[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 57 (Wednesday, April 9, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5093-S5094]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   SENATE RESOLUTION 116--COMMEMORATING THE LIFE, ACHIEVEMENTS, AND 
                       CONTRIBUTIONS OF AL LERNER

  Mr. DeWINE (for himself and Mr. Voinovich) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary:

                              S. Res. 116

       Whereas Alfred Lerner (``Al'' to those who knew him best) 
     was a successful, humble, compassionate, and well respected 
     member of his family and community whose life was devoted to 
     civic involvement and efforts to improve the quality of 
     education and health care available to his fellow citizens;
       Whereas Al Lerner was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1933, 
     graduated from Brooklyn Technical High School in 1951, and 
     received a B.A. from Columbia College in 1955;
       Whereas Al Lerner was a Marine Corps officer and pilot from 
     1955 through 1957, displaying his love of country by wearing 
     his Marine Corps cap long after finishing his tour of duty, 
     and later was a director of the Marine Corps Law Enforcement 
     Foundation;
       Whereas Al Lerner was the son of Russian immigrants, and in 
     2002 received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, which 
     celebrates immigrant heritage and individual achievements;
       Whereas Al Lerner and his high school sweetheart, best 
     friend, and partner in life, Norma Lerner, shared 47 years of 
     marriage and were deeply committed to their 2 children, Randy 
     and Nancy;
       Whereas Al and Norma Lerner made extremely generous 
     contributions to local and national charities, including a 
     contribution of $10,000,000 in 1993 to Rainbow Babies and 
     Children's Hospital in Cleveland, a donation of $16,000,000 
     to support construction of the Lerner Research Institute, and 
     a donation of $100,000,000 to the Cleveland Clinic--one of 
     the largest donations to academic medicine in the history of 
     the United States;
       Whereas Al Lerner served as president and trustee of the 
     Cleveland Clinic Foundation

[[Page S5094]]

     where the Lerner Research Institute was established to 
     conduct research of new treatments for cancer, coronary 
     artery disease, and AIDS;
       Whereas Al Lerner, along with his business partner Carmen 
     Policy, reestablished a National Football League team in 
     Northern Ohio when he purchased the expansion Cleveland 
     Browns football organization in 1998, worked hard to make the 
     people of Cleveland and Northern Ohio proud of their football 
     team, and was subsequently appointed chairman of the National 
     Football League Finance Committee;
       Whereas the Cleveland Browns, on the strength of Al 
     Lerner's leadership, reached the National Football League 
     playoffs following the 2002 season, only 4 years after 
     returning to the league;
       Whereas Al Lerner served as founder, chairman, and chief 
     executive of MBNA Corporation, which employs thousands of 
     people in Ohio and is the Nation's largest issuer of 
     independent credit cards;
       Whereas Al Lerner served as vice chairman, trustee, and 
     benefactor of Columbia College, which is now known as 
     Columbia University, and also served as a trustee for Case 
     Western Reserve University and New York Presbyterian 
     Hospital;
       Whereas Al Lerner helped raise funds, through his 
     affiliation with MBNA and the Cleveland Browns, for the 
     ``Cleveland Browns Hero Fund'' to aid families from the New 
     York City Fire and Police Departments who suffered the loss 
     of a parent in the tragic September 11, 2001, terrorist 
     attacks;
       Whereas Al Lerner was appointed in 2001 by President Bush 
     as 1 of 15 members of the President's Foreign Intelligence 
     Advisory Board, which advises the President concerning the 
     quality and adequacy of intelligence collection, intelligence 
     analysis and estimates, counter-intelligence, and other 
     intelligence activities;
       Whereas Al Lerner is survived by his wife, partner, and 
     best friend, Norma, their son Randy, their daughter Nancy, 
     and 7 grandchildren; and
       Whereas Al Lerner passed away on October 23, 2002, and the 
     contributions he made to his family, his community, and his 
     Nation will not be forgotten: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) honors the life, achievements, and contributions of 
     Alfred Lerner; and
       (2) extends its deepest sympathies to the family of Alfred 
     Lerner for the loss of a great and generous man.

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