[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 158 (Monday, December 12, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Page S13455]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  COMMEMORATING THE LIFE, ACHIEVEMENTS, AND CONTRIBUTIONS OF ALAN A. 
                                 REICH

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
Judiciary Committee be discharged from and the Senate proceed to the 
consideration of S. Res. 321.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The clerk 
will state the resolution by title.
  The bill clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 321) commemorating the life, 
     achievements, and contributions of Alan A. Reich.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motion to 
reconsider be laid upon the table.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 321) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 321

       Whereas Alan Reich devoted his life to civic involvement 
     and efforts to improve the quality of life for individuals 
     with disabilities;
       Whereas Alan Reich was born in Pearl River, New York, was a 
     well-respected and beloved member of his family, and served 
     as an inspirational figure in the disability community;
       Whereas Alan Reich--
       (1) graduated from Dartmouth College in 1952, where he was 
     an all-American track and field athlete;
       (2) received a Master's degree in Russian literature from 
     Middlebury College in 1953;
       (3) was awarded a diploma in Slavic languages and Eastern 
     European studies from the University of Oxford;
       (4) received an M.B.A. from Harvard University in 1959; and
       (5) was a brilliant linguist who spoke 5 languages;
       Whereas Alan Reich served in the Army from 1953 to 1957 as 
     an infantry officer and Russian language interrogation 
     officer in Germany, and was named as a member of the United 
     States Army Infantry Officer Candidate School Hall of Fame;
       Whereas Alan Reich married Gay Forsythe Reich, and shared 
     with her 50 years of marriage and a deep commitment to each 
     other and their three children, James, Jeffery, and 
     Elizabeth;
       Whereas from 1960 to 1970, Alan Reich was employed as an 
     executive at Polaroid Corporation when, at age 32, he became 
     a quadriplegic due to a swimming accident, and used a 
     wheelchair as a result of his injury;
       Whereas although Alan Reich was told he would not drive or 
     write again, he relearned both skills and returned to work at 
     Polaroid Corporation;
       Whereas Alan Reich--
       (1) served in the Department of State from 1970 to 1975 as 
     a Deputy Assistant Secretary for Educational and Cultural 
     Affairs;
       (2) later served as Director of the Bureau of East-West 
     Trade for the Department of Commerce;
       (3) was named the President of the United States Council 
     for the International Year of Disabled Persons in 1978; and
       (4) was the first person to address the United Nations 
     General Assembly from a wheelchair when the United Nations 
     opened the International Year of the Disabled in 1981;
       Whereas in 1982, Alan Reich transformed the Council for the 
     International Year of Disabled Persons into the National 
     Organization on Disability, an organization that actively 
     seeks on national, State, and local levels full and equal 
     participation for individuals with disabilities in all 
     aspects of life;
       Whereas Alan Reich--
       (1) founded the Bimillennium Foundation in 1984 to 
     encourage national leaders to set goals aimed at improving 
     the lives of people with disabilities for the year 2000;
       (2) served as past Chairman of the People-to-People 
     Committee on Disability; and
       (3) worked to advance research in regeneration of the 
     central nervous system as Chairman of the Paralysis Cure 
     Research Foundation and as President of the National 
     Paraplegia Foundation;
       Whereas Alan Reich, who used a wheelchair for 43 years, led 
     an effort that raised $1,650,000 to add the statue of 
     Franklin Delano Roosevelt in a wheelchair to the memorial of 
     the former President in Washington, D.C.;
       Whereas Alan Reich stated in 2001, ``The unveiling is a 
     major national moment, the removal of the shroud of shame 
     that cloaks disability. The statue will become a shrine to 
     people with disabilities, but it will also inspire everyone 
     to overcome obstacles. When you see the memorial that follows 
     the statue, what will be in your mind is that he did all this 
     from a wheelchair.'';
       Whereas in July 2005, Alan Reich received the George H.W. 
     Bush Medal, an award established to honor outstanding service 
     under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 
     12101 et seq.);
       Whereas Alan Reich is survived by his wife, partner, and 
     best friend, Gay, their 2 sons James and Jeffery, their 
     daughter Elizabeth, and 11 grandchildren; and
       Whereas Alan Reich passed away on November 8, 2005, 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 
     Alan Reich;
       (2) extends its deepest sympathies to the family of Alan 
     Reich for their loss of this great and generous man; and
       (3) respectfully requests the Secretary of the Senate to 
     transmit a copy of this resolution to the family of Alan 
     Reich.

                          ____________________