November 9, 1997 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S12405 widely believed to have been unfair and RETIREMENT FROM CONGRESS OF Ministry degree from the United Theo- politically motivated, Saro-Wiwa and REP. FLOYD H. FLAKE logical Seminary in Dayton, OH, and eight others—Barinem Kiobel, Satur- ∑ Mr. MOYNIHAN. Mr. President, he became a Member of Congress. He day Doobee, Paul Levura, Nordu Eawo, Adlai E. Stevenson remarked of Elea- has ably represented the Sixth Dis- Felix Nuate, Daniel Gbokoo, John nor Roosevelt that ‘‘She would rather trict, which covers southern and south- Kpuinen and Baribor Bera—were con- light candles than curse the darkness eastern , since 1986. As a result victed of complicity in the 1994 mur- and her glow has warmed the world.’’ of his efforts, the Food and Drug Ad- ders, and sentenced to death by a civil So it is with my dear friend and col- ministration and the Federal Aviation disturbances special tribunal run by league, Representative FLOYD FLAKE of Administration are building major fa- the military. Queens, who will be retiring from Con- cilities in the district. As a senior Mr. President, when the death sen- gress this Saturday, November 15. Few member of the House Committee on tences of these individuals were first individuals can match his accomplish- Banking and Financial Services, he has made public, I and many other mem- ments, which have materially and spir- been an indefatigable architect of inno- bers of Congress asked General Abacha itually benefited so many. I view his vative public and private urban invest- to have mercy and exercise his preroga- departure as bittersweet. He is going ment programs. While other politicians tive of executive clemency. We wrote home to his church, answering God’s have abandoned urban communities, to President Clinton and made calls to call ‘‘to a greater ministry and to a FLOYD FLAKE has found ways for such the Nigerian representatives to the greater work,’’ as he has put it. Surely, communities not only to survive, but United Nations and Washington. But, his congregants will be happier for his to thrive. While others curse the dark- alas, our efforts were to no avail. The decision. But we will sorely miss him ness, FLOYD FLAKE lights candles. nine men were hanged on November 10, here in Congress. Perhaps the capstone of his accom- 1995. Representative FLAKE was born in plishments is the new Allen A.M.E. and raised in —1 Now, Mr. President, 19 other Ogoni Church cathedral on Merrick Boule- of 13 children born to parents with activists remain in prison in Nigeria on vard. The $23 million cathedral is 93,000 fifth- and sixth-grade educations. Mod- square feet and seats 2,500. It is the the same trumped up charges and could est circumstances. But in the words of face a similar fate. According to re- largest church structure to be built in an October 19, 1997 Times since 1954. Heinrich ports from several human rights orga- magazine article by James Traub, nizations, the Ogoni 19 have been se- Heine remarked that it takes more ‘‘they (people who told FLAKE he would than mere opinion to erect a cathedral, verely beaten and tortured, and many never go to college) hadn’t reckoned on are suffering from ill health. They re- it takes conviction. Indeed it does. his mother, who taught the kids how to Reverend Flake secured a $15 million portedly are kept in insanitary prison sew and wash and cook, or his fiercely conditions, are denied food and medical mortgage for the project from Chase self-improving father.’’ Manhattan Bank Corp.—the largest treatment, and rarely, if at all, are Representative FLAKE received an loan Chase has ever made to a religious granted access to outside visitors, in- undergraduate degree from Wilberforce cluding their lawyers. This lack of con- University, the first black college in institution. That’s conviction. Given all of these commitments, it is tact has stalled attempts to have the America, founded in 1856 in under detainees released on bail or brought to the auspices of the African Methodist understandable that FLOYD FLAKE feels trial before ordinary, civilian courts. Episcopal [A.M.E.] Church and named he must go home and minister to his The situation is so dire that, in Au- after the great English statesman and church community full-time. The com- gust, the detainees went on a hunger abolitionist, William Wilberforce. munity will be richer for his presence. strike for 10 days to protest the con- From there, on to graduate study at We here will be poorer. tinuing obstructions to their release or Payne Theological Seminary and Mr. President, the inscription on Sir trial. The authorities reportedly have and jobs early Christopher Wren’s tomb in St. Paul’s had no response. in his career as a Head Start social Cathedral reads, Si monumentum requiris circumspice. ‘‘If you would see Alas, the deplorable condition of worker and market analyst for Xerox. the man’s monument, look around.’’ If these Ogoni activists is not unique in In 1976, Representative FLAKE—bare- you would see FLOYD FLAKE’s monu- Nigeria. Hundreds of individuals re- ly 31—became pastor of the Allen ment, go to Jamaica, or to St. Alban’s, main in detention centers or prisons A.M.E. Church in Jamaica, Queens. At or to Rosedale, or to Laurelton, or to for seemingly political motivations. that time, the church congregation nearly any neighborhood in Queens, The flawed judicial process that led to numbered about 1,200; the church’s an- nual budget was about $250,000. There and look around. the 1995 death sentences is still in place And so, to my friend, his wife Elaine, and threatens the lives of these politi- were three employees. Now, some 20 years later, the congregation has his daughters, Aliya and Nailah, and cal prisoners. Numerous Nigerian laws his sons, Rasheed and Hasan, I say, allow for arbitrary detention for rea- grown to nearly 9,000 souls. The church ‘‘Godspeed.’’