Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 505) recognizing the innumerable contributions of the recreational boating community and the boating industry to the continuing prosperity and affluence of the United States.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 505, which recognizes the contributions made by recreational boating community to our national economy, and calls on the President to issue a proclamation to observe National Boating Day.

There are now more than 13 million recreational boats registered in the United States. These boats support some 380,000 jobs in the U.S. and generate an estimated $39 billion to the U.S. economy. They depend on 12,000 marinas across the waterways of the United States for essential services.

Impressive as they are, however, these numbers do not begin to reveal the many contributions that boating makes to recreational life in the United States.

Boating offers people the chance to catch up with family and friends while watching the world float by, to introduce their children to the natural environment, and to slow down and enjoy a relaxing weekend on a vacation away from home.

Perhaps not surprisingly, a survey conducted by the National Marine Manufacturers Association found that boating was among the top three stress-relieving activities among survey respondents.

Recreational boating is also far more accessible than many may assume. More than 90 percent of Americans live less than an hour's drive from a body of water on which recreational boating can be undertaken.

Because of boating's importance to our Nation, the United States already observes many days to honor different aspects of the boating industry. For example, on August 11, the United States will observe National Marina Day. During the week prior to Memorial Day, we observe National Safe Boating Week, intended to remind boaters of the need to practice safe boating habits and to use personal flotation devices while on the water.

The message of National Safe Boating Week bears repeating. In 2005, nearly 5,000 boating accidents resulted in just under 3,500 injuries and nearly 700 deaths, the vast majority of which were caused by accidental drowning that could have been prevented if those who fell in the water had been wearing life jackets.

H. Res. 505 now calls on the President to set aside a day specifically to honor recreational boating and the boating industry. I believe such recognition is due to the pastime of boating, and I commend the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Klein) for introducing this resolution and supporting a wonderful activity in our country.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield to the gentlelady from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz) such time as she may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2011) to designate the Federal building and United States courthouse located at 100 East 8th Avenue in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, as the ``George Howard, Jr. Federal Building and United States Courthouse''.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 2011.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2011 is a bill to designate the Federal building and United States courthouse at 100 East 8th Avenue in Pine Bluff, Arkansas as the George Howard, Jr. Federal Building and United States Courthouse.

Judge Howard, who recently died at age 82, was an icon of the judicial community in Arkansas. He had a lifetime filled with accomplishments, first African American Federal judge in Arkansas, distinguished legal career, Navy veteran, and dedicated family man. He served with distinction on the Arkansas Supreme Court, the Arkansas Court of Appeals, and the Arkansas State Claims Commission.

After graduating from the University of Arkansas Law School, George Howard, Jr. began a long illustrious, trailblazing legal career in his home State of Arkansas. After initially working as an attorney in private practice, Judge Howard received his first appointment in 1967 to the Arkansas State Claims Commission. He was then appointed to the Arkansas State Supreme Court as an Arkansas State Supreme Court Justice, and was later appointed by then Governor Bill Clinton as State Court of Appeals judge in 1979. Judge Howard later began his Federal service in 1980, when President Jimmy Carter appointed him a Federal District Judge in Arkansas.

The bill has bipartisan support from the Arkansas delegation. It is both fitting and appropriate that we honor Judge Howard's legacy with this designation. I support H.R. 2011 and urge its passage.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield such time as he may consume to the sponsor of the bill, Mr. Ross of Arkansas.

Mr. Speaker, I commend my colleague from Arkansas for recognizing a true civil rights and judicial pioneer when that was not easy at a time when there were few like him.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure be discharged from further consideration of the bill (H.R. 123) to authorize appropriations for the San Gabriel Basin Restoration Fund and that the bill be rereferred to the Committee on Natural Resources.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on H. Res. 505.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 361) recognizing and honoring Jack Valenti and expressing the condolences of the House of Representatives to his family on his death, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks.

Mr. Speaker, as a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, I am pleased to join my colleagues in the discussion of H. Res. 361, recognizing and honoring Jack Valenti and expressing the condolences to the House of Representatives to his family on his death.

