Washington Business and Technology Institute

Senator Harry Reid awarded "Outstanding Democrat of the Decade"
By Tiffany Chang

On October 22, 2000, U.S. Senator Harry Reid received the "Outstanding Democrat of the Decade" 1990's Award from the Paradise Democratic Club of Las Vegas (PDCLV) at the Skyview Room of the Bally's Casino and Hotel, Las Vegas. In the Program, the National Anthem was sung by Rose McKinny James. The Event was chaired by the President of PDCLV, John Ponticello. He introduced participants of all the elected officers, leaders of unions, persons campaigned for public service, among others. The Keynote Speaker was Senator Harry Reid. Special Speakers were U.S. Senator Richard Bryan, U. S. Congresswoman Shelley Berkley, and U.S. Senate Candidate Ed Bernstein. Comments were offered by Rory Reid, Nevada State Democratic Party Chairman, and Danny Thompson, Secretary/Treasurer of Nevada State AFL-CIO. Remarks were deliverred by past Honorees (who were in attendance): Charlie Waterman, 1980's; A.G. Frankie Sue Del Papa, 1990 (with a letter); Hon James H. Bilbray, M.C. Ret., 1991 (with response); U. S. Senator Richard Bryan, 1992; U.S. Senator Harry Reid, 1993; D.A. Stewart Bell, 1994 (with response); Congresswoman Shelley Berkley, 1995; County Commissioner Yvonne Akinson Gates, 1996; Senator Dina Titus (with response), 1997; Jan Laverty Jones, 1998 (with response); Mayor Oscar Goodman, 1999 (with a letter).
Grass Roots Awards were presented by John Ponticello to Barbara and Mike Aupperle, Pauline Goldmann, and San Lieberman. The heightlight of the Event was the presentation of the Outstanding Democrat of the Year Award to U.S. Senator Harry Reid by the President of PDCLV, John Ponticello.
Senator Reid graduated from Utah State University in 1961. He received Juris Doctor degree from George Washington University. In 1968, he was elected to Nevada State Assembly at the age of 28. After two years, he was elected as Nevada's youngest legislation in the state's history. In 1977, he was appointed as the Chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission. In 1983, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. After having served two terms in the House, he was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1980. On April 10, 1998, he was honored as Advisor and Vice Chairman of the Advisory Board of Washington Business and Technology Institute. In December of 1998, after returning for his third term in the U.S. Senate, he was unanimously elected by his Democratic colleagues to serve as the Assistant Minority Leader. He is now the Vice Chairman of the Senate Ethics Committee where he was asked to serve as a member since 1895.
"Senator Reid loves heartily this country and our people. His leadership is accentuated with practical knowledge and deligent effort through his intelligence. He has achieved many years accomplishments to improve the quality of life of all Nevadans and help people realize the American Dream, " said Dr. Tony Lei, President of Washington Business and Technology Institute, who was invited with his wife as guests to the Event by Congresswomen Shelley Berkley, County Commissioner Yvonne Atkinson Gates, and Jan Laverty Jones through the coordinating from the Corresponding Secretary cordially by the famous Club which was founded in 1962.
Senator Reid comes from Searchlight, Nevada, where in that rural mining town he learned the fundamental values of hard work and honesty that endure as his guiding principles. The Nevada's senior Senator was raised in a small cabin without indoor pluming and attended a two-room elementary school. His father was a hardrock miner with an 8th grade education, and his mother never finished high school, but the youngest of Harry and Inez Reid's four sons would go on to achieve the American dream. "Harry is now not just our senior Senator of Nevad in the Senate, he's one of the influential and important U. S. Senator for all our country in Washington, D. C.!" the Honorable U.S. Senator Richard Bryan pointed out during his short speech to the great awarding Event of the Club. "Senator Reid deserves special recognition for his continued leadership to the Democratic Party here in Nevada. His commitment to public service and distinguished record of fighting for the values we hold so dear has touched the lives of many in Nevada and across the country," wrote U.S. President Candidate and Vice President Al Gore. The distinguished accomplishments of Senator Reid has given he himself for us a successful model for people who wish to realize their American Dream.
The maturity of citizens society is the fundamental guarantee for the normal processing of a democratic community. In a citizens society, it depends highly on the team of public intellectuals to integrate people's opinions, to analyze rationally, and to point out wise persperctives and notice. A public intellectual plays an important and significant responsibility of mission to evaluate public activities, to reflect people's opinion, to lead citizens, and to predict crisis. Public opinion is therefore made through the effort of the public intellectuals by their wise investigation to the people's mind and willingness, and by their right understancing and analysis toward the facts. U.S. Americans W. Lippmann and J. Raston, German E. Noalle-Neumann are ideal representatives of such kind of persons as of the public intellectual. Community service is important to our people and society, but we wish individuals as our public intellectual may also encourage more volunteers, events, and projects to better the quality of life of all our Nevadans through community participation.