February 3, 2009 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS, Vol. 155, Pt. 2 2617 A member of the Committee with responsi- succeeded by another outstanding scholar of has proved to be a dynamic partner in the bility for writing education legislation, I Spanish culture, Professor Jo Labanyi. I NYU Center for European and Mediterranean took part in writing all the laws enacted here must also salute the Director of the Studies and a close partner of our King Juan during those years, 1959 to 1981, during the King Juan Carlos Center office in Madrid, Carlos I of Spain Center. Administrations of six Presidents—three Re- John Healey, who has known Spain for many For example, the Catalan Center, orga- publicans: Eisenhower, Nixon and Ford; and years. nized two years ago, has sponsored the fol- three Democrats: Kennedy, Johnson and Another distinguished leader who has lec- lowing events: Carter—laws to assist schools, colleges and tured at our King Juan Carlos I of Spain Cen- ‘‘A Mediterranean Mirror,’’ an exhibition universities; students who attend them; the ter is a longtime friend, someone well known of books on Catalan law, an opening at- arts and the humanities; libraries and muse- to all of you and with whom I met only tended by President Ernest Benach of the ums; and measures to help children, the el- weeks ago in New York City, the distin- Parliament of Catalonia, and Director of the derly, the disabled. guished former Mayor of Barcelona and Institut Ramo´ n Llull, Josep Bargallo´ . You will not be surprised that as a member President of the Generalitat, Pasqual The Catalan Center has also sponsored a of the Democratic Party in my country and, Maragall i Mira. I also saw Mayor Maragall, symposium titled, ‘‘Exalted by the Old, in indeed, as a citizen, I rejoice in the election by the way, at the Queen Sofı´a Spanish In- Love with the New’’, to accompany the exhi- last month of Barack Obama as President of stitute, of which I am a trustee, where we bition at the Metropolitan Museum, ‘‘Bar- the United States and of Democratic majori- were hosted by another friend of many years, celona and Modernity: Gaudı´, Picasso, Dalı´’’. ties in both the Senate and House of Rep- president of the Institute, Inmaculada de The Catalan Center has collaborated as resentatives. Habsburgo. well with the Museum of Modern Art in New Defeated for reelection in Ronald Reagan’s Pasqual’s contribution to the King Juan York City on three events involving Catalan landslide victory in 1980, I was shortly there- Carlos I of Spain Center was consolidated in culture: a Pere Portabella film series; an ex- after invited to become president of New 1998 when he spent a semester as Distin- hibition on Salvador Dalı´, ‘‘Art and Film’’; York University, the largest independent, or guished Visiting Fellow at the Center. Under and the current exhibition on Joan Miro´ . private, university in the United States, his direction, the Center organized an inter- Last September, The Catalan Center also with some 50,000 students. national symposium, ‘‘A World of Cities,’’ at- co-hosted a conference on ‘‘The New Medi- Given my background I directed particular tended by mayors and other urban leaders terranean,’’ in cooperation with the Euro- attention at NYU—as we call the Univer- from Latin America as well as Spain and the pean Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMed), sity—to encouraging the study of other United States. an institution based in Barcelona that pro- countries, and I established a Center for As you can see, my relationship with motes research and dialogue on the North- Japan-U.S. Business & Economic Studies in Catalonia does not end with my study of an- South relationship in the Mediterranean. our School of Business; a Remarque Institute archism. An important chapter revolves Only weeks ago, I add, Professor Vilanova for European and Mediterranean Studies; a around the University of Barcelona, as I joined us in New York for a symposium on Skirball Department of Hebrew and Judaic shall explain. the distinguished Catalan novelist, Mercedes Rodoredo. Studies; with help from the Alexander S. CATALAN STUDIES AT NYU Onassis Foundation, a professorship in Hel- And last month, by way of illustrating our When in 1981 I became president of New efforts to cooperate with other relevant or- lenic Studies; and, with funds from CITGO, York University, I was approached by Xavier the U.S. branch of Venezuelan Petroleum, a ganizations, the King Juan Carlos I of Spain Rubert de Vento´ s and the then new Mayor of Center hosted, with the Abraham Lincoln chair in Latin American Studies in the name Barcelona, Pasqual Maragall, together with ´ Brigade Archives, which promotes discussion of Andres Bello, the Venezuelan leader and the Rector