[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 117 (Friday, July 15, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E745]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO NORMAN LEAR

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ADAM B. SCHIFF

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 15, 2022

  Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor renowned television 
producer and screenwriter, Norman Lear of Beverly Hills, California 
upon his 100th birthday.
  Norman Milton Lear was born on July 27, 1922 in New Haven, 
Connecticut. After attending Emerson College in Boston, he dropped out 
of college to enlist in the U.S. Army Air Force. During World War II, 
he served as a gunner and radio operator, and flew 52 combat missions 
over Europe, earning the Air Medal with four Oak Leaf Clusters.
  Following his extraordinary military service, Mr. Lear worked in 
public relations before beginning a career as a freelance comedy 
writer, and eventually a television and film producer. Norman would go 
on to captivate over one hundred twenty million viewers weekly with his 
groundbreaking television shows of the 1970's and 1980's that dealt 
with consequential and critical issues such as race, social inequality, 
and sexuality. These iconic shows include All in the Family, which won 
many Emmy Awards, The Jeffersons, Good Times, and Maude.
  Inspired by his uncle Jack and grandfather Shya's political 
involvement, ``that a citizen can matter,'' Norman had been politically 
active for years; however, in 1980, he wanted a more direct effect on 
social change, so he put his television career on hold to focus on 
political activism. In 1981, Mr. Lear cofounded People for the American 
Way, which sought to build a democratic society and defend 
constitutional values such as religious liberty, free expression, and 
equal justice from right-wing extremism. In 1997, Norman and his wife, 
Lyn Davis Lear, created the Lear Family Foundation, which supports a 
wide range of nonprofit organizations such as the Rainforest Alliance, 
American Civil Liberties Union, Ballet Hispanico and Planned 
Parenthood. In 2000, Mr. Lear provided an endowment for a public policy 
center that explored the intersection of commerce, entertainment, and 
society at the University of Southern California Annenberg School for 
Communication and Journalism--the center was later dedicated as the 
Norman Lear Center. A few years later, Norman founded a nonpartisan 
youth voter registration initiative called Declare Yourself. 
Additionally, in 2001, Norman and Lyn purchased one of the few 
surviving original copies of the Declaration of Independence and shared 
the nation's birth certificate with their fellow Americans by touring 
it in all 50 states during their Declaration of Independence Road Trip.
  Mr. Lear has received many professional awards and acknowledgement 
for his humanitarian achievements. These include the National Medal for 
Arts from President Clinton, several Emmy Awards, two Peabody Awards, a 
Golden Globe Award, the Humanist Arts Award, Kennedy Center Honors, the 
Women in Film Lucy Award, and the National Hispanic Media Coalition's 
``Media Icon'' Award. In addition, he was inducted into the Television 
Academy Hall of Fame and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
  It is my great pleasure to honor legendary television pioneer, and my 
dear friend, Norman Lear upon his centennial birthday. I ask all 
Members to join me in commending Mr. Lear for a lifetime of outstanding 
service to our community, country, and world.