September 9, 2009 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—SENATE, Vol. 155, Pt. 16 21201 Studies show that 50 percent of preg- country of FASD. We must move past Judge Robert M. Takasugi, the first nancies in the are un- the stigma of this devastating disease Japanese American appointed to the planned and many women consume al- to truly help those and their families Federal bench. Judge Takasugi passed cohol before they realize they are preg- who are affected by FASD get the away on August 7, 2009, at the age of 78. nant, resulting in 40,000 children every health, education, counseling and sup- Robert Takasugi was born in Ta- year being born with fetal alcohol spec- port services they need and deserve. We coma, WA, on September 12, 1930, to trum disorders and subject to a life- must also address the tragedy of FASD Japanese parents who had immigrated time of cognitive and behavioral im- at the source, by increasing awareness to the United States in search of a bet- pairments. Tragically, Alaska has the that any amount of alcohol during ter life. His family moved to Los Ange- highest rate of fetal alcohol spectrum pregnancy can have heartbreaking, les in 1942 in the wake of anti-Japanese disorders in the Nation. Among Alas- lifelong effects. We must work to en- sentiment following the Pearl Harbor kan Native communities, the rate is 15 sure this is understood by all women of attack. That same year, Robert and his times higher than non-Native areas in childbearing age and that treatment parents were sent to an internment the State. Prenatal alcohol exposure and counseling services are available camp at Tule Lake, CA, 3 of 130,000 can result in low IQ and difficulties for these women. Japanese Americans who were interned with learning, memory, attention, and One of the most distressing facts re- during the war. In the years since, problem-solving as well as impairment garding FASD is that it is entirely pre- Judge Takasugi often called the experi- of mental health and social inter- ventable. I have joined several of my ence ‘‘an education to be fair.’’ colleagues in the Senate to introduce a actions. Prenatal alcohol exposure can After being released from the intern- resolution designating September 9, also result in growth retardation, birth ment camp in 1945, Robert returned to 2009, as National FASD Awareness Day. defects involving the heart, kidney, vi- Los Angeles where he resumed his It is my hope these efforts progress to- sion and hearing, and a characteristic studies and graduated from Belmont ward global awareness of FASD and an High School. He went on to earn a pattern of facial abnormalities. The end to this destructive disease. lifetime health costs for an individual bachelor’s degree from UCLA in 1953. with fetal alcohol syndrome are esti- f Robert was then drafted into the U.S. mated at $1.4 million for medical care ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS Army during the Korean War, where he served as a criminal investigator. Upon and treatment interventions. In the discharge, he went on to earn a law de- United States, approximately $9.7 bil- gree from USC in 1959 with the aid of lion is spent annually for individuals 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF NASCOE the G.I. bill. afflicted with FASD, according to gov- ∑ Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. President, this year the National Association of After graduating from USC, Robert ernment reports. joined his only Latino classmate, fu- There is a great need for research, Farm Service Agency County Office ture Superior Court Judge Carlos surveillance, prevention, treatment, Employees, NASCOE, is celebrating its Velarde, and together they opened a and support services for individuals 50th anniversary. NASCOE was founded law practice in East Los Angeles. The with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders in Memphis, TN, in 1959 in an effort to firm represented many indigent mi- and their families. It is for these rea- provide a nationwide association norities, including arrestees from the sons that I rise today to dedicate this through which county committee em- ployees of the Agricultural Stabiliza- 1965 Watts riots, East Los Angeles Wednesday, September 9 as National riots, and other civil rights demonstra- Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Day. tion and Conservation Service, ASCS, could render better service to Amer- tors in the 1960s. All Americans are encouraged to pro- Robert’s first judicial appointment, mote awareness of the effects of pre- ican agriculture by having a national network for the exchange of ideas and by then-Governor Ronald Reagan, land- natal exposure to alcohol; to increase ed him on the Los Angeles Municipal compassion for individuals affected by information and to facilitate closer co- operation in working toward solution Court in 1973. Two years later, then- prenatal exposure to alcohol; to mini- Governor Jerry Brown promoted him mize further effects of prenatal expo- of mutual problems. In the USDA Reorganization Act of to the Los Angeles County Superior sure to alcohol; and most importantly 1994, Congress combined the ASCS, the Court and in 1976, Judge Takasugi be- to bring greater awareness to a disease Federal Crop Insurance Corporation, came the first Japanese American to be that is 100 percent preventable! and the agricultural lending programs appointed to the Federal bench after On behalf of the millions of