[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 193 (Tuesday, December 13, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1265-E1266]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF BOBBY SILVERSTEIN

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DEBBIE DINGELL

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 13, 2022

  Mrs. DINGELL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the life and 
legacy of Bobby Silverstein. a devoted public servant who made 
monumental progress advancing disability rights. Over the span of a 
career serving both chambers of Congress, Bobby worked behind the 
scenes to deliver countless wins for the disability community. Notably, 
he played a pivotal role in the development and enactment of the 
Americans with Disabilities Act during his time serving as staff 
director and chief counsel for Senator Harkin's Disability Policy 
Subcommittee.
  Every person deserves to live and age with dignity, and this was a 
principal Bobby committed himself to every day. Bobby will be 
remembered for his compassion, track record of success, and passion for 
giving a voice to those who feel forgotten, and these sentiments are 
shared by his colleague and friend, Peter Thomas, who spoke at Bobby's 
memorial service. In honor of Bobby, I include in the Record Peter's 
speech.

   Remarks of Peter W. Thomas at Bobby Silverstein's Memorial Service

       Like the bright sun on this crisp fall afternoon, Bobby 
     Silverstein shines his light on us today.
       Good afternoon. I'm Peter Thomas, Managing Partner of 
     Powers law firm in Washington, DC.
       If the measure of a person's life is the number who mourn 
     his or her passing, then Bobby Silverstein knocked life out 
     of the park.
       There are no words to express the depth of loss we all 
     feel. I usually take Bobby's lead and try to speak 
     diplomatically, rather than bluntly. but you can't sugarcoat 
     this. Bobby's untimely passing is a dagger. It's a gut punch 
     that will be felt for a long time to come.
       But we would not have learned from Bobby if we did not 
     focus on the positive. The impact his life had on so many. 
     The love he spread throughout his life and the fact that we 
     are all better off for knowing him.
       As we approach Thanksgiving, let us recognize those who can 
     be thankful for Bobby Silverstein and all he did to improve 
     the lives of people with disabilities:
       1. If you have a child with an intellectual or 
     developmental disability (IDD), think about thanking Bobby.
       2. If someone you know needed special education and an 
     individualized education plan (IEP), think about thanking 
     Bobby.
       3. If you can access public services and transportation 
     despite your disability, think about thanking Bobby.
       4. If you are employed as a person with a disability, Bobby 
     probably deserves your thanks.
       5. If you benefitted from research on rehabilitation, 
     disability, and independent living, thank Bobby Silverstein.
       6. If you are relying on this interpreter or using closed 
     captioning on this livestream, Bobby played a role and is 
     worthy of thanks.
       7. I could go on, but the magnitude of the positive impact 
     Bobby had on our lives is truly astounding.
       Bobby was my partner at Powers' health care and disability 
     practice for the past 15 years. What an honor and privilege 
     it is to have shared his space on this earth; to have shared 
     a front-row seat in his work on behalf of the people he 
     devoted his professional life to; individuals with 
     disabilities.
       I first met Bobby in 1989 while I was in law school trying 
     to pass legislation to establish a prosthetics research 
     program to help people with limb loss, like myself. Bobby was 
     working for Senator Tom Harkin's Disability Policy 
     Subcommittee as staff director and chief counsel. I was no 
     one, and I was very nervous.
       Bobby was gracious but serious and direct. He told me the 
     Claude Pepper Act for Amputees, as the bill was known, had 
     little chance of passing because it was ``not integrated into 
     the disability policy framework.'' That probably sounds 
     familiar to some of you but I scratched my head. He said he 
     could not be supportive of legislation to help amputees alone 
     at the exclusion of others with disabilities in similar 
     circumstances.
       Long story short, in the end, and with much help from 
     Bobby, the bill enacted into law the following year created 
     the National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research 
     (NCMRR) at NIH. The center's mission is medical 
     rehabilitation research writ large, but the law includes 
     specific mention of prosthetics research and development. The 
     center has been a major funder of prosthetics research for 
     over 30 years which, of course, accomplished the original 
     goal of the Claude Pepper bill but did it in a way that was, 
     in fact, integrated into the disability policy framework.
       I learned a great deal from that experience that I have put 
     to use throughout my career, and in life. I know many others 
     who have had the same experience when they came into Bobby's 
     orbit.
       In fact, one of Bobby's most blessed gifts was to those who 
     sought his guidance. Bobby was an exceptional mentor to those 
     with and

