[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 55 (Tuesday, April 17, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E552]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 HONORING THE LIFE OF NATHAN BENDERSON

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BRIAN HIGGINS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 17, 2012

  Mr. HIGGINS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the extraordinary 
life and legacy of Nathan Benderson, the Chairman of the Benderson 
Development Company, who recently passed away at the age of 94.
  Born in Buffalo in 1917, Nathan Benderson was a true visionary who 
leveraged a bottle-salvaging company he created in the midst of the 
Great Depression as a teenager into one of the Nation's largest 
privately held real estate companies. Mr. Benderson personified the 
American ideal of ingenuity and coupled that with an unwavering 
commitment to charity.
  The Benderson Development Company, founded six decades ago in 
Buffalo, is now among the largest and most diverse developers in the 
Nation. During that time, Nate Benderson helped transform the real-
estate landscape in western New York, constructing many retail plazas 
and office buildings that still exist today. The company's holdings 
include shopping centers and malls, office buildings, industrial space, 
hotels, and raw land. In all, the company owns and manages roughly 500 
properties--35 million square feet in 38 States--and employs more than 
8,000.
  Even with all of his achievements and successes as a real estate 
magnate, Nathan Benderson will be remembered for his indelible 
commitment to philanthropy. In addition to his work at the development 
company, Mr. Benderson was a tireless humanitarian who supported an 
array of causes, including Jewish-related charities, those that helped 
the poor and the frail elderly, and animal rescue organizations in 
Florida and New York.
  Mr. Benderson created a $2 million endowment for programs at 
Buffalo's Johnnie B. Wiley Amateur Sports Complex and was a major 
benefactor for Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo Zoo, SPCA Serving 
Erie County, Variety Club, Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Food Bank of 
Western New York and Center for Hospice and Palliative Care.
  The breadth and depth of Mr. Benderson's generosity are on a scale 
that is unmatched in western New York. Even after his death, Mr. 
Benderson's charitable work will continue through the Benderson Family 
Life Insurance Legacy Initiative, a foundation he created which has in 
excess of $130 million in assets to support numerous organizations well 
into the future.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask that you join with me and with members of the 
House to express our deepest condolences to the family of the late 
Nathan Benderson, and join with me in lauding the many good works Mr. 
Benderson performed during his long and full life.

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