March 5, 2008 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS, Vol. 154, Pt. 3 3343

Jeff’s enthusiasm for gathering information, I have been pleased to host two amazing Deakin University, interning with Rep. JERROLD seeking answers, and solving puzzles was in- young women, Siobhan Coughlan and Katrina NADLER; Lucas Robson of Melbourne Univer- satiable. He found equal joy in discovering a Mae. sity, interning with Sen. CHRISTOPHER DODD; new species of clover or swapping wild tales Siobhan Coughlan, who is in her third year Clare Anderson of Griffith University, interning with an old timer. As a consulting biologist he at the University of Queensland, first arrived in with Rep. JOHN TIERNEY, Stephanie Lyons of was fiercely protective of the unique ecology the Helsinki Commission’s office on January 3, the University of Canberra, interning with Rep. of the Big Sur region. Over the years he 2008, and since then has provided able, thor- SAM FARR; Suzanne Allan of the University of worked as a biologist for many different orga- ough, and important assistance to the profes- Canberra, interning with Sen. MIKE CRAPO; nizations, including the U.S. Forest Service, sional staff of the Commission. Over the past Katrina Mae of the University of Wollongong, CA State Parks, UC Santa Cruz, the Big Sur two months with the Commission, Siobhan interning with Rep. ALCEE HASTINGS; Stella Natural History Association, the Esalen Insti- has demonstrated her honorable personal Rieusset of Melbourne University, interning tute, and the Monterey County Planning and character and integrity in the way she con- with Rep. MIKE CASTLE; Anthony Bremner of Building Department, among others. An active fronted the topic of human rights and demo- the University of Queensland, interning with member of the California Native Plant Society, cratic principles and the manner in which she Rep. JAMES CLYBURN and the Majority Whip’s he was a consultant for the Big Sur Land interacted with staff on economic development office; Tim Goyder of the University of West- Trust and the Monterey Pine Forest Watch. and tolerance issues in a domestic and inter- ern Australia, interning with Del. ENI As a social historian, Jeff was a friend and national context. Siobhan has served our or- FALEOMAVAEGA; and Ally Foat from the Univer- chronicler of the larger-than-life characters of ganization in a number of capacities, and at sity of Queensland, interning with Rep. JAMES Big Sur, including homesteader families such each stage has proven to be valuable be- CLYBURN. Let it not go unnoticed the hard work that as the Posts, Harlans, Ewoldsens, Pfeiffers, cause of her professionalism, her drive to suc- goes into the Uni-Capitol Internship Program and Trotters, artists and bohemians, intellec- ceed, and her ability to work well within a is done by founder Eric Federing. Eric is a tuals, conservationists, ranchers, and other group dynamic. Siobhan always demonstrated former senior House and Senate staffer of a the highest level of conscience in keeping the folk. He was in his element when he was lec- dozen years, who successfully combined his respectability of our program as she sought to turing on local history and natural history at li- experience in Washington with his extensive achieve our common goals. Siobhan brought braries, museums, Pacific Valley School and travels and lectures throughout Australia into Big Sur Elderhostel or presenting talks on her courteous and positive demeanor to hear- an ingenious program of diplomatic exchange Robinson Jeffers for the Tor House Founda- ings, briefings and events that the Commis- through cultural appreciation and under- tion. He was a charter member of the Big Sur sion held and events she attended on behalf standing. I have said in the past that I heartily Historical Society and past president and of the staff here at the Commission. Much as congratulate him on making his vision a re- member of the Friends of the Big Sur Library. been gained by having an international stu- ality. This program is a step in the right direc- In 2004, Jeff co-authored Images of America: dent at our side and Siobhan has greatly con- tion of supporting our young people who have Big Sur with the Big Sur Historical Society, a tributed her experiences, ideas, and thoughts a passion for and commitment to civic en- book that traced the history of the coast from that are shared by our good Australian friends gagement and public service. the days of the homesteaders with numerous across the water. I am delighted that she’s Over the last nine years, my staff and I never-before-seen photographs of the coast. able to extend her internship for another two have greatly benefited from the relationships He also co-authored Big Sur Observed with months. that have been made from the result of this Kip Stewart in 1994, and was a major contrib- In her short time here, Katrina Mae has be- program as it continues to provide all of us an utor to Donald Clark’s Monterey County Place come an indispensable asset to my office. An extraordinary experience with our friends on Names (1991). At the time of his death he undergraduate law student at the University of the other side of the ocean. It has been a was energetically at work on a new book Wollongong, Katrina came to my office with an great privilege to host Siobhan and Katrina about the bohemians of Big Sur. ardent interest in civil rights and a desire to and I ask all my colleagues to extend their Madam Speaker, I know that I speak for the work with individuals who support policies that open arms to the Uni-Captiol Internship Pro- whole House in extending my condolences to encourage tolerance and cooperation across gram and to our Australian friends in the fu- Jeff’s family and friends. He will be greatly racial and cultural lines. Over the course of ture. missed. He had mastered the art of a life well her two months, she has attended hearings f lived. So while we mourn his passing we are and briefings on a myriad of policy issues, A TRIBUTE RECOGNIZING THE grateful for the