[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 23 (Thursday, February 6, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Page S818]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                  REMEMBERING ARTHUR ``ART'' ORTENBERG

 Mr. BAUCUS. Mr. President, today I wish to remember the life 
of a dear friend of mine, and Montana's, Art Ortenberg.
  Art grew up in Newark, NJ, the son of a Russian upholsterer father 
and a Polish seamstress mother. As a boy, Art lived across the street 
from a public library, where he spent countless hours devouring its 
offerings. The local library was a second home to Art. It gave him the 
chance to expand his horizons and dream of opportunities and lives that 
he had never before imagined.
  Art, with his wife of almost 50 years, Liz Claiborne, built a Fortune 
500 fashion empire--the first to be headed by a woman. Art was utterly 
devoted to Liz. They were deeply in love and they were inseparable. 
Together, they made high fashion affordable and revolutionized the 
fashion industry. While Art and Liz may be known for their exploits in 
the fashion world, Montanans know, and love, them for their unassuming 
generosity and deep sense of community.
  Art and Liz first came to Montana seeking a respite from the rigors 
of the business world in Montana's wide-open spaces. Once there, they 
made Montana their home.
  Art and Liz loved Montana as deeply as any Montanan. And, as John 
Steinbeck famously recognized, it's difficult to analyze love when you 
are in it. To Art, the slow, switchbacking country highway on the way 
to his Triple 8 Ranch was ``a glorious, intoxicating drive,'' the road 
``traversing [the] landscape in serpentine coils.''
  I don't think anyone has so lovingly described Route 279's slow crawl 
over the Continental Divide, and it shows the depth of Art's affection 
for Montana.
  But Art's deep love for Montana didn't stop at mere admiration for 
our outdoors--it spawned action. Indeed, Art and Liz were 
philanthropists in the true sense of the word: They loved the people 
and communities of Montana. They adopted Montana as their home, and 
they gave generously of their time, their energy, and their resources.
  Art and Liz wanted to open doors for young Montanans in the way that 
the local library did for Art. Together, they started preschools and 
music programs in small mountain towns, saved local libraries from 
closure, and loaned money to a local timber mill so that it could make 
downpayments on new equipment. They encouraged our young people to take 
pride in their hometowns through the Montana Heritage Project, 
fostering a sense of community in a generation of students.
  Art and Liz recognized the importance of providing our young people 
with an opportunity to dream and grow, just like that Newark library 
had done for Art.
  Art and Liz also cared deeply about conservation, funding projects to 
restore the Blackfoot River, reintroduce endangered species, and 
conserve valuable habitat and public lands. They recognized that 
Montana's public lands are our greatest assets and the importance of 
preserving our outdoor heritage for future generations.
  As Art once said, ``What we do here matters.'' He knew that few are 
as fortunate as he and Liz had been. Art and Liz gave to Montana's 
communities generously and quietly. They sought to leave the world a 
better place than they found it, and they pursued this goal without 
pretension. In fact, Art and Liz could often be found down at the 
Windbag Saloon in Helena, quietly eating cheeseburgers in an old 
frontier brothel.
  Liz is buried at the Triple 8 Ranch in Montana, in an unmarked 
gravesite in a ``Liz Red'' urn. Art planned to be buried next to her, 
returning to rest in the State where they both gave so much to so many. 
I know he will be missed.
 Mr. TESTER. Mr. President, today I wish to honor the life and 
legacy of Arthur ``Art'' Ortenberg, an apparel manufacturer and 
conservationist, who passed away yesterday in New York City.
  Art and his late wife, designer Liz Claiborne, founded Liz Claiborne 
in 1976. After incredible early success, the company went public and 
soon appeared on the Fortune 500 list of America's biggest industrial 
firms.
  Fourteen years after the creation of Liz Claiborne, Art and Liz 
retired from day-to-day management of their fashion company and chose 
to start a foundation dedicated to conservation. The Liz Claiborne and 
Art Ortenberg Foundation supports projects in the United States, 
Europe, and Central and South America, but their main focus is on 
Africa. To this day, the foundation continues to support efforts to 
save the jaguar, the tiger, and the African elephant.
  Art also had a particular passion for the American West, spending 
much of his time over the past 25 years on his ranch in Condon, MT. Art 
and Liz provided assistance to the Seeley Lake Elementary School, 
helped Pyramid Lumber in Seeley Lake convert to a more efficient mill 
operation, and supported public radio, Humanities Montana, the Canyon 
Creek Fire Department, the Helena Public Library, and the Montana 
Wildlife Federation.
  As we bid farewell to Art, we recognize that he was a true pioneer 
for the fashion industry and a leader in the conservation community.
  My thoughts and prayers are with Art's partner, Cathy Horyn; his son, 
Neil; daughter, Nancy; stepson, Alexander Schultz; and all of his 
family and many friends.

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