[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 6 (Wednesday, January 18, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E36]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING ROBERT ABRAMSON

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. LYNN C. WOOLSEY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, January 18, 2012

  Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor an old friend and 
personal hero, Robert Abramson of Cotati, CA, who turned 88 last month. 
Bob and his wife Barbara traveled the world for 17 years in connection 
with his work for the United Nations and the World Bank and were later 
active leaders in the United Nations Association of Sonoma County.
  Born in San Francisco, Bob earned his BA in Sociology and Philosophy 
followed by an MA degree in Social Welfare at UC Berkeley. As a pilot 
in the Air Force in World War II, he flew 27 missions over Japan and 
earned the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal Oak Leaf 
Cluster.
  While at a Cessna aircraft factory in Kansas, Bob met local girl 
Barbara, and they married in 1945. The couple lived in the Bay Area for 
several years while Bob, with his social welfare background, worked as 
a parole agent. During this time, he was introduced to a program at the 
University of Southern California that led to him setting up classes in 
management training in Pakistan and Bangladesh.
  The United Nations recognized his special talents in this field, and 
he embarked on a career teaching management training internationally to 
government officials who needed to work together to help their 
countries thrive in a rapidly changing world. Barbara frequently 
traveled as his aide, learning the niceties of social icebreakers in a 
large variety of cultures, including Bangladesh, New Guinea, Sri Lanka, 
Uganda, and Brunei.
  ``Since Bob spoke only English fluently, we worked in former British 
colonies,'' says Barbara. ``The colonials had kept the people in menial 
jobs, and Bob trained them in modern methods of governance.'' He was 
committed to ensuring that the new leaders of fledgling democracies had 
the skills to run their countries for the benefit of their people.
  Bob was also a Professor of Public Administration at the University 
of Pittsburgh where he trained leaders in U.S. agencies that worked 
abroad.
  The U.N. had a mandatory retirement age of 65, but Bob continued to 
take short-term work assignments for a number of years. The couple 
retired to the Bay Area where their best friends lived in Sonoma 
County. Twenty-two years ago, they settled in Sonoma themselves and 
became active in the United Nations Association of Sonoma County, a 
group whose purpose is to build public understanding and support for 
the United Nations and to foster constructive U.S. leadership to make 
the U.N. more effective. Bob served as President for four years and 
Membership Chair for many more (``because he has a good head for 
details,'' according to Barbara).
  The Abramsons have two children and two grandchildren. Daughter Julie 
lives in southern California, and son Bruce lives in Healdsburg. 
Growing up, the children lived in different countries with their 
parents and experienced a broad view of global culture.
  Mr. Speaker, I admire Robert Abramson's respect for different 
cultures and the passion he conveys for demonstrating that the path to 
peace is to engage cooperatively with other countries. His work and his 
volunteerism have exemplified the best of this approach. Please join me 
in honoring him on this special occasion.

                          ____________________