Remarks by Deputy Chief of Mission Emil Skodon at the Dedication Ceremony for the Mel Sembler Building
Tuesday, February 22, 2005
Good afternoon. My name is Emil Skodon, and I am the Deputy Chief of Mission at the American Embassy. It is my pleasure to welcome all of our distinguished guests to the dedication ceremony of the Mel Sembler Building.
This is a very special event, and a very special honor for Ambassador Sembler. It marks the first time ever that the United States Government is officially naming one of its overseas buildings after a serving Ambassador, something that was made possible only by a specific Act of the U.S. Congress. It is fitting that this unique honor is being bestowed in such an impressive building, and on such an extraordinary man as Ambassador Mel Sembler.
When the upgrade of this beautiful building is completed a couple of years from now, it will house over 200 Embassy employees, Italians and Americans, in safe and efficient facilities in the heart of this great city. Together with our main Chancery next door in Palazzo Margherita, it will give Rome one of the best American Embassy complexes in the world, and be a fitting symbol of the close relations between Italy and the United States.
None of this would be happening had it not been for Ambassador Mel Sembler. When he arrived here over three years ago, he recognized that it was unacceptable for hundreds of Embassy employees to continue working in leased offices away from our main Chancery, where it was impossible to provide them with the level of security & safety that modern diplomacy demands.
Because he felt a personal responsibility for all his Embassy colleagues, Ambassador Sembler was determined to solve the problem. When he heard that Gruppo Generali was thinking of selling this building, he instinctively knew he had found the answer.
Just because this was the right solution, however, did not mean that it was easy to realize. In fact, many of us warned that it would be an uphill battle to negotiate the purchase of the building and to find sufficient funds within the U.S. Government budget to pay for it. But where the rest of us saw obstacles, Ambassador Sembler saw only opportunities.
The Ambassador devoted incredible time and energy to the negotiations, both here and in Washington. He spoke to literally hundreds of Members of Congress and U.S. Government officials about the increased security this acquisition could provide for our employees, and personally led many of them on tours of the building. Finally, thanks to his zeal ? not to mention his skill at negotiating the purchase price ? on September 29, 2003 his vision was realized and the former INA Building became the property of the United States Government.
The benefits are already being felt. Thanks to the outstanding work of the Embassy administrative staff and the local representative of the State Department?s Overseas Building Office, over 120 Embassy employees have already moved out of leased offices and into this building. The American taxpayer is saving over $2.6 million per year in rent payments. There will soon be an impact on the Italian economy as well. We plan to spend $30 million to convert this building into a modern Embassy annex, and much of it will go to Italian companies.
Long after that work is completed, the Mel Sembler Building will stand in lasting recognition of Ambassador Sembler?s accomplishments here in Rome. But it will not be the most important memorial to his achievements. The true memorial will be the lasting impact he made on all of us who had the privilege to work with him.
Winston Churchill once said, ?We shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us.? In Ambassador Sembler?s case, I would paraphrase that to say, ?He shaped our buildings; but he also shaped us.?
Mel Sembler showed us all the value of having the vision to dream big dreams, the dedication to turn them into reality, and the humanity to have some fun along the way. His unflagging pursuit of his goals was living proof that, through hard work and persistence, it was indeed possible to achieve the impossible. And, his ?human touch,? his willingness to look out for his colleagues, was a constant reminder that being a decent human being was not only compatible with his success, it was an essential part of it.
I can?t tell you how many times I have seen Ambassador Mel Sembler walk into a meeting with people who were discouraged by some daunting problem, and immediately energize them and restore their optimism just by smiling and saying, ?Well, folks, what are we going to accomplish today??
Well, Mr. Ambassador, today I want to answer that question this way: Thanks to you, what we?ve been able to accomplish is far more than any of us hoped we could. Your leadership made us realize that we could each be better than we had ever dared to be, if only we occasionally approached life with even half the enthusiasm that you displayed day in and day out.
Mr. Ambassador, your inspiration is something we will never forget. It truly has shaped us, and we will be better persons because of it. That is your real memorial, Ambassador Sembler, and one for which we will always be grateful.
I also want to say a few words about the Sembler family. Let me again quote Winston Churchill, who said, ?My most brilliant achievement was persuading my wife to marry me.? I don?t need to paraphrase that quote in the case of Ambassador Sembler; marrying Betty Sembler was clearly one of the most brilliant decisions he ever made.
We know that Ambassador Sembler would not have been able to achieve half of what he has achieved without Mrs. Sembler and the other members of his family at his side. I know how much pride Mel Sembler has in his wife, in his sons, and in the other members of his family, and so it is appropriate that they share some of his pride in having this building bear the Sembler name. I hope that all members of the Sembler family here today will remember that when we unveil the plaque that reads ?Mel Sembler Building,? the short part that says ?Mel? may be his alone, but the longer part that reads ?Sembler? is something that all of you have a share in, and always will.
Finally, to unveil that plaque, we are honored to have with us another person who played an indispensable role in the acquisition of this building. Ambassador Sembler may have negotiated the price, and the U.S. Treasury may have written the check, but that check would have bounced unless the United States Congress, and specifically the Appropriations Committees, had not given us the money to cover it.
And so it is a real pleasure for me to introduce a man who is now serving his 18 th term in Congress, which makes him the senior Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives, who served as Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee when it provided funds specifically for the purchase of this building, and who was responsible for the Act of Congress that renamed this building in honor of Ambassador Mel Sembler.
Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome a great American, the Honorable Bill Young.
