[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 14 (Monday, January 27, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E62]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  RECOGNIZING THE LIFE AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF CONGRESSMAN WAYNE OWENS

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                          HON. HENRY A. WAXMAN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, January 27, 2003

  Mr. WAXMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the extraordinary life 
and accomplishments of my former colleague Wayne Owens, who passed away 
unexpectedly in Israel on December 18. His death is a great loss to his 
family, his many friends, and our nation. His death is also a great 
loss to the cause of peace in the Middle East, an end to which he 
devoted much of his professional life.
  Wayne was fond of saying that President Carter had succeeded at Camp 
David by taking the leaders of Egypt and Israel each by the arm and 
refusing to let go until they had worked out their differences. His 
open admiration for the vision of these peace makers--and for their 
persistence--said much about his own values. Wayne believed that 
ordinary people with high ideals, integrity, and determination could 
work great changes for the good and resolve even the most intractable 
conflicts. He exemplified these virtues throughout his career with a 
deep religious faith and his characteristic exuberance, humility, and 
good humor.
  Throughout his eight years of service as a member of the House of 
Representatives, Wayne followed his convictions, even when they came at 
a high political cost. In his first term in Congress, for example, 
Wayne voted his conscience and supported articles of impeachment 
against President Nixon as a member of the House Judiciary Committee. 
In his conservative home state of Utah, this was an unpopular decision 
that probably cost him a victory in his 1974 bid for the U.S. Senate. 
Nevertheless, Wayne viewed his vote as one of the most important acts 
of his public life.
  When Wayne returned to the House in 1986, he continued to think and 
act with independence and vision. He fought to protect millions of 
acres of Utah wilderness. He stood firm to protect a woman's right to 
reproductive choice. He sought to put an end to nuclear testing, 
compensate the victims of radiation from past nuclear tests, and end 
the production and stockpiling of chemical weapons. He worked to 
reintroduce wolves to Yellowstone National Park. He struggled to 
liberate Syria's captive Jewish community. And above all, Wayne strived 
to advance the cause of peace in the Middle East.
  During his service in Congress, where he served on the Foreign 
Affairs Committee, and later as co-founder and president of the Center 
for Middle East Peace and Economic Cooperation, Wayne worked to support 
the fragile and often flagging peace process in the Middle East. He 
traveled frequently and developed close personal relationships with 
business and political leaders throughout the region. At times when 
ministers and heads of state found it difficult to communicate with one 
another directly, Wayne often shuttled back and forth and served as a 
back channel for information. Leaders such as former Secretary of State 
James Baker, former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres, Egyptian 
President Hosni Mubarak, and the late King Hussein of Jordan praised 
Wayne for his role in carrying such messages and noted that he had 
genuinely helped advance the interests of peace.
  Wayne's vision was to bind Arabs and Israelis together through a web 
of personal and financial relationships, develop the economic potential 
of the Middle East, and create a shared stake in political and economic 
stability. In the months preceding his death, Wayne undoubtedly saw 
that his goal remained elusive and the path difficult to follow. But 
despite this, I believe Wayne was never daunted and never discouraged. 
He soldiered on until the very end of his life, and I don't believe he 
would have had it any other way.
  We will miss Wayne and remember him for his vision, leadership, and 
commitment to peace.

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