[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 25 (Thursday, February 11, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E205]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO BERNARD KAZON

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. THOMAS H. ALLEN

                                of maine

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 11, 1999

  Mr. ALLEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to extend my congratulations to 
Bernard Kazon of Portland, Maine, on the occasion of his 75th birthday 
on February 27th, and to share with my colleagues Mr. Kazon's recent 
generosity to the people of Maine.
  ``Bernie'' Kazon and his wife Shirley have resided in Portland, 
Maine, for the last 33 years, where they raised their two children, 
Paula and Peter. Mr. Kazon is Executive Vice President of Eastland Shoe 
Corporation headquartered in Freeport, Maine. Eastland's shoe 
manufacturing facility has been an important component of the local 
economy, employing more than 300 people.
  While Bernie and Shirley have long been involved in local community 
affairs, I want to take the opportunity today to share with my 
colleagues Bernie's long-time interest in history and politics. About 
ten years ago, he began to collect political biographies, election 
pamphlets, letters and other materials that reflect the history of 
political campaigns in the United States dating back to the 18th 
century. The collection, which began when Shirley gave him several old 
political biographies, has now grown to more than 700 items and offers 
a unique perspective on the history of American politics.
  Last year, Bernie generously acted to share this wonderful collection 
with a new generation of students of American history. Bernie has made 
arrangements to donate his collection to the University of Maine, where 
it will be housed in a new library that is being built in Portland. The 
collection will provide an invaluable resource to the students at the 
University who, like him, share a strong intellectual curiosity in the 
history of our American political system. The Kazons have generously 
augmented the collection by endowing a fund that will assist in 
maintaining the collection for the University, as well as provide for 
an annual prize for scholarly works based on its material.
  Among the materials the Kazons have donated was a bound 1791 edition 
of Thomas Paine's pamphlet Common Sense. As Paine himself wrote, 
``Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must . . . undergo 
the fatigue of supporting it.'' We are fortunate in Maine to have men 
like Bernie Kazon who recognize that they have reaped the blessings of 
our free society, and are generous in their efforts to support it and 
the generations who follow them.
  Please join me in extending the best wishes of the people of Maine to 
this generous and thoughtful man, as his family comes together in 
celebration of his 75th birthday.

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