Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Mashpee Falcons in my district who represented their communities in the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association's (MIAA) annual Super Bowls. The teams from Bourne High School, Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School, Duxbury High School, Mashpee High School, and Nantucket High School won five of the nine Super Bowls across the state, demonstrating a true commitment to excellence in Massachusetts' 10th District. Since 1978 when the MIAA first regulated athletic events in the Commonwealth, these tournaments have highlighted the dedication and discipline of our state's high school football teams, and the five teams from the 10th Congressional District, who won their division Super Bowls, are wonderful examples of the best of high school sports.

I am certain that the student-athletes on Mashpee's high school football team will take the valuable lesson of teamwork they have learned and translate it into many successes in the future. This is a tremendous achievement for the school, coaches and players, and I congratulate them on making everyone in their communities, including myself, proud.

I would like to take a moment to now recognize each of the hardworking athletes, their coach, athletic director, team doctor, assistants, as well as the school administration for their achievements both on and off the field:

From Mashpee High School (by number): 2--John Williams, 3--Cody Bingham-Hendricks, 4--Xavier Penveluar, 5--Devin VanGelder, 6--Jake Martini, 6--James Murphy, 7--Zack Orcutt, 9--Tyler Gaudreau, 12--Chris Pearson, 14--Tyler Lawlee, 18--Jordan Keliinui, 20--Robbie Hendricks, 22--Larry Green, 23--Zack Buckley, 24--Kevin Frye, 28--Robert Andrade, 30--Kameron Clark, 31--Jared Taylor, 36--Kyle Murrary, 40--Xavier Rose, 44--John Benard, 47--Sam Elichalt, 50--Aaron Roderick, 52--Hayden Kilpatrick, 53--Ethan West, 56--Kris Carpenter, 59--Travis Parslow, 62--Dan Miklos, 70--Anthony Sylvia, 76--Matt Miller, 76--Kevin Wilson, 77--Graham Kilpartick, 79--Nathan Chrzanowski, 80--Tea Moulton-Childs, 81--Alexander Clark, 90--Jorgen Danielson, Devin McDaniel.

Head Coach: Matthew Triveri.

Assistants: Mark Balestracci, Patrick Ball, Mark Doucette, Chris Rendigs.

Volunteers: Mike Mullen, John Moreno, Pat Merrick.

Athletic Director: Mike Horne.

Trainer: Courtney Briggs.

Team Doctor: Rich Mosychuk.

Principal: Jane Day.

Superintendent of schools: Ann Bradshaw.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Bourne High School Canalmen in my district who represented their communities in the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association's (MIAA) annual Super Bowls. The teams from Bourne High School, Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School, Duxbury High School, Mashpee High School, and Nantucket High School won five of the nine Super Bowls across the state, demonstrating a true commitment to excellence in Massachusetts' 10th District. Since 1978 when the MIAA first regulated athletic events in the Commonwealth, these tournaments have highlighted the dedication and discipline of our state's high school football teams, and the five teams from the 10th Congressional District, who won their division Super Bowls, are wonderful examples of the best of high school sports.

I am certain that the student-athletes on Bourne's high school football team will take the valuable lesson of teamwork they have learned and translate it into many successes in the future. This is a tremendous achievement for the school, coaches and players, and

I congratulate them on making everyone in their communities, including myself, proud.

I would like to take a moment to now recognize each of the hardworking athletes, their coach, assistants and athletic director for their achievements both on and off the field:

From Bourne High School (by number):