∑ sons ranging from ‘‘personal pique by a and its subsidiaries have an annual f senior official to ‘national security,’’’ budget exceeding $24 million. Tithes according to information provided to and offerings alone exceed $5 million— HEROES SHINE IN NORTH DAKOTA me by the State Department. this from a mostly middle-class con- FLOOD gregation. With a population of more than 100 When considering Reverend FLAKE’s ∑ Mr. DORGAN. Mr. President, as my million people and vast natural re- stewardship, the Parable of the Mus- colleagues in the Senate are well sources, Nigeria has the potential to be tard Seed comes to mind. Allen A.M.E. aware, one of the Nation’s worst weath- one of the most important players on Church-sponsored community develop- er-related disasters of the year was the the African stage. But the military ment enterprises now include a 300-unit devastating flooding in Grand Forks, junta led by General Abacha is squan- apartment complex for the elderly; the ND and the entire Red River Valley. dering the country’s future by rampant Allen Christian School, which has an This historic flood captured the atten- corruption, severe economic mis- enrollment of some 400 elementary stu- tion of the Nation in late spring as management, and brutal policies that dents—and a growing waiting list; hun- over 95 percent of the residents of threaten basic freedoms. Moreover, the dreds of single-family and two-family Grand Forks and East Grand Forks so-called transition program bears lit- homes; a strip mall; an office complex; were evacuated from their homes and tle hope of ensuring a transition to a a home care agency; a credit union; much of North Dakota’s second largest fairly elected civilian government. and a transportation company. The city’s downtown district was ravaged As we remember the lives of the Allen A.M.E. Church and its subsidi- by fire and water. Ogoni 9, let us not forget those Nige- aries employ 800 people. Only Kennedy Disasters have a way of bringing out rians whose struggle for basic freedoms Airport employs more people in the the true character of people, and that continues even now. I hope my col- Sixth District. certainly was the case in North Da- leagues will join me in honoring this In the middle of this remarkable kota. History will have a dramatic solemn occasion.∑ stewardship, he earned a Doctorate of record of the loss and devastation of S12406 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE November 9, 1997 the flood. I also hope that it will record LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN come these challenges. It does little the tremendous efforts made by many SERVICES, AND EDUCATION AP- good if we make a breakthrough in the North Dakotans to survive and to rise PROPRIATIONS BILL lab or corporate research facility, if we to the occasion with heroic feats. ∑ Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, the can’t bring that breakthrough to mar- Now that a few months have passed Labor, Health and Human Services, ket in such a way that the maximum since the waters have subsided, it is and Education appropriations bill that number of people benefit. I hope the ad- time to reflect back on some of the the Senate passed yesterday provides ministration will give careful consider- many heroes—people that stepped up the National Institutes of Health and ation to these kinds of new and innova- when their community needed them— other Government health initiatives tive ideas in crafting its budget for the whose efforts shined despite the rising with funding needed to continue their upcoming fiscal year.∑ waters. work on diseases that afflict so many f In a disaster the extreme importance millions of Americans. I am glad to see TRIBUTE TO DAN VECE, SR. of a communication system is pivotal that this budget will continue to place ∑ Mr. DODD. Mr. President, within in fighting back and preserving the a priority on health research and, in every town in the country, there are a safety of those in the area. Today, I particular on women’s health. Al- small handful of families or individuals would like to recognize the efforts of though we have seen many advances in whose achievements and contributions several US West Communications em- women’s health over the past several to their community are so extraor- ployees who worked tirelessly to main- years, much more progress needs to be dinary that they become as much a tain critical telephone service to the made especially on such intractable part of the town’s landscape as Main Grand Forks area throughout the problems as breast cancer. Street, the Court House, or City Hall. flooding. The key to successful breast cancer The Vece’s are such a family in the On April 19, 1997 a crew of nine treatment is early detection. Mammog- town of Clinton, CT. central office technicians barricaded raphy has been and will continue to be For decades, Vece family members themselves into the US West building a key diagnostic tool in early detection have been on town boards and commis- in the heart of Grand Forks to keep the for women in the high-risk category for sions, working on countless charity communication systems of the area up breast cancer. Digital mammography is and civic events. The Vece family’s and