[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 116 (Wednesday, August 1, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1384]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  IN RECOGNITION OF THE CAREER AND ACHIEVEMENTS OF SEYMOUR S. LEVANDER

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. GARY L. ACKERMAN

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, August 1, 2012

  Mr. ACKERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the exceptional 
achievements and outstanding career of Seymour S. Levander. Sy, as his 
friends and family know him, will turn 89 years old later this year, is 
a beloved father and grandfather. Sy, the son of immigrant refugees 
from Europe, began his version of the American Dream growing up in the 
Bronx, graduating from James Madison High School in 1941. He continued 
his academic studies at Cooper Union University, graduating in 1944 and 
teaching electrical engineering there for a short time.
  Sy then started designing and selling equipment for the building 
trade, which was booming at that time in post-war America. In the 
1950s, Sy, seeing an opportunity, struck out on his own and started his 
own business which he owned and ran until he sold the firm at the age 
of 66 at his wife Ellenore's request. However, retirement didn't take 
with Sy, and he continued to work. At the tender young age of 71, he 
started a new engineering and sales firm with younger partners where he 
continues his storied career in the construction industry to this day, 
still going in to work at age 88. Sy's knowledge, work ethic, and old-
fashioned integrity are the stuff of legend in the industry. Over the 
years, he has been honored several times by ASHRAE, the nationwide 
building technology society, as well as other industry organizations.
  Sy has also been a terrific community leader and a fighter for the 
underdog throughout his life. Through his businesses and a lifetime of 
charitable endeavors, he has created opportunities for people from all 
walks of life and backgrounds. In addition, he and his beloved wife 
Ellenore, who unfortunately passed away this year after 67 years of 
marriage, were founders of the Pelham Jewish Center, which has been a 
primary focus of his energies and care for many years.
  Mr. Speaker, while he has many achievements to his name, Sy is most 
proud of his two children, a doctor and a lawyer; his daughter-in-law, 
an architect; and his four grandchildren, who are, respectively, the 
first trumpet for the San Francisco Opera and a music professor at 
Berkley, a doctor interning at Stony Brook University Medical Center, a 
law student and Human Rights Fellow at Columbia University Law School, 
and a rising junior at Dartmouth College. I ask all of our colleagues 
to rise and join me in honoring Seymour S. Levander.

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