[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 37 (Friday, March 27, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E507-E508]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


     AMERICAN ISRAEL PUBLIC AFFAIRS COMMITTEE HONORS MELVIN A. DOW

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. RICHARD K. ARMEY

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, March 27, 1998

  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, on April 6, the American Israel Public 
Affairs Committee (AIPAC) will honor the Texas congressional delegation 
for the work we do here in Congress on behalf of a strong U.S.-Israel 
relationship. I appreciate the dedication of the members of AIPAC and 
stand with the pro-

[[Page E508]]

Israel community in celebrating 50 years of friendship between our 
great nations.
  Also on April 6 there will be a special tribute to Melvin A. Dow, the 
president of AIPAC, for his dedication and commitment to our country's 
vital alliance with the nation of Israel. The Melvin A. Dow 
Distinguished Leadership Award, which will be established on April 6, 
will be a lasting tribute to an individual who has provided great 
leadership and vision. The award will be presented annually to a 
deserving Houstonian who exhibits exemplary leadership in AIPAC and on 
behalf of the U.S.-Israel relationship.
  Mr. Speaker, I insert a brief biography of Melvin Dow to be included 
in the Congressional Record.

       Melvin Dow is a lawyer and is Chairman/CEO of Dow, Cogburn 
     & Friedman, P.C., a 36-lawyer firm in Houston, Texas. He was 
     born in Houston, attended Houston public schools, received a 
     B.A. degree from Rice University (Phi Beta Kappa and with 
     Honors in Philosophy) and a J.D. (magna cum laude) from 
     Harvard Law School, where he was an editor of the Harvard Law 
     Review.
       Following law school, he was commissioned a first 
     lieutenant in the U.S. Army and served in the Army General 
     Counsel's office in the Pentagon. Following Army service, he 
     returned to Houston, where he has lived and practiced law 
     ever since.
       He is board certified as a specialist in commercial real 
     estate law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, and is 
     a charter member of the American College of Real Estate 
     Lawyers. He has lectured on real estate law subjects at 
     various legal seminars.
       He is currently on the Board of Trust Managers (Directors) 
     of Weingarten Realty Investments, a New York Stock Exchange 
     real estate investment trust. He has previously served as a 
     director of a bank and as a director of a title insurance 
     company.
       Mr. Dow has also previously served on the Board of Trustees 
     of St. John's School, as President of Congregation Beth 
     Yeshurun, Vice-President of the Jewish Federation of Houston, 
     as a member of the Harvard Law School Board of Overseers' 
     Visiting Committee and on various other boards or committees 
     (e.g., U.J.A. budget and allocations committee, Jewish 
     Community Center resident scholar program committee, etc.). 
     He is currently President of the American Israel Public 
     Affairs Committee (AIPAC), a Trustee of the Jewish 
     Publication Society and a board member of the Houston Chapter 
     of the National Conference of Christians and Jews. He was the 
     recipient of the 1995 NCCJ Humanitarian Award.
       He has been married to the former Frieda Katz (a 
     psychotherapist) for over 38 years. She has held positions in 
     various civic and religious organizations and is currently a 
     board member of the Joint Distribution Committee, the Houston 
     Holocaust Museum and Education Center and Congregation Beth 
     Yeshurum. Frieda and Melvin Dow have 5 sons (no daughters): 
     David (married to Katya Glockner), Mark, Steven (married to 
     Stacy Schusterman), Stuart and Leon (married to Bruria 
     Wiener) and three granddaughters. The sons are, respectively, 
     a law professor; poet-writer; executive director of a social 
     service agency (and lawyer); lawyer; and graduate student at 
     the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.