3--Nigel Jackson, 5--Nick Pereira, 7--Tyler Ruggiero, 9--Geoffrey Hite, 10--Jason Moriarty, 11--Terrell Rogers, 12--Jovier Nivar, 14-- Zach Songer, 21--Chad Marsh, 24--Marquesse Rhodes, 30--Tyler Benotti, 32--Christopher Mayer, 34--Jake Achstetter, 35--Michael Stephens, 60-- Connor Collett, 48--Team Captain Joe Epps, 50--Kyle Voss, 51--Dan DiMonda, 55--Brandon Boisvert, 56--Team Captain Jack Schmitt, 57--Manny Pereira, 58--Colin Lanoie, 61--Cody Black, 62--Justin Breton, 63-- Tripper Johnson, 64--Tommy Davis, 66--Robert Hodkinson, 70--Andrew Veliotis, 72--Zachary Keif, 74--Pat Sullivan, 75--Corey Travers, 76-- Mike Raftery, 77--Connor Schmitt, 81--Dillon Woodside, 85--Team Captain Drew Girouard, 88--Kent Murtaugh.

Coach: John McIntyre; Assistants: Dave DeFelice, James Lanoie, Terry Donovan, Brent Lyden, Craig Davidson; Athletic Director: Scott Ashworth.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Duxbury Dragons in my district who represented their communities in the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association's (MIAA) annual Super Bowls. The teams from Bourne High School, Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School, Duxbury High School, Mashpee High School, and Nantucket High School won five of the nine Super Bowls across the state, demonstrating a true commitment to excellence in Massachusetts' 10th District. Since 1978 when the MIAA first regulated athletic events in the Commonwealth, these tournaments have highlighted the dedication and discipline of our state's high school football teams, and the five teams from the 10th Congressional District, who won their division Super Bowls, are wonderful examples of the best of high school sports.

I am certain that the student-athletes on Duxbury's high school football team will take the valuable lesson of teamwork they have learned and translate it into many successes in the future. This is a tremendous achievement for the school, coaches and players, and I congratulate them on making everyone in their communities, including myself, proud.

I would like to take a moment to now recognize each of the hardworking athletes and their coach for their achievements both on and off the field.

From Duxbury High School (by number):

1--Tucker Hannon, 2--Reilly Naton (C), 3--Andrew Buron, 4--Khai Perry, 5--Jay McDermott, 6--Greg Williams, 7--Matt Okeefe, 8--James Burke (C), 9--Don Webber (C), 10--Sean McCarthy, 11--Kevin Winchester, 12--James Higgins, 13--Patrick Buell, 14--Ryan Scanlon, 15--Mike Tougas, 16--Keenan Siciliano, 17--Drew Hadley, 19--Luke DiVasta, 20-- Max Randall (C), 21--Colin Johnson, 22--Seamus Connelly, 23--Andrew Padula, 24--Jon Hurvitz, 25--Andrew Baker, 26--Joe Guilfoile, 27--Ben Clark, 28--Wes Quinzani, 32--Jim Chappuis, 33--Henry Narlee, 34--Henry Buonagurio (C), 35--Kyle Macleod, 36--Mike Kozmiski, 38--JP O'Neil, 40--Marshall McCarthy.

41--Steven Bouchie, 42--Sean Casey, 43--Chris Haney, 47--Brody Zisko, 49--Martin Moxter, 50--Drew Lawrence, 51--Kevin DiBona, 52--Rick Lippard, 53--Kasey Stefanski, 54--Chris Bertoni, 55--Marcus Urann, 56-- Owen Grey, 57--Cam Schofield, 58--Luke Glathorn, 59--Chris Cote, 60-- Bill Weld, 61--Cj Loconte, 62--Dave Creed, 63--Mark Trudeau, 64--Bobby Boyle, 65--Sean Gleason, 66--Mike Klein, 67--Theodore Holland, 69-- Gordon Acha, 70--Grant Kramer, 71--Brendan Connolly, 72--Rob Kosharek, 73--Carter Bulman, 74--Pat Blair, 75--Winston Schromm, 76--Kevin Lema, 77--Johnny Congdon, 78--Jack Herlihy, 79--Dylan Buckley, 80--Tommy Sarles, 86--Alden Fontana, Coach: Dave Maimaron.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Mrs. Eleanor Norris, a resident of my district in Norwell, Massachusetts, who today celebrates her 100th birthday.

