[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 64 (Thursday, May 1, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Page S5645]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       IN MEMORY OF HENRY BERMAN

  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to a very 
dear friend and colleague of mine, Henry Berman, who died on Tuesday, 
April 27. He was just 92 years old.
  He was a true Renaissance man--a man who loved life and loved people. 
Indeed, there was not a sweeter, gentler, or more generous person on 
earth than Henry Berman.
  Born in 1910, in New Haven, CT, Henry made his way to San Francisco 
in the early 1930s. During the Great Depression he worked as laborer, 
then sold butter and eggs, until he settled down as a consultant for 
Joseph Seagrams & Sons, where he worked for 56 years.
  Long active in San Francisco politics and a dedicated philanthropist, 
I was lucky enough to have Henry serve as the Chairman of the Fire 
Commission during my tenure as mayor.
  I was also fortunate enough to have him serve as my campaign 
treasurer, in 1992, when I first ran for the United States Senate. I 
never had a more loyal supporter.
  He served the city of San Francisco up until the very end of his 
life, when he was the president of the airport commission. According to 
his son Ron, Henry was on the phone with airport leaders even during 
the last days of his illness.
  That's classic Henry for you: if he could walk, sure enough he would 
be there. He was truly one of a kind.
  He was also involved in a wide range of civic and charitable work, 
including the Anti-Defamation League of B'Nai B'rith, the American 
Jewish Committee, Meals on Wheels and ``Mo's Kitchen,'' which provides 
daily meals at Glide Memorial Methodist Church in San Francisco.
  Henry was also an overseer of UC-San Francisco, a trustee of the 
McLaren School of Business at the University of San Francisco, and a 
board member of USF's Fromm Institute of Lifelong Learning.
  When someone lives as long as Henry did--92 long, prosperous, and 
productive years you can't conceive of the world without them.
  My heartfelt condolences go out to his wonderful wife Sally, to his 
sons Ron and Bob, and to his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
  I will miss him greatly, but consider myself so very privileged to 
have known Henry Berman to be able to call him my loyal colleague and 
my dear, dear friend.

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