[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 16]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 21429]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  IN MEMORY OF NICHOLAS MATTHEW SKALA

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. DENNIS J. KUCINICH

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 10, 2009

  Mr. KUCINICH. Madam Speaker, I rise today in memory of Nicholas 
Matthew Skala for his extraordinary service to our country. He 
dedicated his short life to advocating for full health care coverage 
for every man, woman and child in the United States.
   Nick wielded a sharp intellect in his pursuit of single payer health 
care. I first met him when he was working for Physicians for a National 
Health Plan (PNHP), where he quickly became a trusted and valuable 
source of knowledge. He was always ready with an answer to the hardest, 
most arcane questions and he had the references to back his answers up.
   When Nick spoke about single payer health care, he was lucid and 
persuasive. He wielded complete command of a steady stream of facts and 
figures. He earned the respect of health care advocates of all stripes 
not only by making a persuasive case that single payer was needed, but 
also by working tirelessly and strategically to make it a reality.
   When it came to social justice, when it came to making sure everyone 
had the best health care possible, when it came to standing up to 
powers and pressures that keep America without guaranteed health care 
for all, Nick was admirably uncompromising.
   Born in Libertyville, Illinois on September 16, 1981 and raised in 
Spring Grove, Nick graduated from Richmond Burton High School and 
Columbia College. While in Texas, he founded and became the President 
of the University of Houston Campus Greens Chapter. After graduation, 
he became a Research Associate for PNHP between 2004 and 2007. Then he 
enrolled in law school at Northwestern University. He became active in 
the American Constitution Society. In the summer of 2009, he completed 
an internship in the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties 
Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee. He would have graduated 
from law school in 2010.
   Madam Speaker and colleagues, please join me in celebrating and 
honoring the life of Nicholas Matthew Skala and in recognizing his 
contribution toward making the world a better place. Thank you, Nick.

                          ____________________