Eleanor was born on December 5, 1911, in Chicago with her family later moving to Boston. A product of dedicated homeschooling, she went on to attend Vassar College and became a first-grade teacher, working in Hanson, among other towns. Shortly after that she met, Albert Norris, a World War II naval aviator, with whom she had a 17-year courtship before they married.

Starting in the 1920s, Albert and Eleanor began purchasing land along the North River, a National Natural Landmark and a Commonwealth of Massachusetts Scenic River. They eventually built a cottage, cut a trail system, opened up the shady forest to attract wildflowers and ferns, and created a haven for woodland and riverside wildlife. Sadly, in 1962, six years after they married, Albert passed away.

Upon his death, she inherited 100 acres along the North River. Many people would have caved to the numerous developers who made her offers, but not Eleanor. She decided, rather, that the land should not be sold but left to the public to enjoy forever. So starting in 1970, she donated those 100 acres to The Trustees of Reservations, a non-profit land management organization. The plot was named the Norris Reservation. This was an extraordinary gift to all of us from a woman who to this day lives very simply next door to the land she donated.

In addition to this timeless gift, Eleanor helped launch the South Shore Natural Science Center in 1962 and was named Norwell Citizen of the Year for 1994. Adding to her numerous achievements, she became an accomplished ballroom dancer in her 60s.

Eleanor's greatest pleasure in life now comes from ``seeing people enjoying themselves with the right thing,'' such as nature and music. And on occasion, she still gets out into the woods of the reservation.

Her legacy of service and commitment to our community will live forever in the Norris Reservation. It seems to me that there is no more fitting a memorial for a woman who contributed so much to Norwell than a living, breathing, growing part of the town she and her husband loved. The Norris Reservation, like the people it is named for, has made its mark on the lives of countless members of our community and will continue to for generations to come.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to honor Eleanor Norris on this joyous occasion. I ask that my colleagues join me in wishing her many more years of health and happiness.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 10th anniversary of WE CAN, Women's empowerment through Cape Area Networking in Harwich Port, Massachusetts.

Recognizing that every community member's well-being contributes to that of the whole community, WE CAN's mission has been to empower Cape Cod women of all ages undergoing challenging life transitions. It includes services that bring increased opportunity, self-sufficiency, stability, and lasting positive change for themselves, their families and, ultimately, the entire community. After ten years, WE CAN remains committed to that mission.

WE CAN had its beginnings at Cape Cod Community College in a program called Women in Transition, WIT, which was designed to help women of all ages and demographics improve their lives through education. A year later, WIT became WE CAN. In its first year, they helped 15 women. Early services included emergency financial aid; programs that provided guidance on reenrolling in school and mentorship; help filling out forms for emergency fuel assistance, financial aid for education, job applications; and information and referrals to other organizations on the Cape. Now, ten years later, at the half mark of this year, WE CAN, had already handled more than 2100 contacts and served close to 1000 women.

WE CAN has a true tradition of excellence thanks to its outstanding leadership, superior volunteers, board, staff, generous community partners and motivated program participants. Based on evolving needs of the Cape population, they continued to grow in terms of the number of women and their families served;

the development of their programs and services; and in terms of their ability to attract volunteers, secure grants and donations from area businesses and individuals.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in congratulating WE CAN, its staff, board, volunteers, community partners, and program participants on the celebration of 10 years of service to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Cape Cod Community College's 50th anniversary.

Our Nation's community colleges provide the dream of achieving a higher education to millions of students each year. They are the Nation's key supplier of workforce development and retraining needs, and--just as importantly--they build lasting partnerships and contribute significantly to the communities they serve. Cape Cod Community College is a leading institution of education, not only for the Cape, but for the entirety of Massachusetts.

