[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 13]
[Senate]
[Page 19172]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


[[Page 19172]]

                    TRIBUTE TO FREDERICK A. MEISTER

 Mr. BUNNING. Mr. President, my home state, the great 
Commonwealth of Kentucky is known throughout the world for many fine 
things--fast horses, bluegrass countryside, the best burley tobacco in 
the world and winning basketball teams. And of course, Kentucky is also 
known as the home of fine Bourbon whiskey.
  Bourbon is interwoven through the history, heritage and economy of 
our Commonwealth. First developed in 1797 by an early settler from 
Virginia named Elijah Pepper who settled in Versailles, Kentucky and 
built a still behind the Woodford County Courthouse, Bourbon is a 
distinctively Kentucky product that still plays an important role in 
our state's economy.
  For the past nineteen years, the interests of this deeply rooted 
Kentucky industry have been served very well by a gentleman with no 
Kentucky roots of his own: a man from the snowy plains of Minnestoa--
Frederick A. Meister. For the past nineteen years, Fred Meister has 
served as President and CEO of the Distilled Spirits Council of the 
United States (DISCUS). He is planning to retire soon and I wanted to 
take this opportunity to thank him, on the behalf of the many 
Kentuckians who are employed by the distillery industry throughout our 
Commonwealth for a job well done.
  While the leadership of many Washington trade associations seems to 
come and go, Fred's tenure at DISCUS stands out as a distinguished 
exception. For almost two decades, the millions of Americans who choose 
to drink in moderation could not have had a more zealous advocate. At 
the same time, Fred and DISCUS have wisely taken a hard line against 
drunk driving and other forms of reckless drinking.
  Whether the issue has been taxes, free trade or the First Amendment 
freedom of distillers to advertise their products on television and 
radio, Fred has been there making a persuasive case for the spirit 
industry's legitimate commercial interests. No one has fought harder or 
more effectively on these issues than Fred Meister.
  At the same time, Fred and DISCUS long ago recognized that the 
beverage alcohol industry mut do its part to stop drunk driving and 
other forms of reckless drinking. Under Fred's leadership, the industry 
has made great progress in this regard.
  Under his leadership, DISCUS has successfully developed model 
legislation, the Drunk Driving Prevention Act, which has encouraged 
many states to pass life saving laws preventing drunk driving, 
including a ban on open containers and ``zero tolerance'' for underage 
consumption. Fred was among the first to call for the establishment of 
the Presidential Commission on Drunk Driving. Subsequently, he served 
with distinction on this panel. Under Fred's leadership, DISCUS has 
maintained and enforced a strict Code of Good Practice governing the 
advertising and marketing of distilled spirits. In 1991, the majority 
of the DISCUS companies made a multi-million dollar investment to form 
an organization known as the Century Council which went on to develop a 
number of life saving programs aimed at the problems of underage 
drinking, drunk driving and, most recently, college binge drinking.
  As Fred Meister steps down from the leadership at the Distilled 
Spirits Council, he leaves behind him a proud and positive legacy and 
he leaves behind an industry that is both commercially strong and 
socially responsible.
  I know that I can safely speak on the behalf of the thousands of 
Kentuckians who earn their living in the distilling industry when I say 
``Congratulations and thank You'' to Fred Meister for a job well 
done.

                          ____________________