[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 105 (Thursday, July 22, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1640]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                      IN HONOR OF DOROTHY EPSTEIN

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JERROLD NADLER

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 22, 1999

  Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Dorothy Epstein, a 
dedicated community activist. We here in Congress have spent a lot of 
time talking about Social Security and ensuring that our seniors have 
the ability to lead safe, healthy, and productive lives. Mrs. Epstein 
has gone beyond the rhetoric by spending her time relentlessly 
promoting activism and leadership among older adults so that they, 
through their own efforts, can secure and protect their future. She 
played an essential role in creating the Institute for Senior Action, a 
leadership training program for seniors at the Join Public Affairs 
Committee (JPAC) for Older Adults in New York. She has served on the 
JPAC Advisory Committee since 1993 and has used her wisdom to guide 
that body. These efforts demonstrate Mrs. Epstein's tireless commitment 
to the cause of senior advocacy: after all, she accomplished all this 
after retiring at the age of 76.
  But this is just another in the long list of Mrs. Epstein's 
accomplishments, a list which begins at her very first job: organizing 
unions with the New York City relief bureau. She also served as a 
chapter president at the Association of Workers in Public Relief 
Agencies, where she continued to work to prevent discrimination in the 
workplace and layoffs for civil service workers. Her efforts with these 
organizations laid the groundwork for what would become the American 
Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees. After her great 
achievements in the public sector, Mrs. Epstein decided to try her hand 
in the private sector by founding Synergy, a vitamin company. Like all 
of her efforts, it was a great success.
  It was after her retirement from Synergy that she began her 
extraordinary association with JPAC. Mrs. Epstein was eager to use her 
experience and vision to confront the issues facing older adults. It 
did not take long for her to make a big impact, and only a little more 
than a year after she joined the Advisory Committee, the Institute for 
Senior Action was born. Under her guidance, the Institute, which 
graduated its 10th class this year, has pursued vital issues such as 
the protection of health care, income maintenance, and other social 
services. The intense, all-day classes stress confidence, cooperation, 
and help everyone from recent retirees to older seniors get involved in 
social action. Through the Institute, Mrs. Epstein has been able to 
spread her energy and dedication to seniors of all backgrounds, who 
have then been able to make a difference in their own communities.
  Mr. Speaker, whether she was organizing unions, fighting 
discrimination, or educating seniors, Mrs. Dorothy Epstein has 
dedicated her life to empowering people. So, even though she is pulling 
back from the day-to-day work at the Institute, the ripple of hope that 
she created with her life's work will continue to grow and expand, 
changing more and more lives along the way. It is for this ongoing 
contribution that I honor her today.

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