[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 29 (Tuesday, March 9, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E325]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               HONORING HERBERT KURZ ON HIS 84TH BIRTHDAY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ROSA L. DeLAURO

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, March 9, 2004

  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise today 
to join the many family and friends who have gathered to extend my very 
best wishes to a man whose lifetime of accomplishments are a true 
reflection of what a business and community leader should be--Herbert 
Kurz--as he celebrates his 84th birthday.
  He has dedicated both his professional and personal life to the 
betterment of his community and to the promotion of equality for all 
Americans. Herb once told me his faith was in human beings and he has 
spent a lifetime honoring that faith. His success, both as a 
businessman and activist, has been based on this mantra and through his 
good work he has made a real difference in the lives of many.
  Chairman and CEO of Presidential Life Insurance Company of Nyack, New 
York, Herb has combined a shrewd business sense and responsible 
business conscience to make his business successful and achieve 
national renown. Honored at the White House Conference on Corporate 
Citizenship in 1996, Presidential Life has long been known for its 
commitment to hiring both women and minorities. When he started his 
business forty years ago, Herb made it a practice to give the first 
chance at a position to a qualified minority person. In a time when 
women and minorities had difficulty in securing a place in the business 
world, Herb opened the doors of opportunity to hundreds--a practice 
which he continues today.
  In addition to his role in building a business that is open-minded in 
its employment and conservative in its protection of its shareholders 
investments, Herb's true passion has been as a community leader and 
social activist.
  It is a passion that began in his teenage years when he helped 
organize a union of hotel and restaurant workers in the Catskills and 
was re-invigorated upon his return from his service in the United 
States Air Force during World War II when a very personal experience 
changed his life.
  Herb's uncle, Frederic Ewen, was a popular professor of English at 
Brooklyn College. Professor Ewen's commitment to the freedom of 
thought, as well as his political activism during the 1930s, led to his 
becoming a victim of the academic witch-hunts of the McCarthy Era. When 
he refused to cooperate with the House UnAmerican Activities Committee 
in 1952, Professor Ewen was forced to resign his position and was 
subsequently blacklisted. It was his uncle's tragic experience that led 
Herb to become one of our nation's leading philanthropists in support 
of civil liberties. In fact, just four years ago, he established the 
Frederic Ewen Academic Freedom Collection at New York University. The 
collection, the first of its kind in the United States, focuses on the 
rights of teachers and research workers to investigate their subjects 
of expertise without fear of reprimand or dismissal and the right to 
provide students and the entire academic community with knowledge and 
information pertaining to any controversial social, economic, or 
political issue without interference or penalty.
  Herb has spent over half his life making a difference in the lives of 
others. Whether supporting the arts, speaking out against bigotry, 
enhancing a community hospital for the entire community, or channeling 
his anger at government corruption into electoral action, Herb's 
compassion and leadership have left an indelible mark on his community 
and our nation. For his endless contributions and uncompromising 
spirit, I am proud to stand today to join his wife, Edythe; his 
children, Leonard and Ellen; his grandchildren Tommy and Sophie, family 
and friends to pay tribute to my dear friend, Herbert Kurz. Happy 84th 
birthday!

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