Since 1961, Cape Cod Community College has served as a beacon of higher education in West Barnstable County, the second institution to open as part of what is now a 15 community college system in Massachusetts. When Cape Cod Community College's doors opened, there were 166 students enrolled. Two years later, the first evening program found 130 students enrolled in ten different degree-credit courses. By that spring, the first summer session had enrolled 145 students from 50 colleges and universities taking degree-credit courses. Now, 50 years later, that number has increased to nearly 7,000 students with over 80 degrees and certificates being offered.

Cape Cod Community College has a true tradition of excellence thanks to its outstanding leadership, superior faculty and staff and motivated students. They have received national prominence both for their programs as well as their inclusion of Cape Cod residents. Cape Cod Community College has been recognized as much for its sustainability education as its service to the adult Plus 50 learner and military personnel at Otis, the Massachusetts Military Reservation.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in congratulating the Cape Cod Community College, its President Kathleen Schatzberg and the entire college community on the celebration of 50 years of service to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Elaine Schuster, as she is honored with the Believe in Girls Award from the Big Sister Association of Greater Boston on November 12, 2011.

Elaine was--and is--never afraid to speak her mind, and that trait has proven invaluable to the various causes and constituencies for which she has fought. Through her important work with Big Sisters--one of the oldest and most established youth mentoring programs in the country--Elaine has advised, coached, and helped numerous girls and young women make healthy choices in their lives.

Elaine has been a role model to many, exhibiting these qualities on a daily basis through her good deeds, passion for helping others, and generous nature. Never one for holding back, she has dedicated herself to helping young girls, including her grandchildren, believe there is nothing they cannot do, become or achieve. To reflect on her work for our community is to reflect on a life of selflessness, devotion, drive and, above all, care for her fellow neighbor.

I ask my colleagues to please join me in congratulating Elaine Schuster as she is honored for her generosity, drive and initiative, and I urge others to learn from her leadership and guidance.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Big Sister Association of Greater Boston on their 60th anniversary. Big Sister is the largest mentoring program in the region that specifically serves women and girls. Volunteers enthusiastically dedicate their time and service to the communities in the Greater Boston area. Their actions are deserving of this body's recognition.

The Big Sister Association was founded in 1951 by three Cambridge residents: The Reverend Harold Taylor, Assistant Rector at Christ Church in Cambridge; Edith Taylor, a Cambridge police officer; and Frances Marley, an administrative assistant and legal consultant for the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children. Believing that girls in their community could benefit from the guidance and support of an older female friend, they created a one-to-one mentoring program where girls, Little Sisters, were individually matched with caring and committed volunteers, Big Sisters.

They continue to welcome new women and girls to the Big Sister program. In their first year, they matched six girls--in 2009, Big Sister served more than 2,700 girls throughout 69 Massachusetts cities and towns. What keeps them growing is the steadfast belief that by focusing on the healthy development of girls, they are preparing the next generation of mothers, teachers, doctors and business leaders. By continuing to implement new mentoring programs this has led to the creation of a vibrant community where girls know that there is no limit to what they can achieve. Their humble actions and service to the community are commendable.

Mr. Speaker, please join me in leading this body in acknowledging the Big Sister Association of Greater Boston, as they celebrate their 60th anniversary. The Big Sister Association of Greater Boston community is tremendously valued in my district and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Mr. Speaker, I hope the previous question is defeated so I can offer an amendment, along with my colleagues Mr. Levin and Mr. Bishop, to really correct something that, frankly, is outrageous. It's not only outrageous, but it is exhibit A of what's wrong with this Congress.

The underlying bill to do away with the 3 percent withholding, I've met with my local business people, had discussions, and this is a great opportunity for bipartisan efforts to help create some jobs and help small businesses go forward. We're actually in agreement with something that's going to do all those things; and I'm proud to support that, and I'm proud to reach across the aisle and support that.

But I have got to tell you, you just can't mess things up more than you're messing things up here, because the offset that was taken by the majority party is a tax on people that have Social Security and Medicaid. Why are you doing that when you're trying to get people some economic benefits through businesses, and really an effort that we both should be applauded for working together on.

