[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 34 (Tuesday, March 4, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Page S3080]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         THE HEINZ AWARDS 2003

  Mr. SPECTER. Madam President, after the sudden and untimely death of 
our colleague--and my friend--Senator John Heinz, in 1991, his wife, 
Teresa Heinz, set about devising a suitable and characteristic memorial 
to his memory. As she has said, such a task is especially difficult 
when the goal is to honor someone as complex and multi-faceted as 
Senator Heinz was. She realized that no static monument or self-serving 
exercise in sentimentality would do, and that the only tribute 
befitting Senator Heinz would be one that celebrated his spirit by 
honoring those who live and work in the same ways he did.
  Those of us who had the privilege of knowing Senator Heinz remember, 
with respect and affection, his tremendous energy and intellectual 
curiosity; his commitment to improving the lives of people; and his 
impatience with procedural roadblocks when they stood in the way of 
necessary progress. For Senator Heinz, excellence was not enough; 
excellence was taken as a given. What made the difference was the 
practical--and, yes, pragmatic--application of excellence to the goal 
of making America a better nation and the world a better place. 
Although John Heinz thought and worked on a grand scale, he understood 
that progress is more often made in small increments: one policy, one 
program, even one person, at a time. We also remember the contagious 
enthusiasm and palpable joy with which he pursued his goals and lived 
his life.
  Teresa Heinz created the Heinz Awards to celebrate and carry on these 
qualities and characteristics--five awards in each of five categories 
in which John was especially interested and active during his 
legislative and public career: Arts and Humanities; the Environment; 
the Human Condition; Public Policy; and Technology and the Economy. In 
each of these areas, the Heinz Awards recognize outstanding 
achievements. In fact, the annual Heinz Awards are among the largest 
individual achievement prizes in the world.
  The six men and women who are being honored with this year's Heinz 
Awards--the ninth annual Awards--have just been named and were honored 
last night. They are a distinguished and accomplished group of men and 
women whose lives and work have truly made a difference.
  This year the Arts and Humanities Heinz Award is being presented to 
Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon. Dr. Reagon's deep commitment to civil 
rights and song has led her down the path of activism, the arts, and 
academics. Dr. Reagon's experiences in Albany, Georgia during times of 
segregation led to her founding the women's vocal ensemble, Sweet Honey 
in the Rock, which is celebrating 30 years of struggle, action, and 
triumph. As a curator at the Smithsonian Institution, Dr. Reagon has 
worked tirelessly to ensure that the tradition and story of African-
Americans in the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries are not forgotten. In 
addition, Dr. Reagon spearheaded the museum's efforts to preserve the 
oral history of the Civil Rights Movement culture and African-American 
sacred music and worship traditions.
  This year the Heinz Award in the Environment is being shared by Dr. 
Mario, J. Molina and Dr. John D. Spengler. Dr. Molina, an expert on 
ozone depletion at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, shared 
the 1995 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on the effects of 
chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and was one of the most vocal scientists 
that led the charge to have CFCs banned in 1979. He is currently one of 
the most influential and respected voices in environmental policy.
  Dr. Spengler of Harvard University's School of Public Health is being 
commended for his efforts in understanding the consequences of indoor 
and outdoor air pollution on public health. His findings that indoor 
air quality had a tremendous impact on overall health guided the focus 
of air quality standards toward a holistic approach, as opposed to a 
singular focus on outdoor air pollution. As the vice chairman of a 
National Research Committee that ultimately recommended the 1986 
airliner smoking ban, Dr. Spengler solidified his reputation as an 
expert in his field as well as a dedicated advocate for public health. 
Dr. Spengler currently serves as an adviser to the Environmental 
Protection Agency and the World Health Organization.

  Dr. Paul Farmer receives the Heinz Award for the Human Condition. As 
a physician and medical anthropologist, Dr. Farmer, of Harvard Medical 
School, has unfailingly committed himself to the study of HIV and 
tuberculosis treatment around the world. Dr. Farmer has spent the 
better part of his career opening the world's eyes to the abject 
inequalities in public health as well as developing practical programs 
that deliver life-saving services. His efforts in public health have 
led the World Health Organization to reconsider its position on 
treating HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis.
  The Heinz Award for Public Policy is being awarded to Ms. Geraldine 
Jensen of Toledo, Ohio. Ms. Jensen founded the Association for Children 
for Enforcement of Support (ACES), the largest child support 
enforcement organization in the United States with over 50,000 members 
nationwide. After a divorce that left her and her children with very 
few opportunities, Ms. Jensen rallied single parents experiencing the 
same hardships to stand up for themselves and their children and demand 
justice. A committed advocate for children and families, Ms. Jensen's 
work has resulted in the passage of three federal laws on child support 
and safeguards to ensure that fewer children will become victims of 
poverty.
  Dr. Paul MacCready receives the Heinz Award for Technology, the 
Economy and Employment. Named the ``Engineer of the Century'' in 1980 
by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Dr. MacCready invented 
and built the first flying machine powered solely by a human, the 
Gossamer Condor. Dr. MacCready, however, did not stop there. He also 
helped to create non-fossil fuel automobiles, the first solar powered 
car, and the first viable mass-market electric car, among his many 
other inventions. A generation later, Dr. MacCready's ideas on the 
relationship between advancing technology and preserving the earth's 
resources continue to impact the field of engineering and will not 
doubt continue to do so for years to come.
  I know that every Member of this body joins me in saluting Teresa 
Heinz for creating such an apt and appropriate way of honoring the 
memory of our late colleague; and also in congratulating these 
distinguished Americans, recipients of the ninth annual Heinz Awards, 
for the way their lives and contributions have--and continue to--carry 
on the spirit and the work of Senator John Heinz.

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