[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 57 (Thursday, April 14, 2016)]
[House]
[Page H1684]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HONORING STANLEY G. TATE
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from
Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) for 5 minutes.
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a
remarkable individual and one of my oldest and dearest friends, Mr.
Stanley Tate.
A Miami-Dade County native, Stanley Tate has successfully served many
roles in his long life, including businessman, civic leader, and public
servant.
From a young age, Stanley was ambitious and understood the importance
of a solid education. He enrolled in the University of Florida, where
he earned a bachelor's degree, followed by a graduate degree from
Columbia University.
Stanley quickly proved himself to be an intelligent, capable, and
resourceful individual who was willing to work hard to accomplish his
goals.
Not long after school, Stanley founded a general contracting firm,
building private homes and apartment buildings. As a young and driven
newcomer to the industry, Stanley quickly became well known and
respected for his quality work.
Never one to limit himself, Stanley continuously expanded upon his
continued success, starting several other individual firms and entities
that focused on consulting and investments, as well as commercial
development, including office buildings, shopping centers, and
restaurants.
While Stanley was focused on managing his companies, he also made it
a point to be very involved in public service, both locally and on a
national level. He served with the city council of Bay Harbor Islands
in several capacities, including mayor and assistant mayor for 20
years. He was also on the board of directors of the Florida League of
Cities and is a former chairman of the Housing Resource Team for Metro-
Dade County.
Due to his vast knowledge and expertise, Stanley has served as a
witness and testified before committees in both the U.S. House of
Representatives and the United States Senate regarding housing and
banking issues.
In addition, he was appointed by President George Herbert Walker Bush
to be the chairman of the National Advisory Board of the Resolution
Trust Corporation, and was then nominated by President Clinton to be
the president of the RTC.
One of Stanley's strongest positions is one I share. It is the belief
that every family should be provided a way to save for their child's
higher education. His vision became a reality with the Florida Prepaid
College Plan. His tenure as the program's chairman for the first 18
years was marked by his absolute dedication and selfless devotion to
maintaining the program's viability.
In recognition of Stanley's efforts, then-Governor Jeb Bush signed
House Bill 263 into law on June 26, 2006, renaming the program the
Stanley G. Tate Florida Prepaid College Program.
For all of these efforts and many more, Stanley Tate has been the
recipient of numerous civic awards related to his work. This includes
the Youth Law Center's Unsung Hero Award, the College Savings Plan USA
Network's Distinguished Service Award, the Miami-Dade County Commission
on Ethics and Public Trust's Arete Award, and was selected as one of
the Twelve Good Men of 2004 by the Ronald McDonald House.
As a man of strong Jewish faith, Stanley has always been quite active
in the Miami Jewish community and a strong and early supporter of the
Democratic Jewish State of Israel.
Mr. Tate served as chairman of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation,
and he has been heavily involved in the American Israel Public Affairs
Committee, or AIPAC, since its early beginnings.
Mr. Speaker, throughout his life, Stanley Tate has always made it a
point to give back to others by sharing his time, his knowledge, and
his passions. So today I ask my congressional colleagues to join me in
honoring Stanley Tate and thank him for all he has done for our south
Florida community, for our State, and for our Nation as a whole.
God bless you, Stanley Tate. May you have many good years to come.
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