[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 14732]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             HONORING PENFIELD TATE III OF DENVER, COLORADO

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MARK UDALL

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 7, 2004

  Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to 
rise today to recognize Mr. Penfield Tate III of Denver, CO, for his 
outstanding career of public service and his inspiring role as father 
and husband. I would like to thank him on behalf of all Coloradans for 
the depth and diversity of contributions he has made to ensure our 
public life.
  Before my election to Congress, I served in the Colorado House of 
Representatives with a number of remarkable individuals who made a 
difference through their legislative excellence. I also served with 
some legislators noted for their warm, energetic personalities. 
However, in my experience there are very few people as gifted--
personally and professionally--as Pen Tate.
  Every day I worked with him reaffirmed the ideal qualities of a 
public official: idealistic, caring, optimistic, intelligent and 
principled. Spirited in debate, Pen was, nevertheless, always a 
gentleman, being open-minded and respectful to everyone with whom he 
worked. As a state representative, state senator, and mayoral candidate 
he was a tireless seeker for solutions to some of Colorado's most 
pressing problems, and a peerless advocate for children, seniors, 
workers, and civil rights, causes he championed both in and out of the 
State Capitol.
  Since ending his tenure in the Colorado Legislature, Pen has returned 
to his law practice in Denver. He has also been given more time to 
spend with his wife Faye and daughter Elleana. Although he has returned 
to life as a private citizen, Pen remains as dedicated to his causes 
today as he was during his time in the legislature. He is active in 
many charitable organizations and gives generously to his community.
  Not surprisingly, Pen's contagious combination of effective 
legislator and humanitarian has inspired members of his community to 
award him numerous civic distinctions. His unyielding pursuit of 
justice and equality was recognized with the 2003 Civil Rights Award 
given by the Anti-Defamation League. Most recently, Pen was awarded the 
2004 Father of the Year by the National Father's Day Council and the 
American Diabetes Association. This impressive award is only a token of 
appreciation to a man who dedicates so much of his time to his family. 
I am attaching a newspaper report of this honor.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in saluting such an 
honorable person and his distinguished career in public service. My 
family and I wish him, his wife, Faye, and their daughter, Elleana, 
good health and happiness in their future together.

                 [From the Denver Post, June 19, 2004]

                    A Tip of the Hat to Tate the Dad


 Mayoral adviser is one of six men honored as regional Fathers of the 
                                  Year

                             (By Erin Cox)

       For Elleana Tate, daughter of Denver lawyer and former 
     state senator Penfield Tate III, it only takes a little task 
     for Daddy to make her happy. ``Tuck me in,'' said 14-year-old 
     Elleana, flashing her smile at her father. Tate, nestled next 
     to his disabled daughter on a couch in his 27th-floor 
     downtown Denver office, looked at her with soft eyes. ``Tuck 
     you in still?'' Tate said, beaming.
       Tate, partner in a Denver law firm, adviser to Mayor John 
     Hickenlooper, winner of a 2003 Civil Rights Award and former 
     state senator, is first and foremost a father. The National 
     Father's Day Council and the American Diabetes Association 
     honored him as a 2004 Father of the Year, along with five 
     other Denver men. ``It sometimes feels strange to get honored 
     for the things you ought to do,'' Tate said in his acceptance 
     speech Tuesday night. The diabetes association also named 
     Jeffrey Campos, Thomas Dyk, Steve Kelley, Jay Leeuwenburg and 
     Sam Pegues as regional Fathers of the Year.
       The National Father's Day Council was established in 1931 
     to promote the then little- known Father's Day holiday and 
     has been honoring exceptional fathers across the nation since 
     1942. Tate was selected for the award because of his ability 
     to balance his personal life with a successful career, 
     organizers said. Tate's list of qualifications for what makes 
     a Father of the Year is a little different. ``You have to be 
     loving. You have to be patient, generous, consistent and 
     persistent,'' he said. ``It's a continual reinforcing of 
     things.''
       Elleana, who has mild cerebral palsy and limited eyesight, 
     spends a lot of time with Tate getting that reinforcement and 
     fatherly support. Born premature, Elleana has made frequent 
     trips to hospitals and surgery rooms during her life. Tate is 
     always there. ``I'm bouncing off the walls, and he's very 
     reasoned, measured, thoughtful,'' said Elleana's mother, Faye 
     Tate. The struggles with Elleana's health and its potential 
     limits have brought Elleana and her father close. She has 
     been by Tate's side on the campaign trail and at his law 
     firm.
       Little exceeds Tate's affection for his daughter, whose 
     artwork hangs on the door of his office. ``He spends a lot of 
     time instructing Elleana,'' Faye Tate said. ``He lets her do 
     everything. He lets her try everything.'' Elleana was barely 
     out of the toddler stage when she rode her first horse, with 
     the urging of her father and despite her mother's fears.
       Tate believes there is no other way to parent. ``I don't 
     know what she can or can't do until she tries. I don't know 
     what she likes until she tries it,'' he said.
       Tate's grandfathers and father shaped his approach to 
     fatherhood. As a child, Tate spent summers with his three 
     sisters and cousins at his grandfather Tate's farm, where his 
     grandfather ``was everybody's babysitter. He spent a lot of 
     time talking to you. They really made sure you were connected 
     to family,'' Tate said. Tate's maternal grandfather, an 
     immigrant from Jamaica, taught him to keep contact with 
     extended family, and Tate's own father, Penfield Tate II, 
     taught him about friendship. ``My dad was my best friend. He 
     was my law partner and best man at my wedding,'' Tate said.
       Tate and Elleana are best friends, too. ``We keep secrets 
     from Mom sometimes,'' Tate said. ``We talk about boyfriends 
     now, and boys.'' Elleana wiggled on the couch and gave an 
     enthusiastic nod at the subject. She and her dad share a 
     special language. ``They talk in code,'' said Tate's sister, 
     Paula Tate. ``We'll hide under the pillows and just talk 
     about stuff,'' he said. A father must be ``firm and fair. And 
     playful,'' Tate said.
       Tate brushes off the feat of balancing an impressive public 
     career and the role of loving father. ``It's all a matter of 
     scheduling,'' he said. ``When you work, you work. When you're 
     home, you're home,'' he said. Even though fatherhood is a job 
     in itself. ``You really have to enjoy being a dad,'' Tate 
     said. ``It's too much work not to enjoy it.''

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