[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 6] [House] [Page 7889] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]TRIBUTE TO SAM GILMAN OF ROCK ISLAND, ILLINOIS The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Evans) is recognized for 5 minutes. Mr. EVANS. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to pay tribute to a good friend of mine, Sam Gilman of Illinois. Tonight the Quad Cities Israel Bonds Council will award Sam with the Jerusalem Medal for dedicated service to his community and to Israel. I have learned so much from Sam about public service over the years and I take great joy in seeing him recognized for his outstanding achievements. He knows what it means to give of yourself to help others. After graduating from college, he served our country in the United States Army during World War II. Following law school at Harvard, Sam returned to the Quad Cities to practice law and later became a director of the Pinnacle Banc Group. He has also helped build enduring institutions that serve the entire community, including founding WQAD and WKPT and serving as chairman of the board of Franciscan Medical Center. Sam has been instrumental in developing a strong Jewish community and support for Israel in western Illinois. His leadership as a director and past president of the Jewish Federation of the Quad Cities, as founder of the Quad Cities Yom HaShoah Committee, and past director of the Tri-City Jewish Center strengthened those groups and laid a foundation to be erected for an active community for many years to come. I have witnessed Sam's love for Israel and his dedication to helping Jews in need around the world. In 1986 we went together with a group to Israel and I learned to appreciate the deep affection he has for that land and its people. Two years later, on a journey to the former Soviet Union, I joined Sam as we met with refuseniks and worked to help Soviet Jews fighting for their freedom under a repressive regime. Sam's work and that of countless others in the Jewish community is directly responsible for securing the right of Jews to emigrate from the former Soviet Union and for helping Israel to resettle this mass exodus of people in a land where they can now be free. Finally, I have been fortunate to benefit from Sam's wise counsel and support for almost 20 years. He has been a true mentor to me as I first sought to represent western Illinois in Congress, and as treasurer of my campaign, he has always had a critical role in every race that I have run. Most of all, I am proud to call Sam a friend and look forward to many more years of sharing his advice. ____________________