individ- of the Farmers Home Administration being named by President Gerald Ford. uals suffering from the lasting and det- into a single Farm Service Agency. Throughout his career, Judge rimental effects of fetal alcohol spec- Today, NASCOE continues to represent Takasugi was known for his fairness trum disorders and advocates for elimi- the county office employees of the and compassion. In his spare time, he nating FASD, I encourage all Ameri- ‘‘new’’ FSA. In Tennessee last year, 250 served as a mentor to thousands of cans to observe a moment of reflection NASCOE employees provided valuable young lawyers. He founded a free bar on the ninth hour of September 9, to assistance to 90,000 producers through a review course, which he taught from remember that during the 9 months of wide range of Federal programs from his living room for many years, for stu- pregnancy a woman should not con- conservation to price support and dents who were having trouble passing sume any alcohol. helped them cope in times of emer- the bar exam. In 1999, the Robert M. Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, today I gency and disaster. Takasugi Public Interest Fellowship rise to recognize September 9, 2009, as I think we can all recognize the value was created by his colleague to honor National Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Dis- of the local Farm Service Agency office Judge Takasugi and ensure that his orders Awareness Day. Fetal Alcohol to farmers and ranchers, and I com- courage and vision of equal justice are Spectrum Disorders, FASD, is an um- mend NASCOE on its dedication to carried out by generations to come. brella term describing the varied range FSA county employees and the farmers Judge Takasugi was a trailblazer for of alcohol-related birth defects that they serve. I congratulate NASCOE on Asian Americans in the field of law. may result from the use of alcohol dur- its 50th anniversary and hope that they His dedication to justice and equality ing pregnancy. The effects of this dis- will continue to assist in conserving was evident in everything that he did order may be mental, behavioral, and/ and improving our Nation’s natural re- throughout his 36-year judicial career or involve learning disabilities. FASD sources and agriculture industry.∑ on the Federal bench. His many years is the leading known cause of prevent- f of service to the City and County of able cognitive impairment in America. Los Angeles, to the State of California, It is estimated FASD affects 1 in 100 REMEMBERING JUDGE ROBERT M. and to our Nation will not be forgot- live births each year. TAKASUGI ten. I have great concern about the im- ∑ Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I take Judge Takasugi is survived by his pact in South Dakota and across the this opportunity to honor the life of wife Dorothy; his son Jon; his daughter

VerDate Mar 15 2010 09:11 Apr 03, 2012 Jkt 079102 PO 00000 Frm 00036 Fmt 0686 Sfmt 0634 E:\BR09\S09SE9.001 S09SE9 wreier-aviles on DSK5TPTVN1PROD with BOUND RECORD 21202 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—SENATE, Vol. 155, Pt. 16 September 9, 2009 Lesli; and his two grandchildren. I ex- neurodegenerative diseases such as Alz- hollow spin or talking points designed tend my deepest sympathies to his heimer’s, Parkinson’s, vascular demen- to misdirect. He was not interested in family. tia, post traumatic stress disorder, gulf ‘‘gotcha games.’’ Ken Bacon became a Whether he was fighting for our war illness, depression, and other con- Pentagon spokesman because he be- country or fighting for integrity and ditions associated with nerve loss in lieved he had an obligation to inform equality under the law, Judge Robert the brain. the public, and he took that duty seri- Takasugi was undeterred in his efforts Thanks to the Center for Imaging ously. to make America a better place to live. Neurodegenerative Diseases, the It was as Pentagon spokesman that He will be missed by all who knew him. SFVAMC’s three Medical Science Re- Ken first encountered the problem that We take comfort in knowing that fu- search Enhancement Award Programs, would become his defining passion and ture generations will benefit from his and partners such as the Veterans the capstone on his life’s work. In 1999, passion and dedication to justice.∑ Health Research Institute, the he visited a during a trip f SFVAMC is at the forefront of medical to the with Defense Secretary research and is working to extend and . What he saw changed 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SAN improve the lives of veterans across the last decade of his life—not to men- FRANCISCO VA MEDICAL CENTER the country. tion the lives of the countless refugees ∑ Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I ask my I applaud the staff and volunteers at he helped. colleagues to join me today in hon- the SFVAMC for the tremendous serv- Ken Bacon was transformed by the oring the San Francisco VA Medical ice they have provided to our veterans plight of those who had lost their Center, SFVAMC, on the occasion of since 1934, and offer my best wishes for homes to war. When he left the Pen- its 75th anniversary. Since its official many more successful years of deliv- tagon, he became President of Refugees dedication on November 11, 1934, the ering care and advancing medical re- International in 2001. SFVAMC has been honoring America’s search. Please join me in celebrating Beneath his intellectual demeanor, veterans by providing them with acces- the 75th Anniversary of the SFVAMC.