The publication is reproduced in full below:
TRIBUTE TO NORMAN LEAR
______
HON. ADAM B. SCHIFF
of california
in the house of representatives
Friday, July 15, 2022
Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor renowned television producer and screenwriter, Norman Lear of Beverly Hills, California upon his 100th birthday.
Norman Milton Lear was born on July 27, 1922 in New Haven, Connecticut. After attending Emerson College in Boston, he dropped out of college to enlist in the U.S. Army Air Force. During World War II, he served as a gunner and radio operator, and flew 52 combat missions over Europe, earning the Air Medal with four Oak Leaf Clusters.
Following his extraordinary military service, Mr. Lear worked in public relations before beginning a career as a freelance comedy writer, and eventually a television and film producer. Norman would go on to captivate over one hundred twenty million viewers weekly with his groundbreaking television shows of the 1970's and 1980's that dealt with consequential and critical issues such as race, social inequality, and sexuality. These iconic shows include All in the Family, which won many Emmy Awards, The Jeffersons, Good Times, and Maude.
Inspired by his uncle Jack and grandfather Shya's political involvement, ``that a citizen can matter,'' Norman had been politically active for years; however, in 1980, he wanted a more direct effect on social change, so he put his television career on hold to focus on political activism. In 1981, Mr. Lear cofounded People for the American Way, which sought to build a democratic society and defend constitutional values such as religious liberty, free expression, and equal justice from right-wing extremism. In 1997, Norman and his wife, Lyn Davis Lear, created the Lear Family Foundation, which supports a wide range of nonprofit organizations such as the Rainforest Alliance, American Civil Liberties Union, Ballet Hispanico and Planned Parenthood. In 2000, Mr. Lear provided an endowment for a public policy center that explored the intersection of commerce, entertainment, and society at the University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism--the center was later dedicated as the Norman Lear Center. A few years later, Norman founded a nonpartisan youth voter registration initiative called Declare Yourself. Additionally, in 2001, Norman and Lyn purchased one of the few surviving original copies of the Declaration of Independence and shared the nation's birth certificate with their fellow Americans by touring it in all 50 states during their Declaration of Independence Road Trip.
Mr. Lear has received many professional awards and acknowledgement for his humanitarian achievements. These include the National Medal for Arts from President Clinton, several Emmy Awards, two Peabody Awards, a Golden Globe Award, the Humanist Arts Award, Kennedy Center Honors, the Women in Film Lucy Award, and the National Hispanic Media Coalition's
``Media Icon'' Award. In addition, he was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
It is my great pleasure to honor legendary television pioneer, and my dear friend, Norman Lear upon his centennial birthday. I ask all Members to join me in commending Mr. Lear for a lifetime of outstanding service to our community, country, and world.
SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 168, No. 117(1), Congressional Record Vol. 168, No. 117(2)
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