June 9, 1995 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S 8083 within a period of time after the dece- Cosic said riches weren’t as important as lost a former player; it’s that with the pass- dent dies, all or part of the reduced tax his country and helping The Church of Jesus ing of Cosic, a little of the joy was lost from rate may be recaptured. Christ of Latterday Saints. the game, too. Because nobody played for the The legislation will allow families to He returned to Yugoslavia and almost sin- joy of it all like Cosic. gle-handedly turned it into a basketball pow- He arrived on the BYU varsity basketball leave their businesses in the hands of erhouse with world and European champion- scene in 1970 like a cool wind off the Adriatic family members, or trusted, long-term ships. He found and developed players such Sea, where he played as a child. He was a employees of the business. as the Chicago Bulls’ Toni Kukoc (a Croat) gangly summation of tendons and bones, The bill will also extend the period of and the Lakers’ Vlade Divac (a Serb). loping down the court and driving every- time available to compute the alter- They would become millionaires, unlike one—the opposition, the coaches, the fans—a native valuation date for the family Cosic. That didn’t bother him. During an little crazy. He had an 18-foot skyhook and a interview at his middle-class home last year, baseline hook and a set shot beyond what is business. This will help resolve dis- now the 3-point arc. His game ranged from putes with the Internal Revenue Serv- Cosic would not dwell on unfound riches, but instead his eyes twinkled when he told how unorthodox to unpredictable to flat-out ice about the value of the business rewarding it was to coach such players from weird. when the value is closely tied to the differing (and now warring) ethnic back- ‘‘Everyone just fell in love with the guy skills of the decedent. grounds. and the way he played,’’ says Witbeck. Family-owned businesses are the job He didn’t return to Yugoslavia just to When Witbeck, now BYU’s associate ath- letic director, was an assistant basketball creators in this country. In the 1980’s build a basketball team. He wanted to build principles of democracy and sought to rec- coach for the Cougars, he recruited Cosic they accounted for an increase of more from the former Yugoslavia. Since Cosic than 20 million private sector jobs. I oncile ethnic groups of Yugoslavia. Such work would later win him the prestigious lived under a Communist regime, contact look forward to working with the farm, Freedom Award. was limited. Several years after first being contacted by ranch, and small business community, He also wanted to build up the LDS Church BYU, when the Yugoslavian national team and Members of the House and Senate, there and at age 23 became the country’s pre- was in Naples, Cosic defected. He arrived in to provide relief for out most precious siding elder. He even translated and pub- Salt Lake City in the still-dark hours of the lished The Book of Mormon in Serbo-Cro- resource—the family business entre- early morning, where Cougar officials picked atian and assumed all responsibility for it preneur. him up at the airport. ‘‘It was like an epi- before the Communist hierarchy. sode from ‘Mission Impossible,’ ’’ says f Cosic’s politics and religion were an irri- Witbeck. ‘‘Cloak-and-dagger.’’ KRESIMIR COSIC tant to Communist leaders—but his popu- Once in Provo, though, Cosic never turned larity and talent on the basketball court back. As anyone who ever saw him lead a Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, a beloved made them withhold action against him. fast break can attest, Cosic wasn’t one to friend and adopted son of Utah, His patriotism showed again when Yugo- turn back. ‘‘When you got Kres, you got 110 Kresimir Cosic, passed away May 25. At slavia dissolved into a multisided civil war percent of him,’’ says his friend, Bill Nixon. that time I paid a tribute to him on the at the end of communism. At the time, Cosic Bursting to the forefront after a year on floor of the Senate. Since then, others was coaching a professional team in Greece— the freshman team, Cosic caught the fans, and could easily have stayed far from the have also paid tribute in Utah news- the opposition and even the coaches by sur- conflict. prise. He was a reedlike 195-pound, 6-11 cen- paper articles. I ask unanimous con- But he contacted leaders of Croatia (whom ter who loved bringing the ball up the court. sent that these comments be printed in he knew because he was a sports hero) to vol- The guards