[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 17]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 25285]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


[[Page 25285]]

    TRIBUTE TO DAVID FOSTER ON HIS RECEIVING THE ALBERT SCHWEITZER 
                            LEADERSHIP AWARD

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TOM LANTOS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 26, 2000

  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to David Foster 
on the occasion of his receipt of the Albert Schweitzer Leadership 
Award. This prestigious award is given annually by the Hugh O'Brian 
Youth Leadership Foundation (HOBY) to individuals who have 
distinguished themselves through public service and who have 
contributed significantly to the education and motivation of youth. The 
award is named after the famous doctor, himself a great humanitarian, 
who made a lasting impression on Hugh O'Brian during a visit to 
Schweitzer's African clinic. It was there that Dr. Schweitzer expounded 
to Mr. O'Brian his philosophy of the importance of motivating our 
youth. Simply stated, Dr. Schweitzer believed that, ``the most 
important thing in education is to teach young people to think for 
themselves.''
  Almost immediately after returning from his visit with Dr. 
Schweitzer, Hugh O'Brian initiated the HOBY program to put that 
philosophy into practice. In the beginning HOBY ran leadership seminars 
for high school sophomores in Los Angeles, and eventually expanded to 
three-day seminars across the country. Each year over 20,000 students 
participate in HOBY programs that are designed to implement Dr. 
Schweitzer's philosophy, teaching young people to think for themselves. 
Over the years many great humanitarians have received the Albert 
Schweitzer Leadership award, and now another distinguished name can be 
added to that list, the musical genius and extraordinary humanitarian 
David Foster.
  Mr. Speaker, David Foster rose to prominence in the music scene in 
1973, when his band Skylark scored a top ten hit with their song 
``Wildflower,'' and he has been actively involved in the music industry 
since that time. Mr. Foster quickly became a highly sought after 
session musician, performing with the likes of John Lennon, George 
Harrison, Diana Ross, Rod Stewart, and Barbra Streisand, among others. 
He turned his attention to song-writing and production, where he 
achieved extraordinary success. David Foster has been nominated for 42 
Grammy Awards, winning an astounding 14 times. Over the years his work 
has encompassed just about every style of music including Rock, Rhythm 
and Blues, Pop, Soul, Country, Jazz and Classical.
  Of course, Mr. Speaker, David Foster is not being honored with the 
Albert Schweitzer Leadership Award for his musical talents, but because 
he has used these immense talents to help others. He was instrumental 
in assembling popular Canadian recording artists Bryan Adams, Joni 
Mitchell, Neil Young, and Gordon Lightfoot to record ``Tears Are Not 
Enough,'' a song he co-wrote to bring attention to the plight of famine 
victims in Africa in the 1980's and to raise funds for their relief. He 
also was involved in the writing and the production of the 
entertainment industry's salute to the United States troops serving in 
the Persian Gulf, ``Voices that Care.'' To date, Voices that Care has 
donated over one million dollars to the Red Cross and the U.S.O.
  In addition to his involvement in these worthy endeavors, he 
established the David Foster Foundation, which assists families of 
children in need of organ transplants. According to the most recent 
figures, the David Foster Foundation has raised several million dollars 
and assisted hundreds of children and their families as they go through 
the horrific ordeal of an organ transplant. David also has directly 
involved himself with other charitable organizations such as the Race 
to Erase MS, the Andrew Agassi Foundation, Malibu High School 
Scholarship Program, and Cedars-Sinai Research for Women's Cancer, 
among others.
  Mr. Speaker, David Foster is the personification of charitable 
generosity. His tireless efforts on behalf of humanitarian causes is a 
trait all of us can admire. I invite my colleagues to join me in 
honoring him on the occasion of his receiving the Albert Schweitzer 
Leadership Award.

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