[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 25 (Thursday, February 11, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E227]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     PAYING TRIBUTE TO HENRY KLEIN FOR HIS MANY YEARS OF COMMUNITY 
                              INVOLVEMENT

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. MAURICE D. HINCHEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 11, 1999

  Mr. HINCHEY. Mr. Speaker, I would like to pay tribute today to a 
constituent of mine and a dear friend, Henry Klein. I have known Henry 
for nearly thirty years and relied heavily on his wisdom and guidance 
throughout my many years in public service.
  I am sometimes called upon to pay homage to one of our great national 
heroes on the day set aside for their remembrance, and it is always a 
pleasure to retrace their accomplishments, the obstacles they had to 
overcome, and the dedication they gave to their chosen areas of 
endeavor. These public heroes, whether they be in the area of military 
or civic affairs, or the arts or sciences, are a proud part of our 
democratic heritage.
  But what about those unsung heroes, those citizens we meet in our own 
communities who are also worthy of special recognition for their 
dedication to the preservation of our democratic heritage? In all the 
years that I have known him, Henry Klein has been the exemplar of what 
a public citizen should be--fair and open-minded, and fearless whenever 
confronted with injustice or the ugliness of mob violence.
  Born in Brooklyn, he graduated from City College in New York, earned 
his masters degree at Columbia University, and then became a member of 
the armed forces in World War II, serving first as an educational 
instructor, helping recruits to better understand the demographic 
principles for which the free world was fighting, and later serving as 
a sergeant for three years in the European theater. After his return he 
did not abandon his interest in teaching the social and economic goals 
which were needed to ensure America's future.
  When he moved upstate to the Town of Rochester in the early 
seventies, he became active with the Concerned Consumers, an 
organization promoting social and economic issues affecting Ulster 
County communities.
  No one who knows Henry Klein would ever think of him as a member of a 
political party. He was an uncommon citizen, seeking rational and just 
solutions. He did not court controversy but neither did he shirk his 
responsibility to respond when he encountered it. At town meetings, at 
public forums, in letters-to-the-editor, and on call-in talks shows, 
when sometimes wild and exaggerated charges were being hurled back and 
forth between partisan groups and there was much heat but little 
illumination, it was Henry who would eventually provide the voice of 
reason and the enlightenment that was needed.
  Mr. Speaker, I feel a deep debt of gratitude to Henry Klein for the 
role he has played in raising the level discourse on public policy 
issues through the logic and common sense of his augments and his 
unwavering loyalty to high democratic ideals. Without public citizens 
like Henry, a healthy democratic society could not long survive.

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