∑ Ken Bacon always had a sweet side. He sible, quality health care. Today the f fought for people displaced from their center provides state-of-the-art med- homes by war, civil conflict, famine, ical, neurological, surgical, and psy- REMEMBERING KENNETH BACON and drought. This mission gave Bacon’s chiatric care for the more than 310,000 ∑ Mr. KERRY. Mr. President, as an ac- life new meaning, and it gave the ref- veterans living in northern California. complished journalist who served as ugee community a very powerful cham- Were it not for the leadership and spokesman for two Secretaries of De- pion. persistence of Congresswoman Flor- fense, Ken Bacon crafted a unique and Ken Bacon’s stellar reputation, his ence P. Kahn, the SFVAMC might forceful voice. influence in a city that depends on never have come to be. Congresswoman Then, as President of Refugees Inter- known commodities, and his Pentagon Kahn was the first Jewish woman to national, he lent that voice to those credentials proved to be enormously serve in the U.S. Congress, and the who needed it most. helpful in calling attention to the fifth woman ever to serve in Congress. When he died last month, the power- plight of the powerless—including the She was also the first woman to serve ful and the destitute alike lost a trust- humanitarian advocates who struggled on the House Military Affairs Com- ed and beloved friend. to be heard in official Washington. Ba- mittee. In 1930, Congresswoman Kahn Ken Bacon was famously bespec- con’s name and his voice lent legit- made an appeal to the Federal Board of tacled, bow-tied, warm and whip-smart. imacy to causes too easily overlooked Hospitalization—the precursor to the He was someone who commanded your by those accustomed to defining Amer- Veterans Administration—to build a respect and won your affection in equal ica’s mission abroad based on a very veterans hospital in San Francisco. At measure. narrow definition of our security and the time, the only facility for veterans As a young intern, Bacon launched our interests. Ken understood that our in California was in Los Angeles. Con- his journalistic career with a front- shared humanity belonged at the very gresswoman Kahn recognized that vet- page Wall Street Journal story about a center of that conversation—and he erans in the northern part of the state new car repair system that one me- used his unique talents and energy to were in dire need of services, and chanic had called ‘‘the greatest thing ensure that it was. worked tirelessly to garner support for since girls.’’ In the decades that fol- He saw the impressive effort to care building a medical center in San Fran- lowed, he went on to cover the Federal for European refugees in the former cisco. I would like to acknowledge and Reserve, the Securities and Exchange Yugoslavia, and he wanted to ensure honor the work of Congresswoman Commission and the Pentagon. Bacon that it became the rule worldwide—not Kahn, as her efforts have ultimately was also a talented editor who never the exception. Ken visited refugee improved the lives of countless Amer- stopped writing on a dazzlingly wide camps in forgotten corners of the ican veterans. array of topics, from banking reform to world, from Cambodia to . He Today the SFVAMC serves veterans a crack addict’s rehabilitation. In the wanted to make sure that no refugee— in Marin, Napa, Sonoma, Lake, last months of his life, he also wrote anywhere slipped through the cracks. Mendocino, Humboldt, San Mateo, and movingly and pointedly about health Ken Bacon was tireless. Essays, San Francisco counties. The center op- care reform and his struggles with the speeches, press conferences, advocacy erates five community-based out- melanoma that eventually took his he threw himself into his work and ref- patient clinics that provide primary life. ugees everywhere benefitted. and mental health care. These clinics Bacon’s conscientious work earned Ken’s newsroom training and stra- offer a variety of services, including the admiration of those he reported on. tegic thinking often put him ahead of those that place veterans in supportive Defense Secretary fi- the curve. He sounded an early alarm housing, provide case management, and nally convinced him to work from the about the genocide in Darfur. He was offer individual and vocational coun- other side of the podium. Bacon was also a forceful champion for Iraqi refu- seling. unfailingly well-prepared, using the gees—first decrying our neglect, and In addition to providing direct care, same skills that made him a standout then urging on our actions as the State the SFVAMC hosts some of the largest reporter to anticipate reporters’ ques- Department’s funding for Iraqi refugees funded research programs in the Vet- tions and offer satisfyingly detailed an- increased tenfold between 2006 and 2008. erans Health Administration. The Cen- swers. Our sympathies are with Darcy, ter for Imaging of Neurodegenerative He excelled as a spokesman because Ken’s wife of 43 years; with his daugh- Diseases, for example, works to develop he never lost his respect for his former ters Sarah and Katherine, to whom he treatments to prevent the development colleagues or for the truth. When was absolutely devoted, and with his and slow the progression of things got tough, he did not revert to father, brother and two grandchildren.

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