[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 140 (Thursday, October 8, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1954]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                TRIBUTE TO THE HONORABLE SIDNEY R. YATES

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. NITA M. LOWEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 1, 1998

  Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to my good friend and 
colleague, Sid Yates.
  Since first joining this Congress a remarkable fifty years ago, Sid 
has been a paragon of conscience and decency, shaping this great Nation 
for the better through quiet perseverance and boundless idealism.
  I have had the pleasure of serving with Sid on the Appropriations 
Committee and have watched in admiration as he successfully funded 
scores of worthwhile projects, many of enormous benefit to our 
environment. Years from now, when our children and grandchildren enjoy 
scenic vistas and waterways, when they walk along gleaming lake fronts 
and thrill to the diversity of our Nation's wildlife, they will have 
Sid Yates to thank. He has always understood our powerful moral 
obligations to be custodians of the great outdoors.
  Just as important has been Sid's championship of the arts. In the 
midst of controversy and contention, Sid has always been a staunch and 
eloquent defender of the NEA. To those who would inflame public 
passions about the controversial margins of the artistic world, Sid 
responded with a calm affirmation of the arts' central role in our 
national life. How many orchestras and exhibitions, how many 
performances and plays, owe their very existence to Sid's faithful 
leadership? Indeed, the NEA itself might have been overwhelmed by its 
critics had not Sid Yates been a member of this Congress.
  For me, it has also been a great honor to sit with Sid Yates on 
Appropriations' Foreign Operations Subcommittee. There, he has been an 
articulate spokesperson for American leadership around the world and a 
fierce defender of Israel's interests. It is entirely fitting that 
Sid's first election to Congress should occur in the very year of 
Israel's declaration of statehood. And that, from this high vantage, 
Sid should be able to watch Israel's development from a threatened 
outpost between the desert and the sea, to a modern, thriving nation, 
bursting with technology, artistry, and innovation. Sid Yates played no 
small role in Israel's inspiring progress.
  Mr. Speaker, Sid Yates leaves this House diminished by his departure, 
yet wiser for his service. I know that Sid Yates' integrity and courage 
will remain a model to countless public servants for many years to 
come.

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