[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 9 (Monday, January 23, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Pages S36-S37]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  REMEMBERING CHARLES M. PALLESEN, JR.

 Mr. NELSON of Nebraska. Mr. President, today I wish to pay 
tribute to a good friend who can quite aptly be called a gentleman and 
a scholar, as well as one very likeable person who touched the lives of 
many of my fellow Nebraskans. Charles M. ``Chuck'' Pallesen, Jr., 
passed away on November 26, 2011, at the age of 74.
  First and foremost a loving husband and father, Chuck married his 
college sweetheart, Lorraine Sysel; and two sons, Mike and Ed, together 
with their families, blessed this union. He was also a former Boy 
Scout; a U.S. Army veteran who served in the Judge Advocate General's 
Corps; and a partner for more than 40 years in a successful law 
practice--Cline Williams Wright Johnson & Oldfather, L.L.P.--
specializing in health care and business law.
  Chuck was one of the most active people in civic and political 
matters that I have ever met. He was engaged in the Nebraska efforts of 
every Presidential campaign from John F. Kennedy to Barack Obama. He 
was a key adviser not only to me, but also to former Nebraska Governors 
and Senators Jim Exon and Bob Kerrey.
  Yet Chuck was so much more than his resume. A good friend of his, 
Gerry Finnegan, said recently that:

       Chuck was at his best, both professionally and politically, 
     lodged between disagreeing parties coaxing them to resolve 
     their conflict--a masterful mediator blessed with an innate 
     sense of how much ground each adversary could give and how 
     hard he could push for a resolution.

  This ability, combined with an outgoing personality and a keen eye 
for details, made him invaluable to Senators Exon, Kerrey, and myself.
  Always a very busy guy, Chuck and a colleague, former Judge Samuel 
Van Pelt, Jr., had been in the process of authoring a book about 
Senator Exon. Chuck spoke to me several times, both for and about his 
upcoming book. Those interviews were extremely enjoyable, and I looked 
forward to every opportunity to walk down memory lane and swap stories 
about ``Big Jim,''

[[Page S37]]

one of the greatest Nebraskans to ever serve my home State. Chuck's 
untimely passing has made me look forward even more to reading his 
labor of love when it is published, and when I do, I will be 
remembering not only the great J. James Exon, but Charles Pallesen, 
Jr., as well--on every page and throughout every chapter.
  In closing, Chuck Pallesen was a man who will be missed by all who 
knew him and remembered as an individual who served his community, 
State and country well. A true statesman, we are all the better for 
Chuck's countless contributions, his enthusiasm, his dedication, and 
most of all, his compassion. He was truly a giant among men.

                          ____________________