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FLOOR.
ABSENCE OF A QUORUM.
THE
CLERK WILL CALL THE ROLL.
QUORUM CALL:
QUORUM CALL:
A SENATOR: MADAM PRESIDENT?
THE
SENATOR FROM OREGON.
I ASK UNANIMOUS
CONSENT TO VACATE THE QUORUM
CALL AS IF IN MORNING BUSINESS.
WITHOUT
OBJECTION.
MADAM PRESIDENT, I
COME TO THE FLOOR TODAY TO HONOR
A MAN WHO TOUCHED EVERY CORNER
OF MY HOME STATE OF OREGON.
HAROLD SCHNITZER LEFT HIS MARK
ON OUR BUSINESS COMMUNITY, THE
ARTS, HEALTH CARE, EDUCATION AND
PRACTICALLY EVERY NOOK AND
CRANNY OF MY HOME STATE.
HE DIED LAST WEEK OF
COMPLICATIONS RELATING TO CANCER
AND DIABETES.
HE LEARNED OF HIS IMPENDING
DEATH EARLIER THIS YEAR AND
FACED IT WITH EXTRAORDINARY
STYLE AND GRACE AND THE WIT THAT
MARKED HIS 87 YEARS OF LIFE.
THOSE WHO KNEW SHAIRLD SCHNITZER
WAYS.
MANY KNEW HIM AS A POWERFUL AND
STATE.
OTHERS KNEW HIM AS APPROACHABLE,
EASYGOING, AND ESPECIALLY A
PERSON WHO NEVER TOOK HIMSELF
ALL THAT SERIOUSLY.
I KNEW HIM IN BOTH WAYS, AND I
KNEW HIM AS A FRIEND, AND LIKE
MANY IN OREGON, I'M SADDENED BY
HIS PASSING.
HAROLD WAS A SUCCESSFUL REAL
ESTATE DEVELOPER, AND HE AND HIS
WIFE OF 62 YEARS, ARLENE, GAVE
GENEROUSLY TO MY ALMA MATER, THE
UNIVERSITY OF OREGON, AND TO
PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY.
THEY ESTABLISHED A HAROLD
SCHNITZER DIABETES HEALTH CENTER
UNIVERSITY.
THEIR GIFTS OF ART AND FINANCIAL
SUPPORT HELPED TRANSFORM OUR
PORTLAND ART MUSEUM INTO A
CENTER FOR REGIONAL ART WORKS.
THE GENEROSITY OF HAROLD AND
ARLENE CAN BE FOUND THROUGHOUT
OREGON IN PLACES SUCH AS THE
OREGON ZOO, A SPECIAL FAVORITE
OF MY CHILDREN, LOUIS AND CLARK
COLLEGE, THE MIDDLEMAN JEWISH
COMMUNITY CENTER, THE OREGON
SYMPHONY, THE OREGON BALLET, AND
THE PORTLAND OPERA.
A CENTERPIECE OF OREGON'S ARTS
COMMUNITY IS THE BEAUTIFUL
ARLENE SCHNITZER HALL IN OUR
DOWNTOWN PORTLAND COMMUNITY.
IT'S AFFECTIONATELY KNOWN, MADAM
PRESIDENT, AS THE SCHNITZ.
HAROLD SCHNITZER WAS A HUMBLE
ROOTS.
AS A BOY, HAROLD EARNED 25 CENTS
A WEEK POLISHING METAL IN HIS
FATHER'S PORTLAND SCRAP YARDS.
FROM THERE, IT WAS ON TO THE
MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF
TECHNOLOGY FOR A DEGREE IN MET
LURE JUST, -- METALLURGY, AND
THEN HE WENT ON TO A CAREER IN
REAL ESTATE.
CERTAINLY, OUR COLLEAGUES FROM
THE BAY AREA OF CALIFORNIA KNOW
WHO HAROLD SCHNITZER WAS,
BECAUSE WITH GREAT PRIDE HE
RESTORED THE HISTORIC CLAREMONT
HOTEL CLUB AND SPA IN BERKELEY
TO ITS FORMER GLORY.
AND IN TRUE HAROLD SCHNITZER
FASHION, WHEN HE SOLD THE HOTEL
IN 1998, THE PROCEEDS PROVIDED
THE FUNDING FOR TWO FAMILY
CHARITABLE FOUNDATIONS.