complained that centers the RECORD. unteer for whatever they needed. Because he shouldn’t be leading the break, but to no The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without has lived in the United States and had con- avail. Cosic would smile engagingly and pro- objection, it is so ordered. tacts with key members of Congress, they test that he only brought the ball up because There being no objection, the mate- sent him to Washington as a deputy ambas- he was open. rial ordered to be printed in the sador to tell their story. Cosic’s versatility was astounding for his After a year into his assignment, the can- era. In a time of mostly slow, post-up cen- RECORD, as follows: cer was discovered. ters, Cosic ranged across the court. Before [From The Deseret News, June 3, 1995] Even with it, Cosic looked—as always—for David Robinson, Hakeem Olajuwon or Sam (By Lee Davidson) a bright spot. The energy-depleting treat- Perkins, there was Cosic. He could make a ments forced him to stay at home. Instead of COSIC WAS A TRUE MAN OF PRINCIPLE wraparound pass, dribble between his legs, complaining, he spoke with a smile about put up a finger roll or nail the perimeter WASHINGTON.—He skipped the chance to be how nice it was to have more time with his shot with surprising adeptness. He was Pete a basketball-star millionaire and never wife and three children. Maravich with six more inches. Fans packed looked back. Instead, he choose to sacrifice He said it also gave him a chance to work the Smith Fieldhouse and later the Marriott for his God, his country, his friends and his on his family history, which he said he had Center to see him cast his spell. family. been too busy for too long to research well. Witbeck’s enduring memory is of a tight But that made Kresimir Cosic, 46, who died Even with illness, he seemed to be almost game for the conference championship last week, among the happiest people I’ve always at the LDS Church’s Washington against rival Utah. Cosic was bringing the ever known, even when he suffered from can- Temple. Some church assignments of my ball down the middle on a fast break, when cer. own often took me there, and I always ran Utah guard Mike Newlin came over to check As Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said—giving into Cosic. I joked that the must live there. Cosic, expecting him to pass it to the wing. maybe the highest honor I’ve seen a He smiled and said he enjoyed the peace he But Cosic unexpectedly lifted into the air politican offer at the death of another—‘‘I found there—and enjoyed being near a tem- near the free throw line, tucking his knees never saw Kres without a smile.’’ ple, which he lacked for most of his years as under his chin like a 737 folding up its land- That’s hard to say about other sports stars a member of the LDS Church. ing gear, and laying the ball off the glass. and celebrities who spend millions or act That’s how I will remember Cosic. Always Cosic looped out from under the basket, outrageously thinking it will make them finding a reason to be happy no matter what trying hard not to smile. The coaches, who happy. Cosic found the type of joy through problems he faced or opportunities he had to had been worrying about Cosic losing the service that money cannot buy, nor can sick- skip—even though they were often not only ball out of bounds, exhaled. The Utah players ness or even death destroy. big, but monumental. gaped in astonishment. ‘‘The things he’d do My own story of Cosic begins where most were unbelievable,’’ says Witbeck. others end—after his basketball career, [From the Deseret News, May 26, 1995] Cosic ignored overtures from the NBA in mostly because I didn’t meet him until he (By Brad Rock) order to return to Yugoslavia, where he arrived in Washington as deputy ambassador spent most of the rest of his life in church for Croatia. That’s when I wanted to find out COLORFUL COSIC BROUGHT JOY TO BYU and civic work. When he died, he was serving how an athlete became an ambassador. BASKETBALL as Croatia’s deputy ambassador to the U.S. Of course, Cosic was among the greatest of Pete Witbeck can see him even now, dark But it’s his career at BYU for which he will all basketball stars at Brigham Young Uni- hair tousled and untamed, laughing in the be most remembered. Of all the stars in the versity and led the former Yugoslavia to doorway of the coaches’ office 25 years ago. school’s history, none could turn heads like many Olympic medals (including a gold in Which is how he wants to remember Cosic. As fierce a competitor as was Danny 1980) as a player and