[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 120 (Friday, September 11, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H7612-H7613]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       FAREWELL TO SYDNEY SEAWARD

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Shimkus). Under a previous order of the 
House, the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, in coming to this House, there 
are many times that we talk about issues of State, sometimes issues of 
war. But maybe it makes us more

[[Page H7613]]

human to come and discuss friends that we will miss. So even after this 
day of vigorous debate, reaffirming the Democratic tenets of this 
Nation, I come this afternoon to pay tribute to a fallen personality, 
one respected and admired by her Houston community, and that is Sydney 
Seaward, one of the anchors of Channel 51, coming to that station in 
1993.
  Someone on the national level might not have heard of Ms. Seaward. 
One did not see her on the national 6 o'clock news. She did not reach 
CNN. She was a local anchor. But her cause and her personality deserve 
tribute in this body. She was an American in the true sense of the 
word, for she never said never. She died recently of cancer, but the 
cancer became a challenge to educate, to embrace life, to teach others, 
to not give up.
  She touched me in a special way. Beyond her responsibilities as a 
news person, she always gave me the sense that she would, in fact, 
survive. A coworker said that everyone enjoyed Sydney, and of course, 
some would say that that word is used like ``nice.'' But frankly, if it 
is said in earnestness, it means something. The coworker said, she was 
a nice part of the day. She made people's days. She took time to 
personally talk to people and hear them out. She was, in fact, a leader 
in her trade. Most of all, she was sensitive and she was willing to 
overcome her own doubts. When this disease was diagnosed her first 
response I imagine was disbelief and turning inward, until she realized 
that she could play a special role in educating women and the community 
about cancer, its devastation, but also one's ability to survive.
  For that reason, Mr. Speaker, I come to salute Sydney Seaward for 
what she has done for our community, but, in fact, how she exemplifies 
what America is all about. It is, in fact, the can-do attitude. It is, 
in fact, the recognition that we live in the most wonderful Nation in 
the world. With all of its ills, with all of our disagreements, we can 
embrace the right that we live in freedom.
  Sydney Seaward exemplified the fact that she was proud to be an 
American. She took her lumps along with her successes. She took her 
downs with her ups. She took her good days with her bad days. She took 
her sunny days with her rainy days. And she said to us, whatever comes 
your way, remember, we are all blessed to be living in freedom, we are 
all blessed to have the opportunity to fight whatever we can fight to 
survive, and we are all blessed to have been able to walk this way, to 
have touched someone, and Sydney Seaward clearly touched our lives.
  Sydney, farewell. Thank you for all that you have done, and may you 
rest in peace.

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