[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 72 (Tuesday, May 18, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E992]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         HONORING DR. HENRY KENDALL, SCIENTIST AND HUMANITARIAN

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. RUSH D. HOLT

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 18, 1999

  Mr. HOLT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a late friend 
and colleague, Dr. Henry Kendall.
  Dr. Kendall was foremost a great scientist. He received the Nobel 
Prize in 1990, along with two colleagues, Dr. Richard Taylor and Dr. 
Jerome Friedman, for experiments that confirmed the existence of 
quarks. As a physicist, Dr. Kendall constantly sought to break new 
ground, searching for new scientific phenomena and effects.
  Dr. Kendall, however, was not content to remain solely in the 
laboratory. Concerned about governmental issues like nuclear 
proliferation and the safety of nuclear reactors, he helped found the 
Union of Concerned Scientists. This public interest group presses for 
control of technologies which may be harmful or dangerous. Dr. Kendall 
served as Chairman of the UCS from 1974 until his recent death. A 
strong advocate of public safety, Dr. Kendall devoted nearly every 
minute outside of his laboratory to campaigns to curb the nuclear arms 
race and alert the public to the most pressing environmental threats of 
our time.
  Through his efforts, Dr. Kendall was a living testimony to how 
scientists and politicians can work together to further the public 
welfare. He testified numerous times before Congress about issues of 
technological safety, as he firmly believed that scientists could--and 
should--play an important role in public policy debates. His leadership 
of UCS was deeply rooted in the belief that, given accurate and 
credible information, the public and policy makers would ultimately 
make the right choices about the future. He had a rare gift for taking 
the long view and understanding how human activities and natural 
systems are intricately intertwined. He encouraged his co-workers to 
never shy away from the big problems facing the future of humanity and 
the natural world.
  In his leisure time, Dr. Kendall was an avid outsdoorman, with a love 
of scuba diving and mountain climbing. His adventures took him to the 
Andes and the Himalayas, where he took pleasure in the beauty of our 
world.
  Mr. Speaker, Dr. Kendall was an exemplary man in both his work as a 
scientist and as a public advocate. It is a rare man who can excel at 
such widely differing fields, and work to bring them closer together. 
Years from now Dr. Kendall may simply be remembered as a Nobel Prize 
Winner. But to pay tribute to this one facet of his life would be to 
deny the completeness of the man, and all that he attempted to do to 
help the people of this nation.
  I hope that my colleagues in the House will join me in extending this 
tribute to Dr. Kendall.

                          ____________________