a coach. Kresimir Cosic. Ainge, as dramatic as Michael Smith, as ac- But Cosic’s power in politics (and religion) Cosic, one of the legendary basketball curate as Devin Durrant, as spectacular as came because the 6-foot-11 center—who could players in BYU history, died early Thursday Jeff Congdon, as unstoppable as Mel dribble, pass and score from three-point in a Washington D.C. hospital at 46, after Hutchins . . . nobody could bring the crowd range as well as a guard—turned down offers fighting cancer for over a year. to its feet like Cosic. from the Los Angeles Lakers and others that The loss cast a pall over the athletic de- ‘‘Nobody who ever played for us was in his would have made him a millionaire. partment at BYU. It wasn’t only that they class,’’ says Witbeck. S 8084 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE June 9, 1995 And none exuded the elation of basketball the reaction of the Foreign Ministry’s to protect our children from the evils in quite that way. In a sport now dominated spokesman Shen Guofang was this: of pornography and sexual abuse. In by trash talk and shattered backboards, ‘‘A very evil shortcoming of the U.S. Gov- 1994, for example, Senator GRASSLEY navel rings and disrespect, there is some- ernment is that it always criticizes the in- was successful in passing a law that thing sweetly appealing in the long-ago ternal affairs of other countries * * *. It memory of Cosic, racing exuberantly down made it a Federal crime to produce would be advisable for the U.S. Government child pornography in a foreign country the court, wondering what to do with the to mind its own affairs.’’ ball, once he got to the hoop. Wondering if with the intent to distribute it in the there were anything in the world quite so When the State Department urged United States. And, in 1993, I joined much fun. the parties to the Spratly Island dis- with my colleague from Iowa in sup- ‘‘I can see him now,’’ says Witbeck. pute to come to a peaceful solution porting a sense of the Senate resolu- Witbeck can still see Cosic, all elbows and thereto because of the serious effect tion opposing the Clinton administra- knees, taking in a rebound and turning to any regional conflict might have on tion’s attempt to weaken the Federal start the break. He pictures the 18-foot world trade, we were reminded that the hooks and the court-length passes. He envi- child pornography laws with its mis- PRC is opposed to ‘‘other countries’ in- guided legal brief in the Knox case. sions the angular shoulders filling up the terference in the matter. frame of his office door. And when he does, It is clear to me, though, that our Senator GRASSLEY’s bill raises many for just for a moment, he too can feel the joy Chinese friends are in no position to technical issues that must be carefully of the game. lecture this country on the topic of examined before the Senate reaches Mr. HATCH. In these articles you meddling; they are better at it than any final conclusions. And, of course, find that Kresimir Cosic dazzled many most. For example, in regards to the whatever we do must be absolutely with his grace on the basketball court visit of President Lee, which individ- consistent with the first amendment. at Brigham Young University and uals we admit to this country for pri- I look forward to hearings on Senator wherever he played or coached. He is vate visits pursuant to our immigra- GRASSLEY’s bill and to a full exposition also remembered as a devoted patriot tion laws is purely an internal affair of of the complicated issues involved who served his country, Croatia, and the United States in which China has here. But, in the meantime, I wanted ours, as Croatia’s Deputy Ambassador no business meddling; yet the PRC has to show my support for my colleague to the United States. raised a furor over the decision and has from Iowa, whose commitment to pro- Although Cosic suffered later in his sought to impose its will on us by dic- tecting our children has never life from cancer, he still remained in tating our internal policies to us. Simi- waivered. service to his faith, family, and coun- larly, the Chinese Foreign Ministry de- f try. rided the administration’s recent deci- I hope my colleagues will take the sion to impose a trade embargo on Iran WELCOME TO KELLY JOHNSTON opportunity to read these articles, be- because of the latter’s penchant for AND TRIBUTE TO SHEILA BURKE cause they truly describe the great sponsoring terrorism; yet that decision man Kresimir Cosic was. is inarguably a bilateral issue between Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, I