The amendment that I'm going to offer is going to correct that. It's going to correct it in a way that makes perfect sense and is exhibit A about what can be right about this Congress. We're going to take away that oil subsidy that in the next several years is going to amount to $43.6 billion in a windfall to our richest, most profitable companies that don't need it. Incidentally, 93 percent of that windfall goes to preferred stock buy-backs and CEO remuneration that is not necessary.

So we have something we agree on. We have something that's going to be a benefit and that's going to create jobs and help small businesses. Now, we can go one of two ways in terms of paying for that.

We can have an additional tax on the Medicaid and Social Security recipients, or we can continue to reward the CEOs and Big Oil. That's not a tough choice.

So I hope that the previous question is defeated so we can offer something that makes sense. It's time for this Congress to get it right. We have a chance to do it, and I hope we will.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my deepest condolences for the victims of the 7.2 magnitude earthquake that shook the eastern region of Turkey on Sunday and claimed the lives of nearly 300 people.

As I join my colleagues in Washington this week, my thoughts and prayers are with the families of Van who have lost loved ones, the children of Ercis who have lost the security of their homes, and the courageous rescue workers who have risked their lives searching for survivors in unsteady rubble.

While it is regrettable that moments of chaos and tragedy bring nations closer together, I see the outpouring of support by Turkey's neighbors and allies to be testament to the loyalty demonstrated by the Turkish people year after year. May the destruction of this earthquake serve not as a representation of tragedies past, but as a reminder of the assistance Turkey has provided her neighbors when they have faced similar calamity.

In my privileged capacity as a member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, I am proud to witness the deluge of disaster aid offered by countries near and far. It would bring me a great sense of relief to see that the victims of this natural disaster receive access to the aid offered by Turkey's neighbors.

In honor of Turkey's resilience and strength, I once again offer my most sincere sympathy and appreciation for the pain felt by the Turkish people.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the three hundred and seventy-fifth anniversary of the Town of Scituate in Plymouth County, Massachusetts.

In 1627, courageous settlers from Plymouth Colony moved up the shoreline of Cape Cod Bay, establishing a village whose main thoroughfare, Kent Street, still survives today. Increases in population allowed for the village to incorporate in 1636, and the founders chose a name derived from the indigenous Wampanoag tribe's word for cold brook, satuit, to reflect the brook that ran to the inner harber of the village. That brook and the town of Scituate continue to thrive 375 years later.

Like most towns along Massachusetts' cultural South Shore, Scituate's rich history is intimately tied to the sea. Fishing and sea mossing have long provided an economic backbone for the town, which is also home to the famed Old Scituate Light. It is there that the American Army of Two, the young sisters Abigail and Rebecca Bates, deterred an approaching British ship during the War of 1812, thus saving the town from being ransacked by the enemy soldiers.

The Bates sisters are not Scituate's only famous residents. It is also home to William Cushing, one of the original six justices on the United States Supreme Court and Jim Lonborg, a Boston Red Sox pitcher distinguished with the Cy Young Award, among others. From its founding days, the residents of Scituate have always distinguished themselves as determined and inventive.

Today, the town is known as much for its maritime industry as it is for its majestic beaches and beautiful seascapes. It also remains a birthplace of innovation with new clean energy projects such as Solarize Scituate and the Oceans Campus Center. Over the past 375 years, Scituate has celebrated its unique history while continuing to evolve and progress. I am certain that the town will continue to do this for centuries to come. Happy 375th Birthday, Scituate.

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, this bill gives the impression that we're going to deal with this issue in 5 years. If you look at the bill carefully, you will find out, Mr. Chair, that indeed what it could postpone is the effect of this amendment forever. In fact, in terms of pollution, in terms of toxins, this is the equivalent of the ``pollution road to nowhere'' where there's no ending in sight, none that will ever be reached, and it's just nothing but a guise for the people to think they're doing something within the 5-year timeframe.

