A concurrent resolution recognizing and congratulating the State of Ohio and its residents on the occasion of the bicentennial of its founding.

        [Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Con. Res. 9 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

108th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. CON. RES. 9

Recognizing and congratulating the State of Ohio and its residents on
the occasion of the bicentennial of its founding.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

February 25, 2003

Mr. Voinovich (for himself and Mr. DeWine) submitted the following
concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the
Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Recognizing and congratulating the State of Ohio and its residents on
the occasion of the bicentennial of its founding.

Whereas Ohio was the 17th State to be admitted to the Union and was the first to
be created from the Northwest Territory;
Whereas the name ``Ohio'' is derived from the Iroquois word meaning ``great
river'', referring to the Ohio River which forms the southern and
eastern boundaries;
Whereas Ohio was the site of battles of the American Indian Wars, French and
Indian Wars, Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, and the Civil War;
Whereas in the nineteenth century, Ohio, a free State, was an important stop on
the Underground Railroad as a destination for more than 100,000
individuals escaping slavery and seeking freedom;
Whereas Ohio, ``The Mother of Presidents'', has given eight United States
presidents to the Nation, including William Henry Harrison, Ulysses S.
Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, James A. Garfield, Benjamin Harrison,
William McKinley, William H. Taft, and Warren G. Harding;
Whereas Ohio inventors, including Thomas Edison (incandescent light bulb),
Orville and Wilbur Wright (first in flight), Henry Timken (roller
bearings), Charles Kettering (automobile starter), Charles Goodyear
(process of vulcanizing rubber), Garrett Morgan (traffic light), and Roy
Plunkett (Teflon) created the basis for modern living as we know it;
Whereas Ohio, ``The Birthplace of Aviation'', has been home to 24 astronauts,
including John Glenn, Neil Armstrong, and Judith Resnick;
Whereas Ohio has a rich sports tradition and has produced many sports legends,
including Annie Oakley, Jesse Owens, Cy Young, Jack Nicklaus, and Nancy
Lopez;
Whereas Ohio has produced many distinguished writers, including Harriet Beecher
Stowe, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Toni Morrison, and James Thurber;
Whereas the agriculture and agribusiness industry is and has long been the
number one industry in Ohio, contributing $73,000,000,000 annually to
Ohio's economy and employing 1 in 6 Ohioans, and that industry's tens of
thousands of Ohio farmers and 14,000,000 acres of Ohio farmland feed the
people of the State, the Nation, and the world;
Whereas the enduring manufacturing economy of Ohio is responsible for \1/4\ of
Ohio's Gross State Product, provides over one million well-paying jobs
to Ohioans, exports $26,000,000,000 in products to 196 countries, and
provides over $1,000,000,000 in tax revenues to local schools and
governments;
Whereas Ohio is home to over 140 colleges and universities which have made
significant contributions to the intellectual life of the State and
Nation, and continued investment in education is Ohio's promise to
future economic development in the ``knowledge economy'' of the 21st
century;
Whereas, from its inception, Ohio has been a prime destination for people from
all corners of the world, and the rich cultural and ethnic heritage that
has been interwoven into the spirit of the people of Ohio and that
enriches Ohio's communities and the quality of life of its residents is
both a tribute to, and representative of, the Nation's diversity;
Whereas Ohio will begin celebrations commemorating its bicentennial on March 1,
2003, in Chillicothe, the first capital of Ohio;
Whereas the bicentennial celebrations will include Inventing Flight in Dayton
(celebrating the centennial of flight), Tall Ships on Lake Erie, Tall
Stacks on the Ohio River, Red, White, and Bicentennial Boom in Columbus,
and the Bicentennial Wagon Train across the State;
Whereas Ohio residents will celebrate 2003 as the 200th anniversary of Ohio's
founding: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring),
That Congress--
(1) recognizes and congratulates Ohio and its residents for
their important contributions to the economic, social, and
cultural development of the United States on the occasion of
the bicentennial of the founding of the State of Ohio; and
(2) directs the Secretary of the Senate to transmit a copy
of this concurrent resolution to the Governor of Ohio.
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