join with f us and Iran in which China has no li- all Senators in welcoming Kelly John- cense to interfere. ston as secretary of the Senate. PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA Related examples of China seeking to For the past 3 years, Kelly has served Mr. THOMAS. Mr. President, if I had inject itself into the purely internal af- as staff director of the Senate Repub- to come up with a title for the short fairs of other countries are legion. For lican Policy Committee, where he has statement I would like to make this instance, China consistently denounces won the respect of all Senators—Re- morning, I would call it something the government of Israel in that coun- publican and Democrat—for his intel- along the lines of: ‘‘Look which pot is try’s various dealings with its Arab ligence and integrity. Kelly has an im- calling the kettle black.’’ Anyone even neighbors; yet these issues are strictly pressive 14-year career working in the fleetingly familiar with the People’s bilateral ones between Israel and the legislative and executive branch, and I country concerned and China has no Republic of China will recognize the am confident he will do an outstanding place in concerning itself with them. Beijing Government’s frequent admoni- job in overseeing the legislative admin- The PRC has a long history of con- tions to us about ‘‘interfering in Chi- istration of the Senate. demning the government of the Repub- na’s internal affairs.’’ We express con- Kelly will succeed Sheila Burke, who lic of Korea in its dealings with North cern about the PRC’s deplorable treat- has served as secretary since the begin- Korea, but China has no business med- ment of hundreds of prodemocracy stu- ning of this Congress. dling in such a uniquely bilateral rela- dents at Tiananmen Square in 1989, and tionship. During that time, Sheila succeeded we are told not to interfere in China’s Vice-Premier and PRC Foreign Min- in creating a secretary’s office that internal affairs. We worry about how ister Qian Qichen recently quoted a was both smaller and smarter. Chinese policies may affect our eco- saying from the Confucian Analects: Under her leadership, a 12.5-percent nomic interests in Hong Kong, and we ‘‘What you do not want done to your- reduction in the secretary’s budget was are told not to interfere in China’s in- self, do not do to others.’’ Yet, every achieved, without cutting needed serv- ternal affairs. Myriad statements made day the PRC comments on issues which ices to Members and the public. just this month by the Foreign Min- clearly, unambiguously do not concern Sheila also took the lead in bringing istry, the State-controlled press, party it. So, Mr. President, the next time the many advancements in technology to and government cadres are replete with PRC feels the urge to trot out the rath- the secretary’s office, including many these references. er hackneyed phrase about us ‘‘inter- that will result in long-term savings of For example, the PRC’s Xinhua do- fering in their internal affairs’’ they tax dollars. mestic service on May 11 carried the should pause and remember a variation following statement in reaction to the Under her guidance, improvements of another famous saying: ‘‘Govern- were made in the Senate page school— Senate vote urging the administration ments that live in glass houses to admit Taiwan’s President Lee to improvements that will ensure a qual- shouldn’t throw stones.’’ ity education for the pages, and ones this country for a private visit: ‘‘The f U.S. Senate, in passing the resolution that saved the Senate close to $100,000. in disregard of the solemn position of PROTECTION OF CHILDREN FROM Sheila was also the guiding force be- the Chinese side, has constituted a COMPUTER PORNOGRAPHY ACT hind the family night, in the Senate gross interference in China’s internal Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, at Senator dining room, allowing all of us to spend affairs.’’ When our government last GRASSLEY’s request, I have cosponsored more time with our most important week protested the recent arrests of the Protection of Children from Com- constituents—our families. several members of China’s puter Pornography Act, which he in- Sheila will continue to serve as my prodemocracy movement for no appar- troduced earlier this week. chief-of-staff, and I know all Senators ent reason other than the approach of Since coming to Washington, Senator join me in thanking this dedicated pub- the June 4 anniversary of Tiananmen, GRASSLEY has been a leader in the fight lic servant for a job well done.