Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the life of Mr. Bobby Silverstein. Bobby was a dedicated public servant and advocate for advancing disability rights. Within both the House of Representatives and the Senate, he worked tirelessly to…
Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the life of Mr. Bobby Silverstein. Bobby was a dedicated public servant and advocate for advancing disability rights. Within both the House of Representatives and the Senate, he worked tirelessly to champion the needs and priorities of the disability community. Specifically, Bobby played a critical role in crafting the Americans with Disabilities Act and fighting to secure its enactment while serving as staff director and chief counsel for Senator Harkin's Disability Policy Committee.
Bobby will be remembered for his compassion and commitment to creating a society that is fully inclusive and accessible for all Americans. Bobby's dedication to advancing the opportunities for and dignity of those with disabilities were shared by his colleague and friend. Judy Heumann at his memorial service. In honor of Bobby, I include in the Record Judy's speech.
When I learned of Bobby's passing, like all of you I was
stunned and deeply saddened. I thought immediately of you
Lynne, Mark, Evan and your families, and the shock and
sadness you would be experiencing. Then I began to think
about Bobby and the life that he led. The example he was to
everyone whose life he touched. And then a smile came across
my face, because Bobby was the epitome of a life well lived.
Like many of us joining today, I had the opportunity and
privilege to work with Bobby on some of the critical pieces
of legislation that he helped conceptualize. negotiate, and
lead on with Congress--especially Senator Harkin--and the
disability community to pass. In particular, I remember being
both honored and fearful when I was asked to be one of the
presenters at the ADA joint hearings. I wanted to make sure
that my words enabled the members of Congress to get a clear
understanding of why passage of the ADA was so important. But
I was, to say the least, quite terrified because of the 1
gravity of the hearings and all that was riding on them.
I shouldn't have worried though, and it was a beautiful
experience for me to work with Bobby on the testimony. He
was, as always, completely prepared, and he worked tirelessly
with me and the other presenters to ensure that we were
prepared too. In his diligent way, he made sure that we were
acknowledged, respected, and felt valued in sharing our
personal stories of discrimination and how it impacted our
lives. This testimony was one of my proudest moments, and it
meant a great deal to me that Bobby felt it was a powerful
and impactfu1 presentation.
How fortunate we were to have had Bobby Silverstein in our
movement. Bobby took the time to learn about our lives, and
to leam about the importance of being able to get laws like
the ADA passed, or the IDEA reauthorized, He understood how
important it was for concepts like independent living to be
enshrined in the law, He knew how to collaborate, and
negotiate--to negotiate hard if the 2 circumstances called
for it--and how to disagree without being disagreeable. As
smart and strategic as he was, he was also proud of our
accomplishments, but at the same time humble, kind, and
ethical. And he would always pick up the phone when I called,
whether it was 7:00 in the morning or 10 pm in the evening! I
will miss being able to do that, to get guidance on one thing
or another, or just to check in.
That said, when it came to work / life balance, you always
knew that with Bobby, family came first. Being in the
presence of Bobby and Lynne was to know a deep love and
respect that spanned more than 50 years, and to see what it
can produce; not only in a relationship but in a family. You
could see how lovingly they raised their wonderful sons, Mark
and Evan, and the joy that they experienced when, in turn,
Mark and Evan married and had their own children. I loved
when Bobby talked about what he and Lynne were doing with the
grandchildren, and the pride they took in being able to
devote such time and care to them. It has been a privilege to
see such devoted parents raising children who have grown up
to carry forward the same principled approach to life.
Yoshiko Dart and I were speaking about Bobby the other day,
and reflecting on his strength and vision, love and
discipline. And his beautiful smile. True to the core of his
humanity, you could believe him, and trust that what he said
and what he did were always in-sync.
I am certain that Bobby's life work will continue to grow.
The decades he worked on the Hill in support of the
bipartisan passage of more than 20 bills. The work he has
been doing for the past 15 years with Powers, Pyles, Sutter,
and Verville, and the hundreds--if not thousands of people--
he has trained and mentored to understand how to effectively
implement those laws. All of this will continue to bear
fruit.
Lynne, Mark, Evan, the entire Silverstein family and
friends, we thank you for having shared Bobby's life so
lovingly with our community. It is our responsibility to
carry forth his work as we continue to fight for equality. To
lead with humility, to listen, to encourage the growth of our
movement, to mentor, and to attribute some of the progress we
have made to the vision, fortitude, and integrity of Bobby
Silverstein.
How many of us in this room can say that we have led a life
as rich as Bobby's?
We will miss you Bobby--and always find solace and
encouragement in remembering your warm smile.