[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 18]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 25926]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



    REPRESENTATIVE SIDNEY YATES: A GENTLEMAN, A STATESMAN AND A HERO

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. JANICE D. SCHAKOWSKY

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 1, 2000

  Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, to all those who love the arts, cherish 
the environment, or are part of the ongoing struggle for human rights, 
Sidney Yates was a hero. He will be remembered for his tireless support 
of the National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities, his advocacy 
for Native Americans, his work to protect treasures of nature from the 
Sequoias to Chicago's lakefront. He was elected in 1948, the year the 
state of Israel was born and he worked throughout his career to foster 
U.S.-Israel friendship. Millions of people can thank Sid Yates for the 
Holocaust Museum for which he was largely responsible.
  For the occasion of his 90th birthday last summer, Congressman Barney 
Frank and I circulated a huge card for Sid Yates, and members were 
literally lined up waiting for their chance to sign. I was pulled into 
the Republican cloakroom so that more of his former colleagues could 
wish him well. The words that kept coming up as members talked about 
him were ``gentleman'' and ``statesman.'' There was reverence in their 
voices when they spoke of his elegance and eloquence.
  The voters of the 9th District were proud to elect Sid Yates as their 
Representative twenty-four times because they knew that he would never 
fail them. He never wavered from his principles and values, liberal 
values he shared with the vast majority of his constituents. Through 
all the years--the McCarthy era, the Reagan and Bush years--Sid Yates 
was steadfast, never bending with the political winds or polls. He was 
beloved in his district and he is deeply missed.

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