[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 72 (Tuesday, May 18, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5459-S5460]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         OLDER AMERICANS MONTH

  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, May happens to be Older Americans Month. 
I believe we should honor older Americans through this month, not only 
because my State of Iowa has many fine senior citizens whom I am very 
willing and happy to talk about because of their contributions to our 
State and our society, but also because I am chairman of the Aging 
Committee.
  It may be human nature to overlook the hardships of previous 
generations. We do not think about suffering that we do not have to 
endure, and that is the way it should be. That is the way

[[Page S5460]]

we hope it is and it is the hope of American innovators who work to 
ease the misfortunes for our children and grandchildren.
  One of those innovators is a 101-year-old woman from Sioux City, IA. 
Louise Humphrey was a leading light in the battle against polio, one of 
the most terrifying illnesses of our century. Because of her work and 
the work of others devoted to finding a cure, polio is almost 
nonexistent in our country.
  It is hard for anyone who did not live through the forties and 
fifties to understand fully the fear and hysteria which accompanied the 
polio epidemic during any particular summer. The disease was highly 
contagious and sometimes fatal. It attacked the lungs and limbs. It 
immobilized its victims. It made them struggle for breath and often 
forced them to breathe through mechanical iron lungs. Parents would not 
allow their children to go swimming or to drink out of public fountains 
for fear of contagion.
  Those children fortunate enough to escape the illness saw their 
classmates return to school in the fall in leg braces and watched 
newsreels of people in iron lungs.
  At the height of the epidemic in the 1940s and early 1950s, polio 
struck between 20,000 to 50,000 Americans each year. In 1 year, 1952, 
58,000 people caught the disease. Most of these people were children.
  Mrs. Humphrey of Sioux City became interested in polio before the 
height of the epidemic. In the 1930s, according to the Sioux City 
Journal, she saw firsthand the ravaging effects of polio after meeting 
a man who had been disabled by the disease.
  She and her husband, the late J. Hubert Humphrey, a Sioux City 
dentist, became leaders in the fight against polio. They headed the 
Woodbury County chapter of the National Foundation for Infantile 
Paralysis. Mrs. Humphrey was elected State chairman of the women's 
division of that foundation.
  The Humphreys raised thousands of dollars for equipment and therapy 
to battle the disease. They enlisted entertainers and circus performers 
in the cause, hosting these individuals at fundraising parties. Their 
guests included Bob Hope, clown Emmett Kelly, and even an elephant that 
loved ham sandwiches.
  Their work contributed to a climate in which Jonas Salk developed the 
first polio vaccine. His vaccine, and another developed by Dr. Albert 
Sabin, soon became widely available. Thus, polio is virtually 
nonexistent in our country, although it remains a Third World threat.
  Mrs. Humphrey has said she has no secret for living such a long life. 
She advises people to, in her words, ``just be happy and be well.'' She 
has never had an ache or pain. What she did have in abundance was 
empathy, kindness, generosity, and devotion. Because of her 
contributions, millions of American children will live without a 
debilitating disease, polio.
  On June 3, Mrs. Humphrey will be 102. In advance of her birthday, 
during Older Americans Month, I thank Mrs. Humphrey for helping to make 
our country strong. Mrs. Humphrey, with her clear vision and 
compassionate concern for America's children, perfectly illustrates the 
theme of Older Americans Month, which is: ``Honor the Past, Imagine the 
Future: Toward a Society for All Ages.''
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Chair recognizes the Senator from 
Minnesota, Mr. Grams.
  Mr. GRAMS. Mr. President, what business is before the Senate? Are we 
still in morning business?

                          ____________________