June 5, 2003

Senator Diane Feinstein
United States Senate
331 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

Re: SB 1125 Asbestos Trust Fund Bill

Dear Senator Feinstein:

Since Tom died on December 23, 2000, I've tried to maintain my faith. Every day I get up and promise myself that I will give thanks to my God, my country and my family and friends for the blessings of living in a free country where the rights of the weak cannot be trampled on by the powerful. I have tried hard to cast out the anger I felt the day my husband let go of his last breath. He fought so bravely. He took charge, he embraced life, and he had much to give. When he was diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma, he refused to give up. He went to Boston, had his lung removed, and started chemotherapy. But the tumor spread to his abdomen.

Before mesothelioma took Tom away from me and his two boys, we filed a claim against the asbestos companies who were responsible. Tom wasn't the type to sue. While studying to get his MBA from UCLA, he worked the day shift at the Kaiser Steel mill in Fontana, California. I'll never forget how he came home, dusty, tired and dirty. He had textbooks to read and papers to write, but he somehow found time to play ball with his boys, take them hiking, and turn them into men. Tom quickly climbed the corporate ladder and became a chief operations officer for a successful medical device company. Tom had many plans. He was an engineer whose best tool was his mind: it seemed there was no problem he couldn't solve. Even when he lay sick in his hospital bed after his lung was amputated, he was on the phone raising money from venture capitalists for his latest invention.

I cherish Tom's memory more than words can express. When the tumor had invaded his stomach, Tom and I knew the battle was coming to an end. Yet, even while dying, Tom took a stand. More than anything, he wanted to provide for his family. I'll never forget the look on his face in the hospital when Tom arranged for a notary to come in and witness his settlement papers with Harbison Walker Company (HW). Tom wasn't exactly happy or overjoyed when he agreed to the settlement. No, he was simply relieved. He knew that before he left us he had provided for his family's long term security, and this gave him comfort.

When I look back on this, more than the promise of money, Tom's lasting legacy was his courage and his love. He loved his family, he loved this country, and he wanted his children to know that wrongdoers would be held accountable. I know not a day goes by when my son, Captain K.T. Hazen of the US Marine Corp doesn't give thanks to his father for teaching him about honor and living by a code. I know my youngest son, who yearns to join corporate America as a stock analyst, wants to live up to his Dad's commandment to do good things and make money without selling your soul.

Yet each of us is struggling to reconcile what Tom taught us with what's unfolding. We understand that Senator Orrin Hatch has proposed a bill that would effectively void the settlement that Tom reached with HW's parent, Halliburton. Tom signed the settlement papers and died 24 days later. Since then, neither HW nor Dresser Industries have paid their debt to Tom. HW took refuge in the bankruptcy courts. When we had to sue Dresser and Halliburton on a breach of contract theory, it took years before Halliburton's lawyers finally agreed in principle to pay their debt to Tom at some future date.

Now, the US Senate has proposed a bill that would effectively excuse Halliburton from its debt to my family. Under the Hatch bill, Halliburton can simply walk away from their promise to Tom. Please don't let them get away with it. I know Halliburton is a powerful corporation with great influence in the White House. But, just as Tom Hazen stood up to the bad guys who poisoned him and fought for his life without sacrificing his integrity, I am asking you to show the same courage. Don't let them break their promises. Don't let them rejoice over a big financial windfall. Don't let them dishonor my husband's legacy of hard work, faith, family and accountability. Oppose this un-American, unpatriotic and unmerciful bill.

Sincerely,

Sandra Hazen

cc: All members of Senate Judiciary

{ to read Tom Hazen's medical profile, please click here }

*** POSTED ON JUNE 6, 2003 ***