[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 16]
[Senate]
[Page 21736]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   REMEMBERING BELLE ACKERMAN LIPMAN

  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I wish today to remember the life of an 
extraordinary woman.
  Belle Ackerman Lipman passed away at her home in Memphis, TN, on Aug. 
17, 2009, in the 100th year of her remarkable life. A beloved wife, 
mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and friend, Mrs. Lipman is a 
model for all of us who hope to live life fully and for all the years 
granted us.
  A daughter of Romanian immigrants, Belle Ackerman was born in 1910 in 
Philadelphia, where her parents owned a general store. Just five blocks 
away from the store lived young Mark Lipman, who would become the love 
of Belle's life. The businessman and his young wife moved not long 
after their marriage to Little Rock, AR, where Mark saw new business 
opportunities, and then in 1958 to Memphis, TN. There, Belle Lipman 
became a pillar of the community. Her work in civic affairs was 
extensive, including service as a trustee with the Simon Wiesenthal 
Center. She was president of the Little Rock chapter of Hadassah, the 
worldwide Jewish women's organization, among a host of endeavors in 
charity, service, and the arts.
  But it is not those remarkable accomplishments alone that made Belle 
Lipman such a special woman. As years passed, her zest for life, for 
new experience, and to learn of new cultures grew apace. A lifelong 
interest in travel made her one of the first American citizens to 
travel to China after diplomatic relations with that Nation were 
reestablished in 1979. Her travels took her to a hot-air balloon over 
the plains of Kenya, the rivers of the Amazon, and the ancient cities 
of Peru. She rode the Orient Express at the age of 87. At 92, she 
crossed the Arctic Circle. At 95, she visited the mountains of Tibet 
and a host of other places. At her 95th birthday party, she celebrated 
the only way she knew how, with verve by dancing the Charleston.
  Belle Lipman was a model--a model of how to live life to the fullest 
and how a thirst for new experiences can fill a lifetime. My wife 
Barbara and I send our condolences to her beloved children, her son Ira 
and her daughter Carol, her grandchildren, and her great-grandchildren. 
We do so with the sure knowledge that the joy of Belle Lipman's life 
will over time ease the pain of her passing, leaving the warmest of 
memories to sustain family and friends.

                          ____________________