[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 75 (Saturday, May 26, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E988]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    HONORING HOWARD AND MARY LESTER

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. NANCY PELOSI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, May 25, 2001

  Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I rise to salute Howard and Mary Lester for 
their longstanding entrepreneurial and philanthropic commitment to the 
San Francisco community. The Lesters are being honored on May 30, 2001 
by San Francisco's Delancey Street Foundation, a residential 
rehabilitation community that provides housing and training to 
thousands of ex-convicts and recovering addicts at no cost to the 
client or taxpayers. Delancey Street will thank the Lesters for their 
generosity in donating furniture, dishes and flatware to the 
foundation's Crossroads Cafe, making it possible for hundreds of people 
to be trained in the hospitality field.
  Howard Lester purchased Williams-Sonoma, Inc. in 1978. As Chief 
Executive Officer and Board Chair, he built Williams-Sonoma, The 
Pottery Barn, Hold Everything, and Chambers into phenomenal success 
stories. In April 2001, he turned over his CEO responsibilities, but 
remains Chairman of the Board. In addition, he has committed to sharing 
his expertise and success with young people through his endowment of 
the Lester Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University 
of California at Berkeley.
  Mary Lester is a longtime philanthropist whose activism with various 
nonprofit boards and community organizations has greatly enriched the 
City of San Francisco. She chaired the Raising Hope charity campaign, 
raising millions of dollars for cancer research programs at the 
University of California at San Francisco Medical Center.
  I am proud to join my constituents in thanking Howard and Mary Lester 
for their years of service. Our community has been blessed by their 
visions and generosity.

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