WE HAVE LOST A MAN BUT
FORTUNATELY WE HAVE NOT LOST HIS
VISION AND HIS GENEROSITY.
HIS WIFE ARLENE WILL CONTINUE TO
STAND UP FOR THOSE KINDS OF GOOD
WORKS IN OUR HOME STATE, AND
THEIR SON JORDAN, A SUCCESSFUL
BUSINESSMAN IN HIS OWN RIGHT WHO
SHARES HIS PASSION -- HIS
PARENTS' PASSION FOR
PHILANTHROPY CONTINUES EVERY
SINGLE DAY TO LOOK FOR
STATE.
YOU CAN LOOK NO FURTHER THAN THE
JORDAN SCHNITZER MUSEUM OF ART
IN EUGENE AND DOWNTOWN PORTLAND
SIMON AND HELEN DIRECTOR PARK
NAMED FOR HIS MATERNAL
GRANDPARENTS.
MADAM PRESIDENT, WHAT I LIKE
MOST ABOUT HAROLD SCHNITZER WAS
HIS VERY WRY SENSE OF HUMOR AND
PARTICULAR KNACK FOR KIND OF
SUMMARIZING THE EVENTS OF OUR
TIME.
I REMEMBER OFTEN WHEN I WOULD
SEE HIM, AFTER A PARTICULARLY
SPIRITED DISCUSSION HERE IN THE
UNITED STATES SENATE, HAROLD HAD
A GREAT INTEREST IN POLITICS,
WAS A DEVOUT CONSUMER OF ALL THE
SUNDAY MORNING TALK SHOWS, AND
AFTER A PARTICULARLY VOLCANIC
DEBATE HERE IN WASHINGTON, D.C.
ABOUT SOME ISSUE WHERE IT SEEMED
NOTHING COULD GET RESOLVED, I
WOULD GO HOME AND BE OUT AND
ABOUT PERHAPS AT THE GROCERY
STORE IN PORTLAND, I'D SEE
HAROLD AND HE WOULD TUG ON MY
ELBOW AND HE WOULD SAY I HAVE
BEEN WATCHING WHAT'S GOING ON IN
WASHINGTON, D.C., RON.
GOT THINGS PRETTY MUCH WORKED
OUT BACK THERE, DO YA?
HE WOULD KIND OF CHUCKLE AND IT
EXPRESSED PERFECTLY HIS KIND OF
SENSE OF THE IRONY OF THE
CHALLENGES WE HAVE IN
WASHINGTON, D.C.
HE KNEW THAT SOMEHOW WE WOULD
ALWAYS GET THROUGH THEM, BUT
WHENEVER YOU WERE AROUND HAROLD,
YOU GOT A SENSE THAT HE REALLY
CAPTURED SOME OF THE IRONY OF
WHAT GOES ON IN WASHINGTON,
D.C., VERY WELL, AND HE BROUGHT
THAT SAME KIND OF APPROACH AND
THAT -- THAT LIGHT TOUCH, THE
COMBINATION OF HUMOR ANDIRONY TO
SO MUCH OF WHAT HE DID.
IN MY VIEW, MADAM PRESIDENT,
HAROLD SCHNITZER REPRESENTED
WHAT WAS GOOD IN HUMANITY.
HIS LEGACY OF GOOD WORKS ARE
GOING TO GO FORWARD, BUT FOR ALL
THOSE WHO DIDN'T KNOW HIM
PERSONALLY, DIDN'T KNOW HIM LIKE
I HAD THE CHANCE TO, I WANTED TO
TAKE JUST A FEW MINUTES TO TELL
THE SENATE AND OUR COUNTRY THAT
HAROLD SCHNITZER WAS A VERY,
VERY SPECIAL MAN.
IN MY VIEW, HE WAS WHAT I CALL A
VINTAGE OREGONIAN.
SOMEBODY WHO GOT UP EVERY DAY
AND TRIED TO MAKE OUR STATE AND
COUNTRY A BETTER PLACE, AND HE
WILL BE GREATLY MISSED.
MADAM PRESIDENT, WITH THAT, I
YIELD THE FLOOR.
AND I WOULD NOTE, MADAM
PRESIDENT, THE ABSENCE OF A
QUORUM.
THE CLERK
WILL CALL THE ROLL.
CALL:
QUORUM CALL:
CALL:
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