of the University of Barcelona, ´ of the Spanish Civil War, ‘‘La Despedida’’, an tutor of Simon Bolivar. Dr. Antoni Badia i Margarit, and Mary Ann And there is also now a Center of Islamic event to recall how the people of Barcelona, Newman, at the time an NYU graduate stu- Studies at NYU. in October 1938, bade farewell to the volun- dent. They all urged me to create the In addition, there are thousands of stu- teers from many nations who came to defend Ca´ tedra Barcelona-Nova York, a program of dents from countries all over the world at- the Republic. Catalan Studies and educational exchange tending classes in New York City, and par- So you can see from what I have told you between our two institutions. The City Hall ticularly important, New York University that our university has made a serious, in- of Barcelona and the U.S.-Spain Fulbright now has a number of centers abroad—in Lon- deed, deep, commitment to the study of Commission financed the project. don, Paris, Prague, Florence and Ghana. We Catalonia and of Spain. In the first years of the Ca´ tedra, which have just celebrated the 50th anniversary of I trust you will understand, therefore, lasted from 1983 to 1986, NYU hosted, among NYU in Madrid, an opportunity that enabled from what I’ve said, why I am so profoundly others, Martı´ de Riquer, Xavier Rubert de me recently to have the privilege of an audi- moved by the honor that the University of Vento´ s, Eugenio Trı´as, Lluı´s Izquierdo, Pep ence with His Majesty, King Juan Carlos I of Barcelona has done me today. Subiro´ s, Mary Nash and Jordi Llovet. I accept this honor not solely for myself Spain. And we are now opening campuses in Anthony Bonner offered a four-part sem- but for my colleagues at New York Univer- Abu Dhabi, Buenos Aires and Shanghai and inar on Ramo´ n Llull to coincide with the sity who share my dedication to the study of before long will do so in Mexico. publication by Princeton University Press of Spain and the study of Catalonia. KING JUAN CARLOS I OF SPAIN CENTER AT NYU his groundbreaking translation, Selected De tot el que us he explicat es despre`n que But, of course, I take particular pride in Works by Ramo´ n Llull. There were also lec- la nostra Universitat ha assumit un the creation at NYU of the King Juan Carlos tures by Miguel Roca, David Rosenthal and, compromı´s serio´ s i, de fet, profund amb I of Spain Center, a Center for the study of I am pleased to say, Merce´ Vilanova. By the l’estudi de Catalunya i d’Espanya. modern Spain, a Center I dedicated just ten way, I must here note an excellent article by Per tant, espero que entendreu, per tot el years ago in the presence of His Majesty, the Professor Vilanova, ‘‘Anarchism, Political que he dit, per que` em sento tan King; Her Majesty, Queen Sofı´a, of the Greek Participation and Illiteracy in Barcelona Be- profundament emocionat per l’honor que la Royal Family; and the then First Lady of tween 1934 and 1936’’, published in the Amer- Universitat de Barcelona m’ha atorgat avui. the United States, Hillary Rodham Clinton. ican Historical Review. Accepto aquest honor no nomes per a mi, Here I note that we have established a The Catalan language classes at NYU also sino´ tambe´ per als meus companys de la foundation to raise funds to support the ac- bore fruit. One of the most prominent North Universitat de Nova York, que comparteixen tivities of the Center. I am President of the American specialists in Catalan art, Pro- la meva dedicacio´ a l’estudi d’Espanya i a Foundation; His Majesty, King Juan Carlos, fessor Robert Lubar of the Institute of Fine l’estudi de Catalunya. has graciously agreed to serve as Honorary Arts at NYU, studied Catalan in his program. ¡Muchas gracias! President; Jesu´ s Sainz Mun˜ oz, of Promo Ma- He has been the mentor of a generation of Moltes gra` cies! drid, is Vice President. Catalan experts, including two NYU profes- f In 1983, I had the privilege of awarding an sors, Jordana Mendelson and Miriam Basilio, honorary degree to His Majesty and an- and the curator of the current exhibition on TRIBUTE TO SHANNON DYKSTRA nouncing the creation of a professorship in Joan Miro´ at the Museum of Modern Art, Dr. his name under which we have invited lead- Anne Umland. HON. TOM LATHAM ing scholars of modern Spain to lecture at Two years ago, the office of President OF IOWA New York University, including Raymond Maragall of the Generalitat earmarked funds Carr, Francisco Ayala, Jose´ Marı´a Maravall, to establish the Catalan Center at New York IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Hugh Thomas, Jon Juaristi, Estrella de University through the Institute Ramo´ n Tuesday, February 3, 2009 Diego, Victor Pe´rez-Dı´az, Juan Goytisolo Lull, which also provided funds to teach and Baltasar Garzo´ n.