CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—SENATE July 22, 1999
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July 22, 1999 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—SENATE 17511 pay parity issues, and he served as a The more than 60 years between her high ‘‘After the summer I’m going to think member of the bipartisan National school diploma and her bachelor’s degree about taking some courses . but I have Commission Restructuring the IRS have been packed full with feats that make the summer to think about it,’’ she said.∑ whose work was the basis for the com- her latest accomplishment seem more like a f brief stop along the way than a final destina- prehensive IRS reform legislation tion. IN HONOR OF JOE REDINGTON, SR. passed in the 105th Congress. She has been a pioneer, a working mother ∑ Mr. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, in Furthermore, Bob has been success- and, most recently, a student. ful in numerous landmark legal battles Although her life as a traditional student the winter of 1973, when I was a com- impacting employee rights in court and began 10 years ago at a non-traditional age, mercial banker in Fairbanks, AK, pio- before various federal oversight bodies, Cohen has been something of a student all neer Joe Redington, Sr., came into our such as the Merit Systems Protection her life, learning as she went along. offices with an interesting proposition. Board, the Federal Labor Relations Au- Born and raised in Estonia, Cohen ven- He was seeking a bank loan to start a thority and the Office of Personnel tured off the beaten path early. sled dog race to commemorate the in- ‘‘When I graduated from high school I famous diphtheria serum run that left Management. joined a group of friends that I had in a Zion- Again, I commend Mr. Tobias for his ist youth organization,’’ she said. For two Nenana in 1925 to deliver 20 pounds of invaluable work on behalf of federal years the group trained for a life in agri- serum to Nome to stop a deadly out- employees, and I wish continued suc- culture, to be among the first to settle what break of the disease. cess for Mr. Tobias in his future en- is now Israel. Joe worked as a commercial fisher- ∑ deavors. * * * * * men and miner and had no collateral to f When war broke out in 1948, Abraham trav- speak of—and no real chance of getting the $50,000 loan. He couldn’t accurately LYBA COHEN eled back and forth to Israel while Lyba stayed in New York, helping her father-in- predict the costs of the race or forecast ∑ Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I rise law with the family bakery. After the war the sponsor interest, and he couldn’t today to congratulate a recent college ended her husband returned and took over even guarantee that any mushers graduate who resides in Rutland, the bakery. Cohen helped run the business would reach the finish line in Nome. Vermont. Lyba Cohen has joined the until their two sons were out of school. In 1970, she took the civil service test and But Joe Redington had a dream. multitude of students who received More importantly, Redington was a their bachelor’s degrees from colleges took a position with the New York City Human Resources Administration, where she man you knew would accomplish any- and universities across the country in worked for 17 years, living in the Bronx. Wid- thing he set his mind to. His infectious the past months. She graduated from owed in 1973, Cohen lived and worked in the enthusiasm and ‘‘can-do’’ attitude Lehman College in the Bronx, New Bronx by herself. She retired in 1987. prompted me to take a chance and York with a bachelor’s degree in Restless and driven by what she described make a loan to help fund the world’s English literature with a minor in as a love of the English language, she en- longest sled dog race—the Iditarod Italian. She also walked away with a rolled at Lehman College a year after she re- tired. An interest in English, sparked when Trail Sled Dog Race. nearly perfect GPA. Although Lyba Joe Redington got the loan and paid Cohen speaks seven languages fluently, Cohen was in high school, guided her toward a concentration in literature and modern it back. I do regret. however, having to she considers the English language her language. come to the Senate floor today to note greatest love. She has an insatiable ‘‘I just fell in love with the English lan- the passing of Joe Redington, Sr., a love of learning, and plans to