[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 152 (Thursday, November 12, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2309]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                TRIBUTE TO CONGRESSWOMAN ELIZABETH FURSE

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                        HON. ALBERT RUSSELL WYNN

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 12, 1998

  Mr. WYNN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to retiring 
member, Representative Elizabeth Furse. I have known Representative 
Furse since we both successfully campaigned to become members of the 
House of Representatives in 1992--amazingly only twenty years after she 
became a naturalized United States citizen.
  Born in Nairobi, Kenya, Congressman Furse has spent her entire life 
fighting the tough fight. As a young white adolescent, she spent her 
childhood on the outside of South African society. Living in a 
segregated nation, ``fitting in'' was an unattainable goal due to the 
fact that her mother was one of the founding members of the Black Sash, 
a woman's anti-apartheid organization. However, because popularity was 
not her goal, she has been able to achieve amazing things. For example, 
at the age of fifteen, she joined in the organization's very first 
demonstration, which resulted in the brutal beating of the protestors. 
While Ms. Furse may have been scared often, more importantly she is 
inspired always.
  Even though the politics and culture of South Africa have changed 
over the years, the dedication and spirit of Congresswoman Furse have 
not. At the age of 17, Representative Furse left South Africa as a part 
of her own personal boycott, and now she has the opportunity to return 
to help this same nation re-enter the global community. Furthermore, 
the gentlelady from Oregon spearheaded a push to name Cape Town as the 
site of the 2004 Summer Olympic Games, which would have had innumerable 
benefits to South Africa's economy. This kind of vision is not 
surprising considering that in 1996, Ms. Furse led a twenty-six member 
trade delegation to South Africa.
  As she begins to bring her life's work full circle back to South 
Africa with her bid to become that country's new Ambassador of South 
Africa, it is clear that she will be missed here inside the beltway as 
well as in her congressional district. As Congresswoman Furse's 
colleague and her friend, I would like to say that it has been an honor 
and a privilege to have served with her in this body.

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