February 12, 2009 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD -- Extensions of Remarks E249
to join me in honoring Mr. Morris Honick and all war heroes of the past, present, and future.
f H. CON. RES. 35 SPEECH OF HON. ELIJAH E. CUMMINGS OF MARYLAND IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Tuesday, February 10, 2009 Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to rise and join all Americans of good will in celebrating the 100th anniversary of the NAACP.
Others will recall that fate-filled day, February 12, 1909, when 60 prominent Americans, black and white alike, issued ``The Call'' for a national conference to renew ``the struggle for civil and political liberty.'' They also will reflect upon how, back in 1909, this country was unfair to people of color and, especially for African American men, a very dangerous place.
The organization's founders, however, were people of deep integrity. They created an organization dedicated to achieving social justice, ending racial violence, abolishing forced segregation and promoting equal opportunity and other civil rights under the protection of law.
My gratitude to the NAACP is personal, as well as philosophical. The NAACP-and the movement that its founders created 100 years ago today-transformed my life.
I shall never forget how Juanita Jackson Mitchell and the Baltimore Branch of the NAACP stood up for us as we marched to integrate South Baltimore's Riverside Swimming Pool. It was then that I realized, for the first time in my young life, that I had rights that other people had to respect.
Nor shall I forget how a young Thurgood Marshall (who once lived just blocks from where I live today) convinced a Baltimore judge to integrate the University of Maryland School of Law. My law degree and all that I have been able to accomplish in my professional and public life are living testaments to the value of that achievement.
Moreover, as long as I shall live and be privileged to serve the people of Maryland's 7th Congressional District, I shall remember that our community-that also gave America former Congressmen Parren J. Mitchell and Kweisi Mfume-now serves as the national home of the NAACP.
So it is with deep appreciation and respect that I join millions of my countrymen and women in applauding the NAACP and pledging our continued support in the days and years ahead.
I do so at a historic moment when we have come together to elect a gifted African American to the highest office in the land. Yet, even as we celebrate this victory of competence and conscience, America remains a dangerous and unfair place for far too many of our neighbors, whatever may be the color of their skin.
Physician, and her efforts have been recognized by the Kalamazoo Center for Medical Studies as well as Calhoun County. Dr. Benzik has promoted clean air for our county and state as a member of the Calhoun County Cancer Control Coalition, and has served on the Battle Creek Community Foundation to supervise healthcare initiatives and funding for our community. She has done all of this as a loving partner with her husband, David, and mother to her two children, Matthew and Elizabeth. Doctor Benzik is a model of community service and well deserves our respect and appreciation for her service.
f HONORING MORRIS HONICK HON. JAY INSLEE OF WASHINGTON IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Thursday, February 12, 2009 Mr. INSLEE. Madam Speaker, I rise in honor of an American hero whose service began around the time of the fall of the Nazi Third Reich and lasted until the time that cracks began to appear in the Berlin Wall before it too, fell. That man is Mr. Morris Honick.
Mr. Honick's military career began in a critical time in the history of the World War Two in the West, the Battle of the Atlantic, when the German submarine fleet threatened to strangle American efforts to keep England free. A member of the U.S. Army Air Forces, Mr. Honick served aboard a convoy bound for Liverpool from New York as U-boats stalked them throughout the 17-day crossing, losing 22 of 62 ships but maintaining the Atlantic Alliance.
Mr. Honick continued to serve with the USAAF throughout the Second World War and later with the newly established U.S. Air Force in Korea as well.
After successfully competing for a position at SHAPE, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, Mr. Honick quickly stood out, being promoted to Chief of the Historical Section.
The saying is that those who do not remember history are condemned to repeat it and nowhere is there more at stake in remembering history than in military affairs. Mr. Honick, through his writing helped make sure that history would not be forgotten, having written extensively on the history of SHAPE and on NATO-SHAPE affairs. Mr. Honick was also the Command Historian, a key policy function for the NATO Supreme Commander.
Mr. Honick had the distinction of being, at the time of his retirement in 1989, the longest serving member of the staff of SHAPE.
For his service, Mr. Honick was awarded the Efficiency, Honor, Fidelity Medal, with three clasps; the European-Africian-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, with Anti-Submarine Campaign Battle Star; the World War II Victory Medal; and the National Defense Service Medal.
For his courage, for his long service to our nation and our alliances, I ask my colleagues
EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS PINELLAS HABITAT FOR HUMANITY DEDICATES 100TH ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA HOUSE HON. C. W. BILL YOUNG OF FLORIDA IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Thursday, February 12, 2009 Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Madam Speaker, The volunteer spirit is alive and well in our nation and it remains one of our country's core values. Habitat for Humanity is one of the programs that capture that spirit by helping our neighbors in need to achieve the great American dream of home ownership.
Pinellas Habitat for Humanity, the chapter I have the privilege to represent, achieved a milestone last November when it dedicated its 100th St. Petersburg, Florida house. Executive Barbara Inman and her entire staff, her Board of Directors, her Advisory Board, and her volunteer team are to be congratulated on their work even during these most difficult economic times to bring affordable housing to our community.
Norm Bungard, one of St. Petersburg's greatest volunteers and champions of Habitat for Humanity, told me that the program typifies the values of a successful society. These include hard work, which is exemplified by the thousands of hours of sweat equity by volunteers and the new homeowners; community involvement, witnessed by the long list of volunteers who help build and finish the homes; government involvement, evidenced by the city's land donations for the homes; corporate and church sponsorship; and common sense business practices that are the result of countless seminars that ensure owners stay in their homes.
Madam Speaker, the spirit of giving, the commitment to hard work, and the joy of homeownership were all evident as Cynthia Ivey and her daughter Chauncey were given the keys to their first home. This was the result of the Habitat for Humanity network of Pinellas staff, volunteers, and community and corporate sponsors. Join me in congratulating all those who made this such a special milestone day for such a special cause.
f HONORING DR. MARY ELLEN BENZIK OF BATTLE CREEK HON. MARK H. SCHAUER OF MICHIGAN IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Thursday, February 12, 2009 Mr. SCHAUER. Madam Speaker, I am proud to honor today one of Michigan's finest healthcare professionals, Dr. Mary Ellen Benzik of Battle Creek. Dr. Benzik has been a dedicated member of the healthcare community for over two decades and has served our state with honor and distinction. She has shown extraordinary devotion as an Outstanding Volunteer Teacher and Volunteer re not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor.
r than spoken, by a Member of the House on the floor.
re> VerDate Nov 24 200804:38 Feb 13, 2009 Jkt 079060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 0626 Sfmt 9920 E:\CR-FM-K12FE8.001 E12FEPT1