Entrepreneurship, a campus-wide computer

[[Page E367]]

network, and numerous new and refurbished facilities.
  Dr. Breiseth has been a tireless leader in all aspects of our 
community, including leadership positions with the Osterhout Library, 
the Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Business and Industry, Leadership Wilkes-
Barre, and the United Way of Wyoming Valley. He has also taken an 
active role on the Executive Committee of the Association of 
Independent Colleges and Universities and chairs its Pennsylvania 
Independent Colleges and Universities Research Center.
  Although I appreciate everything Chris Breiseth has contributed to 
the community of Northeastern Pennsylvania, I am most personally 
gratified by the countless hours he has spent as the Chairman of the 
Board of the Earth Conservancy. In early 1991, we first began talking 
about the possibility of creating a unique organization which could 
purchase nearly 17,000 acres of land from a bankrupt coal mining 
company. Located in the heart of Wyoming Valley, this land held the key 
to our region's future, even as it bore the scars of the past. We 
shared the dream of reclaiming this land for the good of the community, 
and Chris Breiseth devoted a great deal of his life to achieving this 
dream. We endured skepticism, obstructionism, and downright hostility 
from nearly every quarter, but we persevered. The Earth Conservancy is 
now an important asset for Northeastern Pennsylvania, performing 
extremely valuable work. I am very proud of the work the Earth 
Conservancy is doing, and I am deeply grateful to Chris Breiseth for 
his leadership in this challenging endeavor.
  Chris is blessed with a wonderful wife, Jane, and three exceptional 
daughters, Abigail, Erika, and Lydia. The entire Breiseth family has 
contributed greatly to the Northeastern Pennsylvania community, and I 
am pleased they have made Wilkes-Barre their home.
  Mr. Speaker, every Member of Congress should be as fortunate as I am 
to have a friend and colleague like Chris Breiseth. It is a pleasure to 
bring his accomplishments to the attention of my colleagues in the 
House.

                          ____________________