[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 14 (Tuesday, February 1, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Page S407]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                        TRIBUTE TO JACK LaLANNE

 Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I ask my colleagues to join me in 
honoring the memory of Jack LaLanne, a fitness pioneer who inspired 
generations of Americans to exercise regularly and eat healthily. Mr. 
LaLanne passed away on January 23rd at his home in Morro Bay, CA. He 
was 96 years old.
  Francois Henri LaLanne was born in San Francisco on September 26, 
1914, and was nicknamed ``Jack'' by his brother. He spent his early 
years in Bakersfield before his family moved to Oakland.
  As a child, Jack was a self-described sugar addict who had an 
affinity for junk food. At the age of 15, he heard a lecture on healthy 
living by nutritionist Paul Bragg at the Oakland Women's City Club that 
would change his life. Inspired by the lecture to become healthier and 
more fit, Jack developed a zeal for physical fitness and good nutrition 
that he would later pass on to millions of people in America and around 
the world.
  In 1936, he opened the Jack LaLanne Physical Cultural Studio in 
downtown Oakland. Mr. LaLanne's devotion to help others adopt healthier 
exercise and eating habits was apparent as he would often call his 
clients at home to check why they had missed scheduled workouts. His 
reputation as a fitness enthusiast grew quickly.
  In 1952, he began hosting a morning workout show on a local 
television station. The Jack LaLanne Show was especially appealing to 
children who he encouraged to exercise with their parents. The 
television show was eventually syndicated and ran for 34 years in the 
United States and Europe.
  Mr. LaLanne's rise to prominence came during a time when many people 
doubted the benefits of regular exercise and a healthy diet. To 
overcome this skepticism, he participated in a series of public 
demonstrations to prove the positive impacts of his teachings. At age 
40, he swam from Alcatraz to San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf while 
towing a 2,000-pound cabin cruiser. At 60, he swam the Golden Gate 
Channel while handcuffed and shackled and towing a 1,000-pound boat. At 
70, he towed a flotilla of 70 boats for a mile in Long Beach Harbor, 
once again, handcuffed and shackled.
  A man with an unparalleled fervor for healthy living and an 
appreciation for life that was an inspiration to so many over the 
years, Mr. LaLanne accomplished his goal of getting people of all ages 
and from all walks of life to adopt a more active and healthy 
lifestyle. He will be missed.
  I send my deepest sympathies to his family, especially to his wife of 
51 years Elaine, daughter Yvonne, son Jon, and stepson Dan 
Doyle.

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