[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 41 (Wednesday, April 5, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E493-E494]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   A TRIBUTE TO EDWARDS LIFE SCIENCES

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. LORETTA SANCHEZ

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, April 5, 2000

  Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, I would like to pay tribute to Edwards Life 
Sciences as they begin operating as a new, independent publicly traded 
company.
  From the company's very beginning in the garage/laboratory of its 
founder, Miles ``Lowell'' Edwards, the name Edwards has been renowned 
for cardiovascular devices which have literally saved thousands of 
lives. In essence, the name Edwards is synonymous with ``miracle'' for 
over the past 40 years, as many lives have been saved due to the 
ingenious of Lowell Edwards.
  When Edwards retired in Santa Ana, CA, he began to think of ways to 
invent an artificial heart. With his electrical engineering background, 
Edwards had already invented many devices, including the furl booster 
pump which was used by the U.S. Government in World War II. An 
artificial heart was foremost on his mind most of his life. His own 
heart had been damaged by rheumatic fever when he was thirteen. He had 
long sought to discover a mechanism to give people a new heart--and a 
new life.

[[Page E494]]

  Edwards believed that an artificial heart could be created and that 
it would work. Although skeptical at first, a young Dr. Albert Starr at 
the University of Oregon Medical School, suggested that he first invent 
an artificial heart valve. Edwards did invent a value and it was 
successfully implanted on September 21, 1960. When Edwards remarked 
that ``. . . making that valve was the luckiest think!'', he didn't 
realize the enormous implications of that statement.
  Today, Edwards Life sciences employs over 1,600 dedicated men and 
women in Irvine, CA, and 6,000 worldwide. Edwards is a global leader in 
designing, manufacturing, and marketing medical devices and 
pharmaceuticals to treat late-stage cardiovascular disease. In 
recognition of over 40 years of scientific and medical advances, the 
founder's name is now honored in the new street name--``One Edwards 
Way.''
  From inventor to creator of the first biotech company in southern 
California, Miles ``Lowell'' Edwards' legacy is now instilled into the 
hearts of the men and women who are now charged with the responsibility 
to continue the commitment to serve mankind. I commend all of you today 
as you begin your journey as Edwards Life sciences.

                          ____________________