[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 16]
[Senate]
[Page 22145]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        THE LIFE OF PAMELA WHITE

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, last summer, I came to the Senate floor to 
say a few words about the untimely death of a great wilderness advocate 
and friend named Sally Kabisch. I spoke then of how one person can and 
does make a difference.
  It is with a heavy heart that I return today to honor another great 
Nevadan who died too young and in tragic fashion.
  Pam White hailed from Wyoming, she spent time in California, but 
settled in Ely--in eastern Nevada--and became a great Nevadan. Just 
last Thursday, Pam joined me and Senator Ensign for breakfast here in 
the Capitol. She had traveled to advocate for wilderness in White Pine 
County, the place she called home.
  Pam's enthusiasm and conviction were infectious. She worked doggedly 
to build support for wilderness in rural Nevada. She served on local 
committees and advisory groups because she cared about the management 
and protection of our public lands. She deserves credit for 
depoliticizing the wilderness debate in eastern Nevada. She also 
deserves credit for supporting economic development in her adopted home 
town of Ely.
  What I also appreciated about Pam was that she knew the importance of 
adoption. She adopted Nevada as her State, Ely as her home, and a young 
boy named Connor as her son.
  Connor White has been dealt some tough cards in his life. His birth 
parents had serious drug problems and he ended up in foster care. Pam 
White became his advocate, his protector, and his mother. It takes a 
special person to care for a special needs child. Pam was a special 
person who cared. It takes an angel to adopt a special needs child.
  The day after I saw Pam last week, she died in a single car crash 
between Ely and Elko. Pam was and is an angel. As Pam's parents, 
friends, family, and community rally to remember her life, Connor's 
future will be their focus. Pam would have wanted it to be so because 
she knew that affecting the lives of children is the best difference we 
can make.

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