[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 8] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page 10904] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]IN REMEMBRANCE OF DAN J. SMITH ______ HON. DANA ROHRABACHER of california in the house of representatives Wednesday, May 21, 2008 Mr. ROHRABACHER. Madam Speaker, I rise in this chamber to mark the passing of a great American, Dan J. Smith. A resident of Los Angeles, Dan passed away on May 6, 2008, at the age of 57, leaving a legacy of service to this country. During the first term of President Ronald Reagan, Dan served as a Senior Advisor in the White House Office of Policy Development, where he worked on issues ranging from international trade to NATO defense. The principal achievement he should be remembered for is Executive Order 12320, which established the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Dan was the principal architect of the Reagan Administration's program to coordinate the activities of Federal agencies in supporting HBCUs. A 1972 graduate of the University of Southern California, Dan was instrumental while still an undergraduate in founding the Norman Topping scholarship fund, a voluntary, student-financed program of financial support that still stands as a model for private community service. After receiving a masters degree from Occidental College in 1973, Dan spent his early career in banking and non-profit management. Still in his twenties, he was appointed by the Governor of California in 1976 to the State Economic Development Commission. After leaving the White House staff, Dan founded his own higher education consulting firm, the Corporation for American Education, which he headed for 26 years. In the mid-1980s, he was instrumental in assisting Fisk University, one of this country's most-cherished HBCUs, in recovering from near insolvency. In 1997, at the request of California's Governor, he helped revise California's statutes overseeing private postsecondary and vocational education. Dan was a writer, a deep thinker, a servant-leader, a devoted husband and father, and a friend. He was called early by his Maker, but his legacy lives on. America owes a debt to Dan J. Smith and countless other unsung heroes whose life's work represent the fabric of our Nation. ____________________