[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 172 (Tuesday, December 21, 2010)]
[House]
[Page H8917]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           TRIBUTE TO THE LATE REPRESENTATIVE STEPHEN SOLARZ

  (Mr. ENGEL asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. ENGEL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak in honor of my friend 
and colleague, Stephen Solarz, who passed away last month.
  When I first came to Congress in 1989, Congressman Solarz was already 
a respected Member of this body. He was a senior member of the Foreign 
Affairs Committee and an inspiration to me as I joined that committee. 
I enjoyed his advice and counsel. I remember he sat on the top rung of 
the committee, and that is where I am sitting today.
  His speeches on the floor were the kind that made his colleagues stop 
what they were doing and listen. He was a foreign affairs guru to many 
of us, and the world will miss his knowledge and expertise.
  I remember the dinners he and his wife, Nina, hosted at their home. 
Among the luminaries I met at these dinners was Abba Eban, the former 
foreign minister and U.N. ambassador of Israel.
  Together, we shared the determination to protect America's 
relationship with Israel. We both understood that the U.S. must 
continue to engage on issues of importance around the world.
  Like me, Congressman Solarz was a product of New York City's public 
schools. He emerged from humble beginnings to earn his law degree from 
Columbia, and later became one of the most influential Members of 
Congress. We each shared the passion for public service, and I know 
that I will truly miss his advice and his friendship. I consider myself 
lucky to have known him all these years.
  My heart goes out to his wife, Nina, their children Randy and Lisa, 
and his mother, Ruth. The rest of the country, and certainly the U.S. 
House of Representatives, mourns with them.

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