Now, my amendment would allow the 5 years, but it would be a maximum of

5 years before the source has to be implemented and the appropriate changes are met in terms of emissions.

Now, what else would this amendment do? This amendment would save 10,000 related deaths, avert 6,000 heart attacks, avoid nearly 70,000 asthma attacks, and the pollution reductions required in this rule would cut mercury emissions from cement kilns by over 90 percent.

As all of us know, Mr. Chairman, mercury is a poisonous substance that affects the ability of infants and children to learn and to think. It also results in birth defects and cognitive disabilities. Cement kilns emit lead and arsenic which cause cancer and damage the nervous system.

Now let's line up the costs and benefits. The costs--birth defects, cognitive disabilities, cancer, heart attacks, asthma, and attacks on the nervous system--are on one side of the ledger. On the other side of the ledger are marginal savings by the companies for not doing what they really should be doing in terms of keeping people safe.

Now let's add up the cost of that versus the cost of all those ailments, all those things that affect young people and that will affect taxpayers funding this for decades to come, a multiple of whatever savings is there for the industries that are in question.

So I hope this amendment passes. I think what this attempts to do is say let's cut through the guile. If you mean 5 years, you mean 5 years. And so we should be in agreement on this if that is indeed the case. And I hope this amendment gets the support from my colleagues that believe 5 years is a reasonable time.

I yield back the balance of my time.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

I would just say this: When you talk about certainty, the only thing that is certain about this bill is there's no end to it. So if you call certainty meaning there's no timeframe that can ever be reached for certain, then I don't understand the paradox.

And when you're talking about the cost to the EPA and the marginal cost that might be there to the industry in terms of savings, that pales in comparison--by multiples--to the cost that taxpayers are going to have to pay for the cognitive disabilities, the birth defects of infants and young children that will be borne, in most cases, by the taxpayer because we're not making these industries do what they're supposed to do.

Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Cape Cod Times, a daily newspaper circulated throughout the towns and villages of Massachusetts' Cape and Islands.

Seventy-five years ago, businessmen J.P. Dunn and Basil Brewer came together in a Hyannis garage to publish the Cape Cod Standard-Times. This union grew out of the men's desire to provide the residents of the Cape and Islands with access to community news, so they teamed up with the New Bedford Standard-Times for joint distribution through the 1960s. By 1970, however, the success of local small businesses and industries had brought an era of expansion to the region, augmenting the need for a local paper to service the needs and interests of the unique communities of the Cape and Islands. In 1975, the first Cape Cod Times edition was published as an ``independent Cape Cod newspaper, printed and published on the Cape, by Cape Codders, for Cape Codders.''

Today, the Cape Cod Times provides over 60,000 readers in the region with daily headlines of national and local relevance--from summer beach closings to breaking news across the globe. The paper's circulation reaches beyond the Cape and Islands through its online subscription, allowing readers to stay up-to-date on community happenings no matter their location.

Time and time again, the paper has been recognized for its national significance, having been named to such prestigious awards as ``Newspaper of the Year,'' ``Website of the Year'' and ``Sunday Newspaper of the Year'' by the New England Press Association, the New England Newspaper Association, and the New England Associated Press Executives Association.

Having owned a home on Cape Cod for twenty years, it is with pride and gratitude that I congratulate the Cape Cod Times, its editors and staff on providing seventy-five years of authentic journalism to the people of the Tenth Congressional District of Massachusetts. I extend my best wishes to the paper for many more years of award-winning journalism to come.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the dedication of the David Cutler Memorial Forest in Duxbury, Massachusetts.

David Cutler became of fixture in Duxbury in 1945 when his family decided to settle here, and from that point on, our community has been the better for it.

