[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 30 (Friday, February 16, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E386]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   TRIBUTE TO A LIFETIME OF SERVICE BY MR. LESTER FOX OF SOUTH BEND, 
                                INDIANA

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JOE DONNELLY

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, February 16, 2007

  Mr. DONNELLY. Madam Speaker, today I pay tribute to an outstanding 
citizen of South Bend, Indiana, Lester J. Fox, who devoted his life to 
the service of his community. During the 1940's he served as a union 
leader at the Studebaker Corporation which led him to a new career as 
advocate for the unemployed, the elderly and the underserved.
  He became director of Project ABLE in 1963 after the closing of the 
Studebaker plant, the largest employer in South Bend at the time. The 
experimental project developed and implemented a network of services 
for the many unemployed older workers left in the wake of this economic 
disaster.
  With the newly created ``War on Poverty'' in 1965, Fox established 
the Regional Office of Economic Opportunity in Atlanta, Georgia, 
implementing the Economic Opportunity Act in six southeastern states 
over a two year period.
  Fox returned to South Bend to become President and CEO of REAL 
Services, Inc., an organization that assesses the status and needs of 
the older adult population in Saint Joseph County. The agency's role 
was broadened twice, once to include the area Agency on Aging in five 
North Central Indiana counties, administering the Older American's Act 
and legislation related to the aged and disabled, and again in 1990, to 
manage the Community Action Agency serving low-income families.
  Lester Fox has been awarded the Sagamore of the Wabash, the highest 
honor bestowed by governors of Indiana, on four separate occasions by 
four different governors. In 1996, Les was inducted into the South Bend 
Community Hall of Fame.
  Fox has served on numerous boards, has been a member of the White 
House Conference on Aging, and was a Consultant to the U.S. Senate 
Committee on Aging.
  So, today, on behalf of the citizens of northern Indiana, I thank Les 
Fox for his years of unselfish dedication. As he retires from 40 years 
as President of REAL Services, I pay special tribute to a man who 
exemplifies self sacrifice and serves as a role model for us all.