[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 66 (Friday, April 14, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E506]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              REMEMBERING THE LIFE OF ROBERT A.D. SCHWARTZ

                                  _____
                                 

                            HON. BARBARA LEE

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, April 14, 2017

  Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay final tribute to Robert 
A.D. Schwartz. Mr. Schwartz died on February 18, 2017 in his Oakland, 
California home, at the age of 92. He was a businessman, 
philanthropist, patron of the arts, and jazz musician.
  Mr. Schwartz was born in 1925 in Chicago, and received his B.S. in 
June 1944 from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Upon 
graduation, he joined the Navy and was sent to the Pacific.
  Bob moved to Oakland in 1951, where he founded Schwartz & Lindheim 
and later Keysource International, which develops and manufactures 
specialized keyboards for industry. He later earned a Doctor of 
Jurisprudence degree from Golden Gate University Law School, becoming a 
member of the California State Bar in 1974.
  In 1979, Mr. Schwartz founded the Robert A.D. Schwartz Foundation. 
The foundation's mission is to develop vocational, musical and 
citizenship educational programs. His philanthropic work also led him 
to serve as chairman of Urban Strategies Council, a non-profit 
organization, which works to eliminate persistent poverty in the Bay 
Area.
  He also founded Peer Tutoring Resources Center, which works to 
support the development of caring and collaborative citizens by 
enhancing the use, expansion and sustainability of peer tutoring--a 
model engaging students as instructors and leaders in classrooms and 
across schools.
  In recognition of his contributions to the Oakland community, Bob was 
named Oakland Citizen of the Year in 1996, and December 14 2016 was 
proclaimed ``Robert Schwartz Day'' in Oakland.
  An avid musician, Mr. Schwartz was instrumental in reviving the 
Oakland Symphony, and started his own jazz band which played for 
seniors at local retirement homes.
  As chairman of the Northern California Democratic Party, Bob worked 
tirelessly on many campaigns, including my own campaigns for Congress.
  On a personal note, Bob was a trusted confidant, a brilliant 
strategist, and most important, a loyal friend who I loved very much.
  I invite my colleagues to join me as I offer condolences to his 
loving family, and his loving wife Debbra Wood Schwartz.
  Robert A.D. Schwartz will be greatly missed but his legacy as a 
creative spirit and a trailblazer community activist will live on as a 
source of inspiration for generations to come.

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