PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 109th CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION
Vol. 151      WASHINGTON, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2005         No.143

Senate

HONORING WERNER FORNOS

HON. PAUL P. SARBANES
OF MARYLAND
IN THE UNITED STATES SENATE

Mr. Sarbanes. Mr. President, today I would like to honor Werner Fornos, who is retiring after 23 years as president of the Population Institute. Across his long and productive career, Werner has worked tirelessly to improve the lives of Marylanders and people around the world.

Werner has been a dedicated public servant. He and I served together in the Maryland House of Delegates from 1966-1970. As a delegate he fought many important battles--to protect the State's natural resources, to strengthen civil rights and to ensure open government. He served as Maryland's Manpower Administrator and as Assistant Secretary of Human Resources. At the Federal level he served as Special Assistant to the U.S Assistant Secretary of Labor for labor-management relations and Deputy Assistant Manpower Administrator.

Over the past three decades, Werner broadened his focus to the international arena, fighting to expand access to voluntary and affordable family planning information, education, and services to couples across the globe. He has spoken to college and university audiences and service and community organizations in all 50 States and has addressed virtually every major international population and development conference. He has written numerous opinion articles for newspapers and magazines worldwide, and is the author of the book, "Gaining People, Losing Ground."

His numerous awards and honors include Humanist of the Year Award of the American Humanist Association; the University of Maryland University College Alumnus of the Year Award; Germany's Order of Merit, the highest distinction granted by the German Government; Rotary International's 2005 Service Above Self Award; and the 2003 United Nations Population Award.

Werner Fornos' efforts for more than a quarter of a century have aimed to provide a better quality of life for people everywhere. I ask my colleagues to join me in commending his extraordinary record of achievement and public service.