H. Res. 361, which has 95 cosponsors, was introduced by Representative Diane Watson on May 1, 2007. H. Res. 361 was reported from the Oversight Committee on June 12, 2007 by voice vote.

Jack Valenti was born September 5, 1921 in Houston, Texas. An honor student and debate champion at Sam Houston High School, he graduated at age 15. Lacking the funds to attend college, he worked for $11 a week as an usher at a movie theater.

At age 20, Mr. Valenti served in the U.S. Army, which in 1941 was called the Army Air Forces. He flew 51 missions and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. He received his MBA degree from Harvard University in 1948 and 4 years later started an advertising business.

Mr. Valenti served as a Special Assistant to President Lyndon B. Johnson. In 1966, he left the White House to become president of the Motion Picture Association of America for 38 years. He died on April 26, 2007.

Mr. Speaker, I commend my colleague, Representative Diane Watson of California, for introducing this legislation and urge the swift passage of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague, Mr. Shays, for his remarks concerning my membership in this House. It is typical of his generosity, and I appreciate it. I also appreciate his voting for the bill for the residents of the District of Columbia to have a vote in this House.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 5 minutes to the sponsor of this bill, the gentlelady from California (Ms. Watson).

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 3 minutes to the gentlelady from Texas (Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson).

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 189) expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that a ``Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day'' should be established.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, as a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, I am pleased to join my colleagues in consideration of H. Res. 189, expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that a Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day be established.

H. Res. 189, which has 54 cosponsors, was introduced by Representative Linda Sanchez on February 16, 2007. H. Res. 189 was reported from the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on June 12, 2007 by voice vote.

The Vietnam War was the longest military conflict in U.S. history. The hostilities in Vietnam claimed the lives of more than 58,000 Americans, and some 304,000 were wounded in combat. The Vietnam War was a military struggle fought in Vietnam from 1961 to 1973. The patriotic men and women who served valiantly and faithfully in the United States Armed Forces during the Vietnam War were caught, upon their arrival and return home, in the crossfire of public debate about the involvement of the United States in the Vietnam War.

Mr. Speaker, I support this legislation to establish a Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day to honor those members of the United States Armed Forces who served in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. The time for a Welcome Home Day is long overdue. I know every Member of this House and every American would want to come forward to welcome home these veterans who were not always welcomed home in the way we should always welcome home those who have served us in the Armed Forces regardless of our feelings on the particular conflict in which they came forward bravely to serve us all.

Mr. Speaker, I commend my colleague, Representative Linda Sanchez, for introducing this legislation and urge the swift passage of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I want to join my colleague in his remarks, and especially his remarks as to why didn't we think of this before. I want to assure Vietnam War veterans, it has nothing to do with their service. We have had a number of wars since and perhaps we have been somewhat preoccupied with war, but we will never forget this important and very sacrificial group of veterans.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 142) expressing the sense of the Congress that there should be established a National Pet Week, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on this piece of legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join my colleagues in consideration of H. Con. Res. 142, a bill expressing the sense of Congress there should be established a National Pet Week. H. Con. Res. 142, which has 53 cosponsors, was introduced by Representative Christopher Shays on May 3, 2007. H. Con. Res. 142 was reported from the Oversight Committee on June 12, 2007, by voice vote.

National Pet Week was jointly founded in 1991 by the American Veterinary Medical Association and the Auxiliary to the AVMA and is now widely celebrated throughout the United States and other parts of the world.

Each year National Pet Week's goals are to promote responsible pet ownership, celebrate the bonding and mutual admiration between animals and humans and promote public awareness of veterinary medicine.

Animals and pets provide companionship and pleasure to nearly 69 million individuals and families in the United States. These individuals have dedicated themselves to the care and responsibility of treating animals with love and respect.

Mr. Speaker, I commend my colleague Representative Christopher Shays for introducing this legislation and I urge swift passage of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I commend my colleague, Mr. Shays, upon the introduction of this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Chairman, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.