Just five years after moving to Duxbury, his parents started the Duxbury Clipper, and thus began David's affair with newspapers. After serving as captain of Colby College's football team, he came back home and got a job as a reporter at the Patriot Ledger. It wasn't long, though, before he felt a call to duty and David enlisted in the US Marines.

Like many men of his age group during that time, he was sent to Vietnam, where in an attack in 1968, he was shot in both legs. His courage and valor were rewarded with a Purple Heart and the title of Captain. Upon returning to the states, he went back to the Patriot Ledger and would soon become the paper's State House reporter. But after two years, he felt another call to duty, and left the Ledger to start the Marshfield Mariner.

Today, communities throughout Massachusetts' South Shore are served by one of David's papers--whether it be the Norwell Mariner or Scituate Mariner or anywhere in between. But it takes a special kind of man--a truly gifted story-teller--to make the most local of news a successful business; yet, that's what David did. He took a $1000 investment and turned it into an $8 million empire. From there, David went on to sell his Mariner newspapers and began working to resurrect other struggling newspapers around Massachusetts until his untimely death.

The details of David's life appear to describe a man who was larger than life--college football captain, honored Marine, intrepid newspaper reporter and successful entrepreneur. And that is just the highlight reel. It doesn't take into account all the lives he touched both professionally and personally, the numerous community functions and local causes he threw his support behind, the countless games and events he attended for his children and later grandchildren.

These are often thought to be ``the little things,'' but in reality they are as much the mark of a man's success. Maybe even more so, for they are what make life rich. So by all accounts, David Cutler was the richest man in town. And the truly fortunate thing is that he seems to have known that while he was still alive. I was moved when I read that early in his illness, David said to an old friend, ``My life's work was my family, and I've succeeded.'' I never had the pleasure of meeting David Cutler, but if all I knew about him was that one quote, I would know he was a good man.

David's legacy of service and commitment to our community lives on today. It lives on in his newspapers. It lives on in his family. And it lives on in this forest we are dedicating in his honor. It seems to me that there is no more fitting a memorial for man who contributed so much to Duxbury than a living, breathing, growing part of the town he loved. David Cutler's forest, like the man it is named for, will make its mark on the lives of countless members of our community for generations to come.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Cape Cod Symphony Orchestra for fifty years of musical entertainment and to express my gratitude for their undying commitment to preserving education of the arts in Massachusetts.

The Cape Cod Symphony Orchestra was founded fifty years ago as an all-volunteer collection of student and adult musicians. Today, the Orchestra is renowned as the premier cultural arts organization of Cape Cod--comprised of 85 classically trained, professional musicians who bring their passion for music and culture to each and every performance. Under the skillful direction of Maestro Jung-Ho Pak, the Orchestra reaches the hearts of its audiences through five classical concerts and three pop concerts per season--inspiring over 50,000 residents and visitors to the Cape and Islands communities.

The home of the Cape Cod Symphony Orchestra has changed throughout the years--from venues across the Cape to their current stage at the Barnstable Performing Arts Center at Barnstable High School. However, their music has remained in the souls of their listeners wherever they go. Through the Orchestra's MusicWorks! Education Program, students of all ages across the Cape and Islands are provided with the opportunity to interact with orchestra members, learn about their many instruments and attend intimate concerts. These programs are designed to enable all students--not just those who are musically-inclined--to develop an appreciation for and life-long interest in classical music.

In September, 2010, the Cape Cod Symphony Orchestra merged with the Cape Cod Conservatory of Music & Arts--unifying their mission of inspiring joy through the arts. Now, the Cape Cod Symphony and Conservatory of Music & Arts provide a whole variety of new programs-- from a musical summer camp to music training for adult students--to engage eager participants of all ages.

The high-caliber educational opportunities offered by the Cape Cod Symphony Orchestra has greatly contributed to the cultural atmosphere of the region. I commend the Orchestra for its devotion to music education and I thank all members, past and present, for their willingness to relay their passion for music and performance to five decades of audiences.