[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 59 (Wednesday, April 28, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E790]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO STEVEN FOGEL

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. HOWARD L. BERMAN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 28, 1999

  Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to my good friend, 
Steve Fogel, who is being honored by Stephen S. Wise Temple in Los 
Angeles for his years of dedicated service. Steve has served as a 
member of the Temple Board for 15 years, and has recently completed a 
two-year term as its president. Steve has played a central role in the 
development of the Temple into one of the premier institutions of 
Jewish life in Southern California.
  Along with his strong commitment to Judaism, Steve is a successful 
businessman, an accomplished artist and an author.
  Steve is an outstanding example of the self-made man. He put himself 
through USC while working as a professional photographer. After 
graduation, he entered the field of real estate. With a couple of years 
Steve and his partner, Howard Banchik, formed Westwood Financial 
Corporation, which owns and operates over 125 shopping centers across 
the Western United States, plus office buildings and apartment 
complexes.
  Steve's literary skills are also extremely impressive. He has written 
three books, including The Yes I Can Guide to Mastering Real Estate and 
an upcoming work on God and the universe. When he is not writing or 
tending to his business, Steve is painting. He is an oil-color artist 
with over 50 portraits in private collections. His work has been placed 
in public exhibitions and he was the subject of a one-man show at the 
Sylvia White Gallery in Santa Monica.
  Steve's wife, Darlene, also a devoted member of Stephen S. Wise 
Temple, serves on the board of the Fulfillment Fund and Friends of 
Neurology at Cedars-Sinai Hospital. They are the proud parents of a son 
and three daughters, one of whom, Kelly, graduated from Buckley High 
School with my daughter, Lindsey.
  I ask my colleagues to join me in saluting Steve Fogel, a man of many 
talents and great generosity and community spirit. It is with 
considerable pride that I pay tribute to this fellow graduate of 
Hamilton High School in Los Angeles.

                          ____________________