[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 118 (Wednesday, September 9, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1661-E1662]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                      TRIBUTE TO MR. LEE LOCHMANN

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. ROBERT SMITH

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, September 9, 1998

  Mr. SMITH of Oregon. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to 
Leroy Lochmann, President and CEO of ConAgra's Refrigerated Foods 
Companies, on the occasion of his retirement. Lee's life story is a 
Horatio Alger story: Lee is a self-made man from humble origins, whose 
hard work, perseverance and integrity enabled him to climb to the 
heights of the corporate ladder in our nation's food industry.
  Lee entered the food business at the age of 18, beginning on the 
first rung of the ladder--the slaughtering floor of a Swift and Company 
meat packing plant. Lee rose from the assembly line to numerous 
management positions, ultimately becoming President of Swift and 
Company.
  Throughout the remainder of his forty-five year career, Lee would 
become president of many other leading food companies, including 
Beatrice Meats; Armour Swift-Eckrich; and ConAgra Refrigerated Foods 
Companies.
  While pursuing a very successful business career, Lee acquired 
academic degrees from

[[Page E1662]]

Southern Illinois University and from the University of Virginia. He 
also served his country in the U.S. Army, having been stationed in 
Germany for three years.
  His ability to develop strategic visions for the many companies he 
ran, also benefited the meat and poultry industry as a whole, during 
Lee's five-year term as an officer of the American Meat Institute. A 
long-time AMI director, Lee was selected by his industry colleagues and 
competitors to help lead the industry's national trade association and 
was elected AMI's Chairman of the Board in 1992.
  Mr. Speaker, it is my great pleasure to pay tribute to Lee Lochmann. 
His leadership has undergirded his successful career and made him a 
widely respected and admired leader in the food industry. I only hope 
that Lee and his family derive as much satisfaction from his retirement 
years, as he has given to the food industry during his forty-five year 
career.

                          ____________________