[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 161 (Wednesday, December 8, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Page S8638]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                      REMEMBERING RICHARD GOLDMAN

 Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, it is with a heavy heart that I ask 
my colleagues to join me today in honoring the memory of Richard 
Goldman, a visionary philanthropist and extraordinary civic leader. 
Richard was a successful businessman whose dedication to his global 
community improved the lives of millions. Richard passed away 
peacefully at his home in San Francisco on November 29, 2010. He was 90 
years old.
  Richard Goldman was born on April 16, 1920, in San Francisco, CA. He 
grew up just down the street from his future wife, Rhoda Haas. Richard 
attended the University of California at Berkeley before serving 4 
years in the U.S. Armed Forces. In 1946, Richard returned to San 
Francisco and shortly thereafter reconnected with Rhoda, a descendant 
of Levi Strauss, who served on the board of directors of both the 
apparel company and the Levi Strauss Foundation. Richard and Rhoda were 
married within the year.
  In 1949, Richard founded Goldman Insurance Services, a major San 
Francisco brokerage firm that was sold to Willis Insurance in 2001. In 
1951, Goldman and his wife Rhoda Haas Goldman created the Goldman Fund, 
which has since then given more that half a billion dollars to a range 
of philanthropic causes in the bay area, nationally, and 
internationally. The Goldman Fund recently made a $10,000,000 grant to 
the San Francisco Symphony and a $3,600,000 grant to the Golden Gate 
National Parks Conservancy for the restoration of Lands End, a 1.6-mile 
coastal hiking trail with views of the Golden Gate Bridge and the Marin 
Headlands. The Goldmans focused their philanthropic efforts on the 
arts, cultural institutions, Jewish affairs, and of course, the 
environment.
  As an expression of their lifelong commitment to environmental 
protection, Richard and Rhoda launched the Goldman Prize in 1990. Each 
year, up to seven individuals from each of the six inhabited 
continental regions of the world are selected to receive the $150,000 
prize. Goldman Environmental Prize winners are announced each year in 
April, to coincide with Earth Day. Recipients participate in a 10-day 
tour of San Francisco and Washington, DC; an award ceremony in each 
city; and many opportunities to meet with elected and environmental 
leaders, news media, and other dignitaries. In addition to financial 
support, the prize provides invaluable opportunities for prize winners 
to raise awareness about the issue they are combating, and attract 
worldwide visibility for the work they're doing to address it. The 
prize has always been intended to honor grassroots environmental heroes 
who are involved in local efforts to protect the world's precious 
natural resources.
  Richard and Rhoda created an environmental legacy that has reached 
all corners of the globe. The Goldman Prize has been awarded to a range 
of activists around the world from Swaziland to Romania, working on 
issues from shark finning to uranium mining. It has become the world's 
largest prize program for grassroots environmental activists, 
attracting intense international media attention. The Goldman 
Environmental Prize has a lasting impact; recipients continue their 
work long after the award ceremonies have ended and the public 
spotlight has dimmed. Many have gone on to win election or appointment 
to public office or to expand the reach and impact of their work in 
other ways. The 1991 Goldman Prize winner from Africa, Wangari Maathai, 
became the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize. In 2004, 
Ms. Matthai won the Nobel for her dedication to the environment, human 
rights, and peace.

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