[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 51 (Wednesday, May 3, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3980-S3981]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        REMEMBERING J.A. TIBERTI

  Mr. ENSIGN. Mr. President, I pay tribute to a great Nevadan whose 
passing has saddened me and countless others in my State. I hope my 
colleagues will join me in offering their thoughts and prayers to the 
family of J.A. Tiberti.
  Mr. Tiberti died yesterday. He had called Nevada home since 1941.
  I'm very proud to say J.A. Tiberti was my friend. But he was more 
than that. J.A. Tiberti was nothing less than a deep personal 
inspiration. He embodied a bold, energetic, upbeat entrepreneurial 
spirit. The type of spirit that built Nevada, the West, and this 
country. The type of spirit that inspires and energizes brave thinkers 
and dreamers throughout America, and has done so since our Nation was 
formed.
  Mr. Tiberti leaves behind not only one of the most proud and 
prominent families in Nevada but also a legacy of vision and dreams for 
his community that will last, literally, for generations.
  If you drive anywhere in southern Nevada today, you will see homes, 
businesses, office buildings, and resorts rising out of the desert and 
forming the fastest growing communities in America. These are all 
testaments to the allure of Nevada and the spirit of the people who 
call it home. And on many of those rising structures you will see the 
Tiberti name. It is a testament to a man who dedicated his life to 
helping build his community.

[[Page S3981]]

  Tiberti Construction is one of the most successful and thriving 
businesses in the country. At this moment, hundreds of students are 
pursuing higher education at the University of Nevada Las Vegas within 
walls and under roofs built by Tiberti Construction. The men and women 
of our military are training to defend our country at Nellis Air Force 
Base inside buildings erected by J.A. Tiberti's company.
  J.A. Tiberti's generosity and philanthropic efforts are well known 
and talked about by all who knew him, but never by Mr. Tiberti himself. 
His willingness to donate to causes close to his heart was matched by 
his reluctance to speak of them or try to gain publicity for himself. 
It is remarkable that a man of such success and generosity was also 
blessed with a humility that prevented him from boasting of his 
accomplishments and contributions. I will tell you, as a small example, 
that the alumni center and engineering complex at UNLV exist today 
because of J.A. Tiberti.
  His humble nature was inherited from his parents, hardworking 
immigrants from Italy who lived and worked in a coal mining camp. His 
father went off to work in the mines at 2 a.m., checking for dangerous 
gasses that could put the other workers' lives in danger.
  When J.A. Tiberti began having success in the construction business 
his values never left him. An interviewer once asked him how he had 
achieved success early on and, instead of citing business plans or wise 
investments, J.A. Tiberti said it was honesty and sincerity that laid 
the groundwork for his business.
  Two years ago, J.A. Tiberti was inducted into the Nevada Business 
Hall of Fame. He has served on too many planning commissions, advisory 
boards, finance committees, and professional societies to name here, 
and his commitment to community service was recognized in 1987 when he 
was named Most Distinguished Nevadan.
  Today the Tiberti family is also grounded in those values, and their 
success reflects the hard work and generosity of their patriarch. J.A. 
Tiberti leaves behind six children, 21 grandchildren, and six great-
grandchildren.
  I know they are proud to carry on the Tiberti name and, through our 
sadness over his passing, we Nevadans are proud that he chose our state 
to raise his family and to call home.

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