I thank her for her excellent work on her maiden voyage as chair.

I have come to say a few words that I think need saying about the performance of GAO with respect to the grand experiment that our committee allowed on pay for performance. We allowed it. We have not tried to interfere with it. But the actions taken by the Comptroller General where you would at least have expected it has produced nothing short of a revolution within, of all places, the GAO workforce.

They were chosen for this grand experiment because they were a fairly upscale part of the Federal workforce. And what have we got? How would you feel if you had worked at or above performance, and yet you were among 300 employees of, what is it, 2 million Federal employees who did not receive the across-the-board pay increase that everybody else receives? Well, some of you might have sued or filed a claim with the Personnel Appeals Board within the GAO. And those employees, all 12 of them, have received their COLA, have been promoted, and have had their retirement fixed.

But there are 300 employees from 2006, 130 from 2007 who have been punished as to their pensions and pay because the Comptroller did not keep his promise with the Congress, which was that nobody's across-the- board pay would be affected. In fact, what he did was to insert a market-based study without informing the subcommittee, an unvalidated study, and now he has a whole racial claim on top of it because the African Americans have been disproportionately affected by his action.

If the Comptroller wanted some help, he could have gone to the OPM. Instead, he used a market-based study from a consultant. If he wanted to know how to deal with unionization which is now upon him, he could have gone to the OPM. He could have gone to the Federal Labor Relations Authority. Instead, he is spending taxpayer funds in order to try to beat a union within the Federal sector, the first time ever. If we allow taxpayer funds to be used that way, then it seems to me we ought to be called to account.

Madam Speaker, today I introduce the University of the District of Columbia Graduate Programs Act that amends Section 326 of the Higher Education Act to provide federal Historically Black College and University (HBCU) grant funding to the qualified graduate programs at the University of the District of Columbia.

The University of the District of Columbia (UDC) is the District's only public university and institution of higher learning. An open admission institution at the undergraduate level, the University has consistently and historically provided higher education opportunities to D.C. residents at low and affordable costs. The University justifiably prides itself on its vital role in educating the leaders of the next generation by producing theoretically sound and practically skilled graduates, ready to undertake careers in service in both the public and private sectors.

UDC also is one of the Nation's oldest HBCUs, but the university did not receive federal funding as an HBCU until 1999. When

Congress passed the District of Columbia College Access Act, I was able to convince Congress that the necessary complement to the College Access Act was long overdue HBCU funding because of the indispensable function of UDC for thousands of students for whom UDC was not only a choice, but the only practical option.

Funding from the Historically Black Graduate Institutions (HBGIs) program will allow UDC to increase its production of skilled graduates in vital disciplines and jobs in which African Americans, Hispanics and others are underrepresented and to strengthen its graduate programs in occupations where there are shortages and jobs in our region. For example, the University has graduate degree programs in cancer biology prevention and control, early childhood education, mathematics, special education, and speech and language pathology, and other graduate programs in the College of Arts and Sciences, the David A. Clarke School of Law, and the School of Business and Public Administration. A graduate curriculum is being developed in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

I urge all of my colleagues to support this bill.

Madam Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the 32nd Annual Capital Pride Festival, a celebration of the National Capital Area's Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender, GLBT, communities, their families, and friends.

The Capital Pride Festival has grown from a small block party in 1975 to the current week-

long celebration. This year Capital Pride culminates with the Pride Parade on June 9th and ``The Main Event,'' a street fair on Pennsylvania Avenue in the shadow of the Capitol, June 10th.

I have marched in the Pride parades since coming to Congress to emphasize the universality of human rights and the importance of enacting federal legislation to secure those rights for the GLBT community.

This year's theme, ``Together we can, Together we will,'' holds special meaning for the citizens of the District of Columbia and its GLBT community in particular. Washingtonians live in distinct diverse neighborhoods such as Colonial Village to the North, Fort Drum to the South, Northeast Boundary to the East, and Spring Valley to the West. Together we can unite in our quest for all the rights guaranteed U.S. citizens by the Constitution.

