[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.

                          ____________________