[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Page 13137]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




        RECOGNIZING THE 100TH BIRTHDAY OF GERTRUDE SILVIA RUDIAK

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I rise today to acknowledge the 100th 
birthday of an incredible Nevadan, Gertrude Silvia Rudiak. For more 
than 70 years, Gertrude has been a leader in southern Nevada and has 
remained committed to her family, community, and faith.
  Nearly a century ago, on August 2, 1915, Gertrude was born to Jewish 
immigrant parents in Dickinson, ND. As a child, her family moved from 
place to place across the country, but it was her parents' 
understanding of the value of higher education that brought them to the 
west coast. In California, she attended the University of California, 
Berkeley, where she received her bachelor's degree in music. Later, 
Gertrude built upon her skill set and earned credentials from the 
Business College of Oakland in office procedure. With undeniable 
tenacity and the knowledge she gained, she was able to work through the 
Great Depression.
  In 1942, Gertrude met the love of her life, George Rudiak, and they 
married in September the same year. George was born in Moscow, Russia, 
and the experiences he and his family endured as they immigrated to the 
United States greatly shaped the man he became and the civil work he 
pursued later in his life.
  George had received a law degree from the Boalt Hall School of 
Jurisprudence at the University of California, Berkeley, in 1940, but 
finding a job was a challenge. He was able to do some work for the 
State of California and the U.S. Employment Services; and in the midst 
of World War II, George enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps. The first 
place he was assigned was the Western Flying Training Command at Santa 
Ana. George was later transferred to the Las Vegas Gunnery School, 
which is now Nellis Air Force Base. Though the young couple was only 
stationed in Las Vegas for a short time, they fell in love with the 
city and moved back to plant their roots in the desert sand as soon as 
George was honorably discharged in 1946.
  The Las Vegas of the 1940s was quite different from the Las Vegas of 
today. Approximately 21,000 people called the city home, and there was 
racial segregation. Some even referred to Las Vegas as the 
``Mississippi of the West.'' As the first city attorney of North Las 
Vegas, a Nevada Legislator, and chairman of the Nevada Equal Rights 
Commission, George was committed to bringing equality to Nevada. 
Gertrude supported his efforts; and for more than 70 years, has made 
civic, religious, and humanitarian contributions of her own that have 
shaped our community. Today, all Las Vegans benefit from the 
compassionate work of Gertrude and George to make our community a 
better and more just place.
  George Rudiak was a lawyer's lawyer. He was the lawyer we all looked 
to as the gold standard for an ethical, competent, experienced trial 
lawyer.
  There are truly selfless people in the world, and Gertrude is one of 
these people. She is dedicated to her five children, their children, 
and their children's children and still finds time to improve her 
community. Over the past seven decades, she has filled traditionally 
male-held positions on community boards, including becoming the first 
female to serve on the board of Temple Beth Sholom, and has been a 
champion of secular and Jewish education in Las Vegas and Israel. Her 
efforts have been recognized by the Jewish National Fund, the United 
Jewish Appeal, and the Anti-Defamation League. Additionally, Mayor 
Carolyn Goodman presented Gertrude with the rare honor of a key to the 
city of Las Vegas in 2014. On more than one occasion, the city has 
declared August 2, Gertrude's birthday, Gertrude Rudiak Day in 
recognition of her long-standing commitment to Las Vegas.
  I am grateful for Gertrude's contributions to our State, and I wish 
her a happy 100th birthday. May this year bring Gertrude and her family 
much health and happiness.

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