In 1994 the District of Columbia lost the first vote it ever won on the floor of the House of Representatives, the delegate vote in the Committee of the Whole. The Republicans retracted the District's vote when they assumed control of the House and this right was re- established under Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Our city of 550,000 residents, 10 percent more residents than the entire State of Wyoming, who pay more taxes per capita than 49 of the 50 states, remains the only jurisdiction in the United States subject to Taxation Without Representation. Our Nation's Capital is entitled full voting rights in the House and the Senate. On April 19, 2007, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 1905, The District of Columbia House Voting Rights Act of 2007. The measure is now before the Senate and is an important milestone on DC's road to full and equal representation.

This one success is a reminder of the pending legislation that the 110th Congress must pass: The Clarification of Federal Employment Protections Act, The Early Treatment for HIV Act, The Employment Non- Discrimination Act, The Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act, The Military Readiness Enhancement Act, The Responsible Education About Life Act, The Tax Equity for Health Plan Beneficiaries Act, and The Uniting American Families Act.

I ask the House to join me in welcoming the celebrants attending the 32nd Annual Capital Pride Festival in Washington, DC, and I take this opportunity to remind the celebrants that U.S. citizens who reside in Washington, DC are taxed without full voting representation in Congress.

Madam Speaker, today I introduce the ``District of Columbia Loan Repayment Equity Technical Amendment Act of 2007.'' This bill will ensure that undeserved communities in the District of Columbia have access to adequate health care services in selected health professional shortage areas, HPSAs, identified by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services under the State Loan Repayment Program, as Congress intended. This bill does not involve any new funds. It will make the District eligible to receive assistance through the Public Health Service Act grants system, as would already be the case if the District had a matching program. Until 2006 there was no matching program in the District thus making it ineligible to apply for assistance. This bill is revenue neutral. Adding the District of Columbia to this program will not have any effect on federal funding because the District will be required to compete for the Federal funds exactly as every other State competes for the grants.

The State Loan Repayment Program, SLRP, was implemented in 1987 in response to Section 3381 of the Public Health Service Act, which authorizes the Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to make grants to States to help recruit and retain primary health care professionals in HPSAs. Under the State Loan Repayment Program, clinicians provide primary care health services in HPSAs in exchange for funds for the repayment of their qualifying educational loans. These individuals are fully trained and licensed primary health care clinicians dedicated to meeting the health care needs of medically underserved communities.

Under the State Loan Repayment Program, grants are made to States to operate their own loan repayment programs. Primary care health professionals who are providing a minimum of 2 years of full-time clinical services in public or non-profit facilities located in HPSAs are eligible to apply for a loan repayment. The State Loan Repayment Program is a collaboration of Federal, State, and community efforts. The Federal Government provides up to 50 percent of the funds to make loan repayment funds to primary health care professionals. The remaining 50 percent of the funding comes from State and local community resources.

The District of Columbia has 13.8 percent underinsured residents compared to 15.7 percent of individuals that are uninsured across the country. Approximately 17 percent of non-elderly adults and l0.4 percent of children are uninsured.

Today, millions of Americans lack access to health insurance. In 2005, more than 46 million persons were uninsured for the entire year. There are several reasons for the lack of health coverage for Americans among all uninsured persons under age 65, more than half were underprivileged and 34 percent lacked health coverage.

Improving the health care system is a huge priority for Congress. The Institute of Medicine found that the insurance status of parents affects the amount of health care that their children receive. By amending the Public Health Service Act, this bill would provide eligibility to the District of Columbia for the State Loan Repayment Program. It is extremely important that underserved populations have access to primary health services regardless of their low-income status. I urge my colleagues to support this important measure.

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to introduce a bill today to permit two statues honoring citizens of the District of Columbia in Statuary Hall of the Capitol, just as statues honoring citizens of States are placed in the historic hall. This legislation would allow the city to offer two statues to the Congress on behalf of DC residents. This bill is important to ensure equal treatment for the residents of the District of Columbia with the residents of the 50 States who already have statues representing them in Statuary Hall.

