[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 77 (Thursday, May 22, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1047]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  IN RECOGNITION OF SIDNEY BAUMGARTEN

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 22, 2003

  Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Colonel Sidney 
Baumgarten, in recognition of his outstanding service and dedication to 
the Military and the City of New York, and for his 25 years of service 
to The East Side Chamber of Commerce and to New York Therapeutic 
Communities.
  A native of Far Rockaway Beach, Mr. Baumgarten attended Brown 
University in Providence, Rhode Island, where he was elected to the 
Student Governing Council and earned three varsity letters. After 
receiving his Bachelor's degree, Mr. Baumgarten attended New York Law 
School, where he was a member of the Law Review and recipient of an 
American Jurisprudence Award.
  After attending Brown University, Mr. Baumgarten entered military 
service, attending Signal School at Fort Dix. He served for 18 months 
in Europe with the 7th Army Command and was awarded 4 commendations. As 
an active member of the U.S. Army Reserve, he served as Detachment 
Commander, Company Commander and Adjutant for the 99th Signal Battalion 
and as Material Officer for the 518th Maintenance Battalion. At an 
early age, Mr. Baumgarten began his lifelong commitment to serving in 
the United States military, and recently retired as Colonel in the New 
York Guard, Chief of Staff of the Army Division at Camp Smith, New 
York. For his exceptional services in the aftermath of the World Trade 
Center attack, Mr. Baumgarten was presented with the NY State 
Conspicuous Service Medal by Governor Pataki in June 2002. Mr. 
Baumgarten has earned numerous other medals recognizing his service to 
the nation and the state.
  In addition to his law profession and military service, Mr. 
Baumgarten's many interests led him to act as Chairman of the Board of 
Trustees of the Rockaway Cultural Society and President of the Regular 
Democratic Club of the Rockaways. He was also Post Judge Advocate of 
the VFW Post 1948, a member of the PAL Youth Council, and a director of 
the Queens Council on the Arts.
  Professionally, Mr. Baumgarten was engaged in the private practice of 
law for 5 years, and was appointed Assistant District Attorney in 1967. 
As a member of the Appeals Bureau, he argued numerous criminal appeals 
before the State and Federal courts and expertly handled numerous cases 
involving prosecution of major crime figures. From November 1968 to 
December 1973, Mr. Baumgarten was Law Secretary to Justice Charles 
Margett, Associate Justice of the Appellate Term of the New York State 
Supreme Court and Administrative Judge of the Eleventh Judicial 
District.
  Mr. Baumgarten has shared his expertise with colleagues as a lecturer 
on the subject of firearms and firearms legislation at the New York 
City Police Academy, and on the subject of appeals at the Queens County 
Bar Association and at Hofstra University School of Law.
  In January 1974, Mr. Baumgarten was appointed Deputy to the Mayor 
with responsibility for programs and policies involving the Criminal 
Justice System, the Midtown Enforcement Project, gun control 
legislation, the Correction Department and many other matters. His 
expertise has made him a popular guest on many local and network radio 
and television programs including ABC News and the McNeil-Leherer 
Report. His successes were recently recognized by former Mayor Giuliani 
at a ceremony to celebrate the revitalization of Times Square. The 
Mayor credited Mr. Baumgarten with closing more than 200 illegal 
establishments during his tenure as head of Midtown enforcement.
  Currently, Mr. Baumgarten is President of Spectral BioScience Corp, a 
company specializing in advanced medical devices and serves as Board 
Chairman of the East Side Chamber of Commerce and Chairman Emeritus of 
New York Therapeutic Communities, Inc. He continues to lead and serve 
my community, tirelessly working towards the betterment of the quality 
of life for New York City residents and, indeed, all Americans.
  In recognition of these outstanding contributions, I ask my 
colleagues to join me in honoring Sidney Baumgarten for his outstanding 
service and dedication to the Military and the City of New York.

                          ____________________