running during the disaster. The the next generation technology in contributions to town life were even extensive preventive work that the US mammography imaging for cancer, and honored in 1995, when the Pierson West workers completed to get ready it offers a number of advantages over School gazebo was renamed the Vece for the flooding would now be tested as the current film technology, including: Gazebo. But the greatest illustration of their building was surrounded by 4 feet improved image quality and diagnosis; what this family meant to the vitality of water, and sat just one block away improved lesion visualization; lower of this small New England shoretown from a raging fire. The work of these overall cost of image storage and re- could be seen once a week at a local men and women sustained phone serv- trieval; and increased use of tele- restaurant. Each Sunday from 4 to 8 ice to the Federal Emergency Manage- mammography as a means to facilitate p.m. for the past 16 years, a diverse ment Agency, Federal Aviation Admin- expert consultations. group of patrons would gather at Bill’s istration, State and local emergency There is a second generation digital Seafood Restaurant to enjoy the music workers, and so many others in the mammography technology on the of Clinton’s favorite band. The people flooded region. drawing boards that offers the prospect of Clinton loved coming out and sing- not only of improving the ability of ra- To give you an idea of the challenges ing the songs that they all knew, but diologists to identify lesions in the facing these workers, they labored what they loved most was the band’s breast, but also of significantly reduc- night and day to keep the wires dry as leader—Dan Vece, Sr. What set Mr. ing the cost of digital mammography. 26 inches of water threatened basement Vece apart from other bandleaders was One such approach, a Metal-Halide cables. Sustained by the food, clothing, not the great musical skill with which technology, holds out the promise of and cots delivered via boat by the Na- he played the banjo. What made Dan meeting these goals. This technology tional Guard, these folks stayed on as Vece so special was his zest for life. has the potential to result in an imager the area was evacuated by all other That, and the fact that he was over 100 that could be used to replace the film people. In light of this adversity—and years old. imagers in existing mammography ma- armed with high-volume pumps, drying Seeing Dan Vece on stage wearing his chines—rather than needing to replace machines, and sandbags—these coura- trademark sailor’s cap and picking at the entire mammography machine. geous people sustained service to 50,000 his 1919 Gibson banjo, served to remind There are significant technical hur- countless people that life was meant to area customers and hundreds of emer- dles that must be overcome before a gency workers. be enjoyed. He served as an inspiration product of the necessary quality of res- to anyone who was fortunate enough to I would like to recognize these heroes olution for mammography can be in- meet him. Sadly, on September 23, 1997, by name for their dedicated service is troduced. The research and develop- Dan Vece, Sr. died at the age of 101. appreciated by me and many others ment risk may be too great for private Dan Vece, Sr. grew up and lived in touched by their efforts. The members sector companies to move forward, New Haven, CT until he enlisted in the of the initial emergency team were: thus making it ideal for a Government- Army during World War I. After being Denny Braaten, Linda Potucek, Larry industry partnership. discharged from the Army, he returned McNamara, Bob Schrader, Dan Kaiser, I urge the administration to consider to New Haven where he married his Dale Andrews, Glenda Wiess, Rick addressing this issue in its fiscal year wife of 68 years, Tilly Tullo. Together Hokenson, and Lew Ellingson. 1999 budget by creating a program that they moved to Clinton in 1919, where Two days later, US West reinforce- would focus on key technologies that they operated a retail plumbing store ments arrived to provide additional could improve women’s health. This and service. In addition to his business, support and hard work. I would like to new program could place particular Mr. Vece was one of Clinton’s first po- recognize these workers now: Don Jor- emphasis on technologies that will lice officers and served as a fireman, dan, Ray Jacobsen, Tim Kennedy, make a significant difference for beginning the longstanding family tra- Roger Jones, Bruce Bengston, Gary women, have a high likelihood of near- dition of public service. Mr. Vece en- Boser, Jim Falconer, Bion McNulty, term commercial development, and are joyed working and didn’t retire until Jack Olson, and Tim Rogers. likely to see widespread and rapid dif- he was 80 years old, and he continued I am tremendously proud of the cour- fusion throughout the medical commu- doing odd jobs until he was 88. He age and dedicated service dem- nity. played golf until he was 96, and drove a onstrated by the US West employees in Mr. President, the war on breast can- car until he was 98, transporting senior Grand Forks. They, along with so cer and many other diseases has not women to the grocery store. Dan Vece many others who volunteered and con- been won. In the private and public sec- was involved in countless activities, tinue the rebuilding efforts today, ex- tors, we must be creative in looking for but his true passion was always his emplify the North Dakota spirit.∑ new approaches to address and over- music.