On August 10, 2006, the DC Commission on Arts and Humanities began the process of creating the two statues to be placed in Statuary Hall when the Commission chose Frederick Douglass and Pierre L'Enfant as the two prominent residents whose statues would represent the District of Columbia. The Commission also hired two Washington area sculptors, Steven Weitzman and Gordon Kay, to work on the sculptures of Frederick Douglass and Pierre L'Enfant and they are scheduled to complete their work later this year.

Douglass, (1818-1895), was born a slave in Maryland and became a District resident in 1870. He held diplomatic and District appointments and is considered to be the Father of the Civil Rights Movement. Douglass also displayed his talents as an orator and journalist throughout his life here. His home in the District of Columbia is a national monument which attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors annually.

L'Enfant, (1754-1825), an architect, engineer and soldier came from France to serve in the American Revolution. George Washington chose L'Enfant to design the new federal city of Washington D.C. He became a US citizen and spent the remainder of his life in D.C. implementing his plan and making D.C. the beautiful city it is today.

The District of Columbia was born with the Nation itself 206 years ago. Throughout these two centuries the city has created its very own rich and uniquely American history. Congresswoman Norton said, ``It goes without saying that the almost 650,000 American citizens who live in the Nation's capital deserve the honor of having two of its history makers represented in the halls of the Nation's Capitol as citizens who live in the 50 states have long enjoyed. That when we allow the District to be excluded from its place among the 50 States, we undermine the Nation's efforts to spread full democracy around the world. While DC residents have not yet obtained the same political equality and voting rights as the citizens of the States, they have all the responsibilities of the States, including paying all Federal taxes and serving in all the Nation's wars.'' Norton said, ``Today when our residents are serving in Iraq, the least we should do is to give this city its rightful and equal place in the Capitol.'' There are more than 100 soldiers still serving in Iraq from Specialist Dent's 547th Transportation Company.

``The statues would offer District residents the opportunity to enjoy the same pride that all

other citizens experience when they come to their Capitol--the opportunity to view memorials that commemorate the efforts of deceased local residents who have made significant contributions to American history,'' Norton said.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Metropolitan Police Service Act of 2007. This bill would conform the federal formula for calculating its share of the District of Columbia's Firefighters and Police officers pension to the new 20 year threshold adopted by the District government.

The original bill introduced to the D.C. City Council in 1999 set the minimum to 20 years of service, but then Chief of Police Charles Ramsey asked that the minimum be increased to 25 years. He was concerned that 300 police officers serving on the Police Department in 1999 who were eligible to retire at 20 years might retire en masse. The timeframe for these retirees has passed and the DC government has stepped up to take care of its firefighters and police officers, by resetting the eligibility to 20 years. These firefighters and police officers now request that the United States Congress fulfill its promises to these first responders.

The Federal government made a commitment to pay District of Columbia firefighters and police officer annuity payments that accrued before 1997. Thus, it was necessary when the District of Columbia changed its formula from 25 to 20 years, that the Federal government make the same change for these first responders, so that every first responder has the opportunity for the same annuity payments that accrue at the same time.

This legislation is consistent with what happened in 2000. At that time, the District first changed the retirement plan for Metropolitan Police Department to permit service longevity payments to be considered part of the basic compensation used to calculate the retirement annuities. Congress then followed suit in 2001, by making the adjustment in the Federal Government's share of the payments, namely, the share attributable to service provided prior to July 1997. Thus, the federal formula for its share of each affected firefighter and police officer then mirrored the formula established by the District of Columbia government.

In January of 2007, Mayor Adrian Fenty signed a new law which amends the District of Columbia formula to provide that eligible firefighters and police officers must complete just 20 years of service to receive their long-term annuity. Chief Ramsey did not oppose the lowering of the threshold. Congress should now proceed, as it did it 2001, to change the federal formula for retirement annuities, so it mirrors the District of Columbia's.

