[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 69 (Monday, May 23, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1060]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         IN HONOR AND REMEMBRANCE OF AMBASSADOR MILTON A. WOLF

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. DENNIS J. KUCINICH

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, May 23, 2005

  Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor and remembrance of 
Milton Wolf, a friend and a great leader in the Greater Cleveland 
community and around the world. Ambassador Wolf led a multifaceted life 
that included time as a soldier, meteorologist, educator, real estate 
developer, fund-raiser, philanthropist, humanitarian, peacemaker, and 
family man. He grew up in Cleveland's Glenville neighborhood, the son 
of Cleveland policeman Sam Wolf and his wife Sylvia. His father worked 
for a time as a vice detective under Eliot Ness, then the Cleveland 
safety director.
  The outbreak of World War II coincided with Milton's graduation from 
Glenville High School. Young Milton enlisted right away into the Army 
Air Corps where he served as a meteorologist. Upon his return from the 
war, he resumed his studies, ultimately earning his doctorate in 
economics from Case Western Reserve University. His early career 
focused on real estate development, but he also became interested in 
politics and raised money for political campaigns, including Jimmy 
Carter's successful presidential race in 1976. In 1977, President 
Carter appointed him as ambassador to Austria, a post he kept until 
1980. During his service there, he received Austria's Great Gold Medal 
of Honor with Sash for ``most distinguished and successful contribution 
toward the enrichment of Austro-American relations.'' Ambassador Wolf 
played a key role in arranging details of the meeting in Vienna between 
President Carter and Soviet President Leonid Brezhnev, for the signing 
of the Salt II Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty. Ambassador Wolf was 
decorated in 1997 with the Austrian Cross of Honor for Science and Art 
First Class in recognition of his scholarly work in economics, his 
strong ties to the diplomatic community and his philanthropic 
activities.
  Ambassador Wolf was strongly committed to local and international 
institutions. He recently made major endowments to Cleveland Clinic's 
heart center and to a faculty chair at Cleveland State University. He 
served as chairman of the board of trustees of the Ohio State 
University where he oversaw the university's $500 million investment 
program in the early 1990s. He served on the boards of the Jewish 
Community Federation of Cleveland, Case Western Reserve University, the 
Cleveland Orchestra, the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, and the Mount 
Sinai Medical Center. Ambassador Wolf also served as chairman of the 
Council of American Ambassadors, governor of the United Nations 
Association of the United States of America, and member of the board of 
directors of the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy at Georgetown 
University. He served as president of the American Jewish Joint 
Distribution Committee, overseeing $70 million in assistance for needy 
Jews and others in more than 50 countries. In 1994, the committee 
honored him with its Raoul Wallenberg International Humanitarian Award.
  Ambassador Milton A. Wolf will be greatly missed in Greater Cleveland 
and around the world. He was preceded in death by his wife of 53 years, 
Roslyn. Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in honoring and 
remembering Ambassador Wolf. Please also join me as I offer my deep 
condolences to his son, Leslie, his daughters Caryn, Nancy, and Sherri, 
his brother Sanford, his five grandchildren, and his extended family 
and many friends.

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