continue guage,’’ she said of her high school years. true giant of Alaska, who died June 24 her education next fall. She has been taking college classes since at age 82 at his home in Knik, Alaska. there is one detail that I have failed 1988, averaging two courses a semester. Redington’s life is really a micro- to mention regarding this recent col- ‘‘It took me a very long time because of health problems and hospital says,’’ she said. cosm of Alaska’s modern history. Born lege graduate. Mr. President, Lyba February 1, 1917, in rural Oklahoma, Cohen is 82 years old. she was born and Her health and other factors prompted her move from the Bronx to Ruthland in Decem- his family wandered the country look- raised in Estonia, became part of the ber 1997, but she stayed in school. ing for farm work until they settled in Zionist movement after high school, ‘‘I didn’t give up,’’ she said. Bucks County, Pennsylvania in the and was among the first people to set- She now lives across the street from her late 1920s. In 1948 after a stint in World tle the state of Israel. A woman who son, Barry Cohen. Her other son, Boaz, who War II, Redington and wife, Vi, drove has worn many hats throughout her lives in Warren N.J., will join the family as they watch her accept her diploma. two Jeeps to Alaska and never looked life, Mrs. Cohen is a tribute to students back. and senior citizens alike. She relocated The move made finishing her degree more difficult, but Lyba Cohen said she’s glad she During territorial days and the early to Rutland two years ago, and I am came north. years of statehood, Joe Redington proud to honor this fascinating ‘‘I love it here, it’s a wonderful place . helped turn dog mushing—then a trans- Vermonter. Mrs. Cohen has led a rich I wish I had come here earlier,’’ she said. portation necessity in central and and fulfilling life,and at 82 she has em- Her love of language is greater. She speaks rural Alaska—into the state’s official barked on yet another journey. this seven different tongues, and when she speaks sport. Redington and his wife, Vi, were unique student deserves recognition, it seems every word she uses has been care- fully chosen. She cites the same discrimina- dedicated breeders for nearly four dec- and I ask that the article from the ades. Offspring of their dogs have filled Rutland daily Herald be printed in the tion in her favorite author, Vladimir Nabokov, who also learned English as a sec- many kennels in Alaska and the Lower RECORD so that all Senators may read ond language. 48 with racing pups. about this remarkable women. ‘‘I like him, I like his linguistic pro- In 1967 he and the late Dorothy Page The article follows. ficiency,’’ she said. teamed to promote a Centennial A LIFELONG LEARNER—RUTLAND WOMAN Cohen’s love of language has also trans- Iditarod Sled Dog Race in honor of the EARNS COLLEGE DEGREE AT AGE 82 lated into academic success. She has re- 100th Anniversary of Alaska’s purchase (By Cauley Greene) ceived grades higher than an ‘‘A’’ in her last from Russia. The 56-mile race around Lyba Cohen is a great student. She’s grad- two semesters, and was told by her professor uating with a sky-high GPA and a bachelor’s that three papers on author Toni Morrison the Big Lake-Wasilla area was a great degree in English literature with a minor in she had recently done were written on a success. The Centennial’s success Italian. graduate level. Cohen’s GPA is also very spurred the idea for the Iditarod. Like other graduates, she looks forward to high, but she said that it doesn’t really mat- But Redington’s Iditarod dream was a summer of rest before deciding whether to ter to her. realized when 34 mushers left Anchor- delve back into academia. ‘‘It’s close to 4.0, I think . It’s really of age on March 3, 1973 for the inaugural no importance to me at all. The fact is I’ve But unlike most college graduates, Cohen Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. The 1,100- is 82 years old. acquired a lot of knowledge, she said. She’ll be accepting her diploma from Leh- Which begs the question: what will she do mile race took the adventurous man College in the Bronx, N.Y., on Friday with her degree? Her answer probably echoes mushers across some of the roughest with the rest of the class of 1999. that of graduates 60 years her junior. terrain in Alaska. Twenty-two mushers VerDate mar 24 2004 07:56 Apr 30, 2004 Jkt 069102 PO 00000 Frm 00143 Fmt 0686 Sfmt 0634 E:\BR99\S22JY9.005 S22JY9.