[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 101 (Thursday, June 21, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Page S8225]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                     TRIBUTE TO JUDGE RALPH BURNETT

 Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, today I honor the memory of the 
Honorable Ralph M. Burnett, a Maryland district court judge and a 
pioneer in the fight against prostate cancer. He was an exemplary 
citizen of our State, and his contributions to the Maryland judicial 
system and the advocacy groups he worked with will not be forgotten. On 
May 9, 2007, Judge Burnett died from complications related to prostate 
cancer at the age of 64.
  Judge Burnett was born in 1943 in Seneca Falls, NY. After graduating 
from St. Paul's High School in 1961, he earned a bachelor's degree from 
Dickinson College in 1965. A Vietnam veteran, Judge Burnett was 
stationed in Korea as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army until 1969. 
After returning to America, he enrolled in the Baltimore School of Law, 
where he received his law degree in 1972.
  Judge Burnett began his private practice in Oakland, MD, in 1972 and 
he lived in the Oakland area until his passing. He served as Garrett 
County's State attorney from 1974 until 1978, and in December 1993, he 
was appointed as an associate district court judge for Garrett County 
by then-Maryland Governor William Donald Schaefer. Judge Burnett was a 
member of the executive committee of the Maryland Judicial Conference 
and served on the editorial board of Justice Matters until his death.
  After being diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1996, Judge Burnett 
became a devoted advocate and tenacious leader for the prostate cancer 
community. In 1997, he was elected to the board of the National 
Prostate Cancer Coalition, NPCC, and served as chairman of the 
organization from 1999 until 2001. Under Judge Burnett's leadership, 
the National Prostate Cancer Coalition tripled in size during his 
tenure. After stepping down as chairman, Judge Burnett remained active 
as a member of the board and continued to pursue patient rights and 
greater treatment options for men with prostate cancer.
  Judge Burnett was an advocate for Johns Hopkins University's 
Specialized Program of Research Excellence, SPORE, and also served on 
Department of Defense, DOD, research panels. As a member of the DOD 
Prostate Cancer Research Program Integration Panel, Judge Burnett 
worked to find the best ways to leverage the Department's investment in 
prostate cancer research. He was also a committed member of the 
Consortium Panel of the Congressionally Directed Medical Research 
Program, which discovered the lethal phenotype that causes prostate 
cancer.
  Mr. President, I ask my colleagues to join me in extending 
condolences to Judge Burnett's family and friends and in expressing 
appreciation for his life of community service and his commitment to 
prostate cancer research.

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