[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 137 (Wednesday, November 12, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1539-E1540]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      HONORING PETER ANDREAS SZEGO

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. ZOE LOFGREN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 12, 2014

  Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, I rise with my colleagues, Congress members 
Anna Eshoo and Mike Honda, to recognize the impact of Mr. Peter Andreas 
Szego's lifelong involvement in the life of our community. We would 
like to express our deep sadness over his passing on September 28, 
2014, in San Jose at the age of 89.

[[Page E1540]]

   To escape Hitler's Germany, Mr. Szego immigrated to the United 
States with his family in 1934. After he started his studies at 
Stanford University, his education was interrupted in 1944 when he 
entered the U.S. Army to serve in Europe as a dental technician until 
1946. After WWII, Mr. Szego returned to the United States to finish 
college, undertake course work toward a Ph.D., and teach at Rice 
University, Houston, Texas, and Santa Clara University.
   Around this time, Mr. Szego began his life-long activism for civil 
rights, justice, peace, and many political campaigns for candidates who 
stood for these causes. After doing research for over a decade and 
while continuing to work and publish in applied mathematics, Mr. Szego 
left engineering to join the staff to Mr. Dan McCorquodale, the Santa 
Clara County Supervisor at the time. Among other things, in 1963, Mr. 
Szego joined an interracial group to take part in the March on 
Washington. Additionally, Mr. Szego served as an advisor to U.S. 
Representative Phil Burton on the issue of drafting fair political 
districts long before computer programs were used to draw boundaries.
   After his retirement from the Legislature in 1991, Mr. Szego 
continued to work even harder to improve the lives of people of all 
races, backgrounds and ages, both on the local and national levels. In 
fact, in recognition of his numerous years of dedicated volunteer 
service, Mr. Szego received the AARP's highest state honor, the 
California Percy Andrus Award for Community Service. Deservedly, in 
May, 2014, Mr. Szego received the Santa Clara County Democratic Party 
Don Edwards Lifetime Achievement Award.
   We join Mr. Szego's family, colleagues, and our community to express 
our heartfelt sense of loss. Mr. Szego's service leaves our world a 
better place, and he will be dearly missed.

                          ____________________