[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 51 (Friday, April 8, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E672]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       A TRIBUTE TO LESLIE LEWIS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. EDOLPHUS TOWNS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, April 8, 2011

  Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay honor and tribute to 
Leslie Lewis, who has been a resident of Brooklyn since 1982 and has 
served as the President of the 84th Precinct Community Council for 
nearly two decades.
  Mr. Lewis's current duties are to serve as a liaison between his 
local NYPD Precinct and the Brooklyn community. Every day, Leslie Lewis 
works tirelessly to communicate the concerns and complaints of my 
constituents to the district attorney's office and the police. Without 
his efforts, the people of my district would lack a critical element in 
the fight against crime and for a better quality of life.
  In addition to his recent work in Brooklyn, Mr. Lewis played a behind 
the scenes role in one of the most iconic events of the Cold War. In 
the 1950s and 1960s, drawing on his experience in the exposition 
business, Leslie Lewis set up the famous U.S.-Soviet cultural exchange 
programs with the assistance of the U.S. Information Agency. This 
project included the famous ``Kitchen Debate'' between Richard Nixon 
and Nikita Khrushchev inside a model of a ``typical'' American kitchen.
  Leslie Lewis is also responsible for the concept of ``Job Power,'' 
developed as a way to bring employers and urban minorities together. 
His plan was pitched to the Department of Labor, and he received the 
thanks of President Nixon for his ideas. Mr. Lewis's concept evolved 
into the modern day job fair, a now commonly used method to bring job 
seekers and employers together.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize Leslie Lewis for his 
extraordinary accomplishments and his commitment.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to 
Leslie Lewis.

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