[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 70 (Tuesday, June 6, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1018]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        IN MEMORY OF PERRY BASS

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. MICHAEL C. BURGESS

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 6, 2006

  Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to give tribute to Mr. Perry 
Bass of Fort Worth, Texas, for his lifelong contributions to his 
community and to his fellow citizens.
  Born in Wichita Falls, TX, on November 11, 1914, Mr. Bass attended 
prep school in Pennsylvania and in 1937 received a science degree, 
specializing in geology, from Yale University. Mr. Perry died the 
morning of Thursday, June 1, 2006, at the age of 91.
  Mr. Bass began his career in the legendary oil fields of Texas, where 
he worked with his uncle beginning in the 1930s. In 1942 Perry Bass 
joined the armed services as a naval architect designing torpedo boats 
before later continuing his career in oil and gas.
  Perry Bass's professional exploits are only a small part of his life-
long success. Throughout his career Mr. Bass and his family donated 
generously to a wide variety of charities, learning institutions, the 
arts and hospitals. As a former chairman of the Texas Parks and 
Wildlife Commission, he championed a law to preserve the population of 
redfish and spotted sea trout in the Texas coastal waters and worked to 
preserve the natural beauty of the State of Texas.
  The Bass family's investments have changed the landscape of downtown 
Fort Worth, transforming aging and often-vacant buildings into trendy 
restaurants, hotels and clubs, all anchored by the $65 million Nancy 
Lee and Perry R. Bass Performance Hall.
  He was a dedicated civic pioneer and outspoken philanthropist, and it 
was my honor to know him and to now represent part of the great city of 
Fort Worth that he helped develop into one of the best places to live 
in the United States. He leaves behind a legacy of generosity and 
encouraged others do to the same. His wife, Nancy, and four sons, Sid, 
Lee, Edward and Robert, have continued that legacy of philanthropy and 
public works. I extend my deepest sympathies to his family and friends. 
He will be deeply missed and his service to his community will always 
be greatly appreciated.

                          ____________________