[[Page E1266]]

     without disabilities. I am so grateful that the health care 
     associates and young professionals in my firm got the 
     opportunity to hear from Bobby just one week before he passed 
     away.
       Bobby presented virtually to the Powers health care group 
     on the ``Art of Negotiation'' and imparted years of wisdom on 
     the younger members of the Powers Team. Bobby was his old 
     self, methodically presenting his well-prepared remarks, 
     highlighting his points with examples of bill negotiations 
     from his Senate days, and laying out his process which relied 
     heavily on preparation.
       I took a look at some of Bobby's binders over the past few 
     days and could not believe what I saw. Well-organized, 
     tabbed, color-coded, and dog-eared for sure, but each page is 
     full of comments in the margins, underlined words, double 
     underlines, circled words, pencil, pen highlighter, sticky 
     notes, stars, exclamation points! Double explanation points!!
       He sucked the pulp off those pages. It was an exercise in 
     aggressive reading!
       His dedication, passion, and clarity of focus left me awe-
     struck. Those were not the work papers of a casual lawyer. 
     Bobby was no 9-to-5er. He was most fulfilled after a full 
     weekend of work, producing a 12-page, single-spaced memo and 
     seeking review and substantive comment; before 12:00 Noon on 
     Monday.
       Bobby was the consummate professional who lived and 
     breathed disability policy. As he said many times, Bobby 
     considered his work to be his therapy, even in his final 
     hours.
       His list of accomplishments is remarkable: The Wharton 
     School at the University of Pennsylvania, Georgetown 
     University Law Center, cutting his teeth at a public interest 
     law firm, House committee staff, Senate Disability Policy 
     Chief Counsel and Staff Director, Director of the Center for 
     the Study and Advancement of Disability Policy, and mediator 
     for the U.S. Appellate Court in Washington, DC--all before 
     settling into the last 15 years of his career at Powers law.
       His awards are too numerous to mention. While he accepted 
     them graciously, his beloved wife Lynne tells me that he 
     housed them in his closet. And that's really all you need to 
     know about Bobby Silverstein.
       Bobby never sought the limelight. He never craved credit. 
     They say ``Success has many parents and failure is an 
     orphan.'' There are many who can legitimately claim playing a 
     key role in enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act 
     (ADA) of 1990, some of whom will speak after me, but Bobby 
     went out of his way to stay behind-the-scenes: To do the 
     heavy lifting; the principled negotiation; always with a goal 
     of getting to ``yes.'' And his track record demonstrates his 
     effectiveness: Twenty federal laws impacting people with 
     disabilities, all bipartisan and all based on consensus. It 
     is an incredible legacy to leave behind.
       In the past few days, I have heard from literally hundreds 
     of Bobby's colleagues and friends expressing their 
     sentiments:
       1. A genuine, kind, and humble man
       2. An endless fountain of good humor and optimism
       3. One of a kind; he has no equal
       4. Such a force and a relentless advocate
       5. Uncompromising defender of what is right and true
       6. Thorough and analytical yet thoughtful and compassionate
       7. A selfless mentor to anyone in need of guidance
       8. A visionary, yet practical
       9. Tough but warm, and always the voice of reason Case in 
     point: When Bobby told a room full of leaders that their 
     theory was ``preposterous''--We were all thinking it, but he 
     was the only one brave enough to say it!
       10. A giant in the disability community
       For me personally, I will miss Bobby painfully in our 
     internal policy debates, our advocacy on behalf of people 
     with disabilities, and on our weekly Legislative Practice 
     calls. But mostly, I will just miss my friend.
       Bobby was the most positive person I have ever known and I 
     will always be grateful for the time we spent together. For 
     that, let me say thank you, Bobby. Thank you so very much.

                          ____________________