[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 126 (Friday, September 24, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1958]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          MIN MATHESON HONORED

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. PAUL E. KANJORSKI

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 24, 1999

  Mr. KANJORSKI. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride that I rise today 
to bring the remarkable life of Mrs. Min Matheson to the attention of 
my colleagues. On September 24, the people of the Wyoming Valley will 
pay a long overdue tribute to Min, as a historical marker is dedicated 
to her on the Public Square in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. I am pleased 
and proud to join in this historic tribute.
  One of eight children, Min Lurye was born in Chicago in 1909. her 
father, a Jewish immigrant, was a cigar maker and a militant labor 
leader. Min grew up in a household of radical labor meetings, with her 
father organizing rallies and strikes within the cigar industry. Max 
Lurye fought organized crime and big business at the same time, once 
even having a confrontation with Al Capone. Min's childhood occurred in 
an atmosphere of violence and fear in the labor movements as her father 
saw some of close friends killed for resisting mob control of the 
industry. Max's legacy was continued by both his daughter Min and son 
Will, who also dedicated his life to labor causes.
  When she was nineteen, Min met and fell in love with Bill Matheson. 
Defying the convention of the time, they set up a household together 
without marrying. At Bill's urging, Min traveled to New Jersey to help 
striking textile workers, but the strike was crushed after six months 
and Min was uncertain of her next move. They soon moved to New York 
City and began careers in the garment industry. Min worked in a dress 
factory until Bill accepted a position in Pennsylvania with the 
International Ladies' Garment Workers Union (ILGWU). When they decided 
to have children, they married and Min stayed out of union affairs for 
a time to raise her two small children.
  In 1944, the New York ILGWU asked Bill and Min to move to 
Northeastern Pennsylvania, where dozens of small garment factories were 
sprouting up. Union official asked Min and Bill ``to clean up the mess 
down there,'' and within a few years, Min was General Manager of the 
Wyoming Valley ILGWU and Bill was he Director of Education.
  During strikes, she walked the picket lines with the rank and file 
and stood her ground when confronted by factory bosses. Eventually, Min 
realized the press was a union's best friend and regularly used radio 
shows to bring the union's case to the attention of the public. She 
organized union blood drives and the union locals gave freely to the 
United Fund. The community began to accept and appreciate the good 
works of the ILGWU. At one point, Min realized the union needed to 
become more active in the political arena and began the strong 
relationship between labor and the Democratic Party in Northeastern 
Pennsylvania which still exists to this day.
  Mr. Speaker, Min and Bill Matheson were the parents of the garment 
industry workforce in Northeastern Pennsylvania. they organized it, 
fought for it, and gave it standing in the community. Seven hundred 
people turned out at a farewell salute after Min and Bill accepted a 
transfer to New York in 1963.
  Min and Bill chose to come back to the Wyoming Valley upon 
retirement. They moved back in 1972, a few months before the 
Susquehanna river overflowed her banks, flooding the entire area and 
devastating the lives of tens of thousands of area residents. An 
organizer by birthright, Min immediately helped to organize the Flood 
Victims Action Council to speak for those devastated by the disaster. 
She brought her concerns and plight of the flood victims to the 
immediate attention of the federal government and worked closely with 
then-Congressman Dan Flood to insure relief for the thousands of 
displace residents. I am proud to have worked closely with Min on that 
effort, acting as legal counsel to the Flood Victims Action Council. 
Even in retirement, Min Matheson had found a way to better the lives of 
her neighbors in the Wyoming Valley. She continued to contribute her 
time and energy to our community until her death several years ago. 
Then-Wilkes-Barre City Councilman Joe Williams said it best: ``There 
should be a statute of Min on Public Square for all that she has done 
for this Valley.''
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased and proud to join with my good friends at 
the ILGWU, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the entire community 
in paying a much over-due tribute to this beloved figure in our 
region's history, Mrs. Min Matheson.

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