Claiborne de Borda Pell, 90, who served as United States senator from Rhode Island from 1961 to 1997, died shortly after midnight today at his home in Newport.
Senator Pell, who had suffered from Parkinson’s disease since before his retirement from the Senate, died peacefully in the presence of his wife, Nuala O’Donnell Pell, and family members, according to a statement released by the family. Pell, perhaps best known nationally for the college grant program that bears his name, focused heavily on education, the arts and humanities, and foreign affairs during his 36 years in the Senate. During the latter part of his Senate career,he served as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
http://www.projo.com/...
My senator.
Pell is largely responsible for the creation of Pell Grants in 1973 (originally known as "Basic Educational Opportunity Grants"), which provide financial aid funds to U.S. college students. He was also the main sponsor of the bill that created the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities, and was active as an advocate for mass transportation initiatives and domestic legislation facilitating and conforming to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. He served as Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee from 1987-1994.
http://en.wikipedia.org/...
Rhode Island's Claiborne Pell. He was an Old New England Yankee Blue Blood but was still a man for the Common Man.
I cross the Newport Pell Bridge everyday to work and my first two years of college was paid for completely with the Pell Grant.
He was a giant and he will be missed. I consider myself very lucky to have met him once or twice in my lifetime.
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