[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 139 (Thursday, September 29, 1994)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page E] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov] [Congressional Record: September 29, 1994] From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] TRIBUTE TO LAURENCE WEISS ______ HON. FRANK PALLONE, JR. of new jersey in the house of representatives Thursday, September 29, 1994 Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, on Sunday, October 2, 1994, at the Victoria Manor in Edison, NJ, the Middlesex County American-Hungarian Democratic Organization will pay tribute to one of New Jersey's leading citizens, Mr. Laurence S. Weiss of Perth Amboy, NJ. Mr. Speaker, the story of Larry Weiss is one of the great American success stories. Born in Hungary, he immigrated to the United States with his parents at the age of 3. The Weiss family settled first in Jersey City, then Carteret, where Larry went through the public schools and graduated from the high school. After attending Middlesex County College and operating a service station in Newark, NJ, Mr. Weiss enlisted in the Army in 1940. After training at Fort Dix and Fort Jay, he was selected to go to Officers Candidate School at Fort Benning, GA, and was subsequently commissioned a 2d lieutenant, infantry. He served in the Pacific, through the campaigns on New Guinea, Leyte, Luzon, Bataan, and Mindanao, earning promotions to 1st lieutenant and company commander. He took part in the original landings on Shikokui, Japan, in August 1945 and remained there until his return to the United States. He joined the Army Reserve and was recalled to active service during the Korean conflict. He remained a member of the Reserve until 1958. His list of citations includes the Purple Heart, Bronze and Silver Stars, American, Asiatic, and European Theater Ribbons, and two Presidential Citations. Upon his return, Mr. Weiss joined his former employer, the American Petroleum Corp., of Perth Amboy, NJ, and became the company's president in 1960. He served as a member of the Woodbridge, NJ, Library Board for 5 years, including service as the board's president and was instrumental in completing their building program. He also served as a member of the Middlesex County Planning Board. Laurence Weiss was elected to the New Jersey State Senate in 1977, and went on to compile a remarkable and distinguished 14-year career for which he deserves the lasting respect and gratitude of the people of New Jersey. He served on the committees on agriculture, State government, education, oversight, and the legislative commission. But it was in his capacity as a member for 12 years of the senate finance, revenue, and appropriations Committee for which he is perhaps best remembered, particularly the 6 years during which he served as chairman. During my tenure as a State senator, I had the honor and privilege of being a member of Chairman Weiss' committee, and I was consistently impressed by his command of the facts, his fairness to all sides of an issue and, most importantly, his commonsense respect for how we spent the people's hard-earned tax dollars. He worked hard for balanced budgets. He consistently spoke for the adoption of a ``rainy day fund,'' a mechanism to force all administrations to put money away in times of plenty to be used in times of meager income so that taxes would not have to be raised to cover budgetary short falls. His type of no-nonsense approach to protecting the taxpayers could sure come in handy these days. Larry Weiss and his wife, Edith, whom he married back in the 1940's while he was in the Army, have two grown children: a daughter, Patricia W. Fisher, who works for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Washington, and a son, Dr. Steven A. Weiss, an engineer who lives in Florida. They have two grandchildren. Mr. Speaker, it is a great privilege for me to pay tribute to Mr. Weiss in the pages of the Congressional Record. I look forward to joining his many friends and admirers for Sunday's tribute. ____________________