Madam Speaker, Memorial Day Weekend, May 23-27, is the 17th Annual Black Pride celebration in Washington, DC.

DC Black Pride is an exciting 5-day event complete with dynamic workshops, receptions, cultural arts activities, small and large nightclub events that culminates in the world's oldest, most inclusive Black Pride Festival in the Washington Convention Center. Many consider DC's festival one of the world's preeminent Black Pride celebrations. The festival consistently draws more than 30,000 people to the Nation's Capital. Attendees come from every major urban area in the United States as well as Canada, the Caribbean, South Africa, Great Britain, France, Germany, and the Netherlands. The Black Pride Festival features activities for the entire family, including performances by national recording artists, 200 exhibition booths, book signings from noted writers, participation from national and local health organizations, and arts and crafts.

Black Lesbian and Gay Pride Day, Inc. (BLGPD), the celebration's organizing body, chose the theme ``Black All Over: Liberty-Unity- Strength'' to encourage the Black lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans gender (LGBT) community to work together towards combating homophobia, promoting health and wellness, strengthening their community, and encouraging Black LGBT people everywhere to live their lives with pride.

Black Lesbian and Gay Pride Day, Inc., a non-profit organization with a volunteer Board of Directors, coordinates this annual event. BLGPD's 2007 Board consists of James W. Hawkins, President; Ray Daniels, Vice President; Janisha Gabriel, Secretary; Lisa Washington, Treasurer; and the following Members at Large: Donovan Anderson, Khalid Parker, Courtney Snowden, Sterling A. Washington, Shanika Whitehurst, DaJuan Xavier; and these Members Emeritus: Earl Fowlkes, Eric E. Richardson, Clarence J. Fluker, and Cheryl Dunn, who lead BLGPD in its mission to build knowledge of and to create greater pride in the Black LGBT community's diversity, while raising funds to ameliorate and prevent health problems in this community, especially HIV/AIDS.

I ask the House to join me in welcoming all attending the 17th annual DC Black Pride celebration in Washington, DC, and I take this opportunity to remind the celebrants that United States citizens who reside in Washington, DC, are taxed without full voting representation in Congress.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the achievements of one of my constituents, David Hearn, who will retire this month after almost 46 years as the organist for St. Paul's Lutheran Church here in the District of Columbia.

For more than four decades, Mr. Hearn has graced the congregation of St. Paul's and this city with classical and religious music including hymns, spirituals, and music from other lands.

Mr. Hearn's love of church music was influenced early by his mother, a singer and choir director, as well as his father who had a fine tenor voice. He earned a music degree from Ashland University in Ohio and a graduate degree from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. He also completed summer courses at Oberlin College and Baldwin Wallace Conservatory in Ohio.

After a stint in the Army, Mr. Hearn came to the Washington area when offered a teaching contract in the Montgomery County school system. While there, he taught in all grades and eventually became Choral Director and Head of the Music Department at Wheaton High School. Under his direction, the choir performed in many local venues, including St. Paul's. They also traveled widely and were honored to sing a Sunday morning service at Old North Church in Boston during the Bicentennial year celebrations. The Madrigal singers also sang in Montreal, Boston, and Washington Cathedral.

When Mr. Hearn became Music Director at St. Paul's on a snowy Sunday morning many years ago, he played a small Hammond organ in the chancel of the church. As the church grew and prospered, Mr. Hearn led the effort by the church to acquire the impressive Shantz pipe organ that today attracts prominent organists from around the country for recitals.

In addition to directing the St. Paul's choir and participating in services for decades, Mr. Hearn has hosted innumerable choirs and solo artists at St. Paul's for performances that have touched the lives of countless District residents. He has placed a special emphasis on developing the talents of gifted young singers and musicians and providing them with an opportunity to perform for appreciative audiences.

Mr. Hearn has spent decades enriching the cultural and religious life of District residents.

I am pleased to join the congregation of St. Paul's Lutheran Church in recognizing Mr. Hearn's service to his church and contributions to our community as he begins a well deserved retirement.