Gary L. Ackerman

Mr. Speaker, I rise today with a heavy heart. Tragically, two constituents from my congressional district perished due to Superstorm Sandy hitting the New York area. While unfortunately many people lost property, or lost power due to Sandy, we cannot forget that many people and their families lost much, much more: they lost their lives and their loved ones. These people were just in the wrong place at the wrong time--a minute or two earlier or later, a foot or two closer or farther--and perhaps their lives would not have been tragically cut short. They were our neighbors, our friends, our brothers, our sisters; they were part of our community.

Anthony Laino was in his home in Flushing, waiting out the storm in his bedroom when a tree fell onto his home, taking his life. Tony, as his friends and family called him, was only 30 years old and a graduate student at St. John's University. He had his whole life to live; friends and family described Tony as larger than life, a ``pillar of Flushing.'' His family and friends will truly miss him as they grapple with their unspeakable loss.

Safar Shafinoori of Roslyn was just moving his car. Just as any of us would have that night of the storm. Heartbreakingly, a falling tree struck and killed him. My heart goes out to Mr. Shafinoori's family.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that all of colleagues join me and rise in remembrance of Anthony Laino and Safar Shafinoori. They will be missed by their family, friends and our entire community.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the exceptional achievements and outstanding career of Seymour S. Levander. Sy, as his friends and family know him, will turn 89 years old later this year, is a beloved father and grandfather. Sy, the son of immigrant refugees from Europe, began his version of the American Dream growing up in the Bronx, graduating from James Madison High School in 1941. He continued his academic studies at Cooper Union University, graduating in 1944 and teaching electrical engineering there for a short time.

Sy then started designing and selling equipment for the building trade, which was booming at that time in post-war America. In the 1950s, Sy, seeing an opportunity, struck out on his own and started his own business which he owned and ran until he sold the firm at the age of 66 at his wife Ellenore's request. However, retirement didn't take with Sy, and he continued to work. At the tender young age of 71, he started a new engineering and sales firm with younger partners where he continues his storied career in the construction industry to this day, still going in to work at age 88. Sy's knowledge, work ethic, and old- fashioned integrity are the stuff of legend in the industry. Over the years, he has been honored several times by ASHRAE, the nationwide building technology society, as well as other industry organizations.

Sy has also been a terrific community leader and a fighter for the underdog throughout his life. Through his businesses and a lifetime of charitable endeavors, he has created opportunities for people from all walks of life and backgrounds. In addition, he and his beloved wife Ellenore, who unfortunately passed away this year after 67 years of marriage, were founders of the Pelham Jewish Center, which has been a primary focus of his energies and care for many years.

Mr. Speaker, while he has many achievements to his name, Sy is most proud of his two children, a doctor and a lawyer; his daughter-in-law, an architect; and his four grandchildren, who are, respectively, the first trumpet for the San Francisco Opera and a music professor at Berkley, a doctor interning at Stony Brook University Medical Center, a law student and Human Rights Fellow at Columbia University Law School, and a rising junior at Dartmouth College. I ask all of our colleagues to rise and join me in honoring Seymour S. Levander.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the life of Evelyn Weinstein, beloved mother, grandmother, and wife, tireless advocate for the underprivileged, and friend to all who knew her. Regrettably, Evelyn passed away earlier this week.

To say that Evelyn believed in giving back and paying forward would be an understatement--she devoted her entire life to helping the most vulnerable members of our society. The daughter of Polish immigrants, Evelyn worked hard to achieve the American Dream, graduating first from Brooklyn College and then going on to receive a Masters degree from Columbia University. Evelyn used her education and training to help others by becoming a certified psychiatric social worker in New York State.

During World War II and its aftermath, she helped veterans and their families cope with the psychiatric issues of war and also assisted children with respiratory ailments. During her four-decade long career as a social worker, she was a stalwart advocate for patients, assisting thousands of them at Jamaica, Long Island Jewish and North Shore hospitals. She was also the director of Long Term Care Ombudservice, Nassau County, safeguarding the rights of nursing-home residents and helping families deal with the difficult transition of placing loved ones into elder-care facilities.

Always the ardent activist, Evelyn was involved with many social agencies and organizations dedicated to assisting low income and vulnerable individuals, including: the Nassau Action Coalition, helping the aged and disabled and blind on Social Security Income; the Kimmel Housing Development Foundation, advocating for affordable housing; and the Social Action Committee of Temple Emanuel of Great Neck, serving as its chairperson. Evelyn also received numerous honors for her good works during her long and varied career, including: the American Jewish Congress Woman of the Year award, the Nassau County Social Worker of the Year award, and Nassau County Senior Citizen of the Year award.

Evelyn met the love of her life, Jack Weinstein, while she was attending Brooklyn College. They married in 1946 after Jack's service in the U.S. Navy and had three sons, Seth, Michael, and Howard. Jack went on to become a federal district judge, then chief judge, in the Eastern District of New York. But before Jack could become one of the most distinguished jurists in the country, Evelyn worked nights as a social worker and helped care for their young son so that Jack could attend Columbia University law school.

Evelyn was known for a lifetime of selfless devotion to her family, friends, coworkers, patients and clients. Her human touch and empathy for those in need led to the bettering of thousands of lives, not just through her own work, but also through her efforts of teaching people how to help people. She trained and supervised hundreds of social workers and volunteer ``ombudspeople'' along the way so that they could continue to ``pay forward'' what Evelyn had ``given back'' to her community. Evelyn was deeply committed to the concept of citizen representatives overseeing and engaging in government programs in their communities.

Mr. Speaker, Evelyn's energy and compassion for helping the disadvantaged never wavered, never flagged. She is already sorely missed, but her gift of helping others, as well as inspiring all of us to help those less fortunate than us, will always endure. I ask all of our colleagues to rise and join me in honoring Evelyn Weinstein.