spark of wonder and steward- drafted countless constituent correspondence, 47TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ship that he ignited in all of us. assisted visitors and callers in her always pa- PEACE CORPS f tient and thoughtful manner, and helped sev- eral staffers with legislative research and spe- RECOGNIZING THE UNI-CAPITOL cial projects. While her professional skills and HON. LUCILLE ROYBAL-ALLARD WASHINGTON INTERNSHIP PRO- academic credentials are certainly impressive, OF CALIFORNIA GRAM Katrina is also an absolute pleasure to work IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES with. No matter the assignment, she is always Wednesday, March 5, 2008 HON. ALCEE L. HASTINGS eager to help and approaches every new task Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Madam Speaker, I OF FLORIDA with a smile. The anecdotes of her adventures rise today to recognize and commend the IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES as a first-time visitor to the United States were 190,000 former and current volunteers of the a constant source of entertainment, and her Wednesday, March 5, 2008 United States Peace Corps, as we celebrate tales of life in Australia gave our office a the 47th Anniversary of this extraordinary Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Madam Speaker, greater understanding of her country’s rich his- agency. I rise today to recognize the Uni-Capitol tory, culture, and values. Katrina arrived on In a 1960 speech to students at the Univer- Washington Internship Program. Since the in- Capitol Hill hoping to acquire a better under- sity of Michigan, President Kennedy issued ception of the Uni-Captiol program, I have par- standing of the U.S. legislative process, and it one of his most historic challenges. He asked ticipated in this relationship building program is my sincere hope that she benefited as Americans to trade the comforts of home for that brings some of Australia’s best and bright- much from this experience as we did from the adversities of volunteer work overseas est future leaders to Washington. I have bene- having her with us. and, in doing so, serve our country by serving fited greatly by the work of unique and tal- Madam Speaker, in addition to Siobhan and the rest of the world. ented individuals that produced top-notch work Katrina, I am delighted to recognize our col- President Kennedy’s original mission for the to both of my offices. In my personal office I leagues here in the House and other col- Peace Corps remains unchanged today. The have participated in the Uni-Captiol Wash- leagues in the Senate who have been con- Peace Corps volunteers—who range from col- ington Internship Program for the last nine gressional hosts in 2008: lege graduates to retirees with decades of ex- years. This is the first year that I have also James Paterson of Melbourne University, in- perience—help the people of host countries by hosted an intern at the Commission on Secu- terning with Rep. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART; sending trained men and women with exper- rity and Cooperation in Europe in my capacity Monique Salm of Griffith University, interning tise in a variety of professional fields. The vol- as Chairman. with Sen. CHUCK HAGEL; Madelene Fox of unteers also promote a better understanding

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Since 2000, it has drove the patriots of the American Revolution world, the volunteers are often the first grown to include 156 Gateways in six States to throw off the shackles of tyranny and op- glimpse of America that the people have ever and the District of Columbia, and over 1500 pression, the Texas Declaration of Independ- encountered. These volunteers make signifi- miles of established and developing water ence was produced, literally, overnight. Its ur- cant and lasting contributions in each host trails. gency was crucial, because while it was being country through their work in agriculture, busi- My own Congressional District includes sev- prepared, the Alamo in San Antonio was ness development, information technology, eral such Gateways sites. For example, the under siege by Santa Anna’s army of Mexico. education, youth, environment, health and Annapolis Maritime Museum, which sits on the Immediately upon the assemblage of the HIV/AIDS. banks of Back Creek, promotes an under- Convention of 1836 on March 1, a committee Through the President’s Emergency Plan for standing of the maritime heritage of Annapolis of five of its delegates was appointed to draft AIDS Relief, PEPFAR, Peace Corps volun- and how that history has influenced the evo- the document. The committee worked long teers continue to meet the challenges of the lution of the State of Maryland. The museum into the night to prepare the declaration. It was HIV/AIDS pandemic working both formally and campus occupies the site of the old briefly reviewed, then adopted by the dele- informally in 10 of the 15 focus countries. In McNasby’s Oyster Packing Company. For gates of the convention the following day. 2007, approximately 93 percent of all Peace years, from the shores of the Back Creek and The declaration was an announcement to Corps posts contributed to HIV/AIDS activities. other tributaries, watermen came and went de- the world that all Texans would fight to protect These volunteers assisted more than 1 million livering their daily catch. Boatwrights and their rights. The declaration stated that they people. craftsmen ran boatyards to sustain the indus- would no longer live under the dictatorship of Santa Anna or a government that had been I am especially proud of the seven volun- try. Employees of McNasby’s and other busi- ‘‘forcibly changed, without their consent, from teers from the 34th District currently in service nesses shucked, canned, and shipped oysters a restricted federative republic, composed of with the Peace Corps. These remarkable men and other seafood as far as the Rocky Moun- sovereign states, to a consolidated central and women from my Los Angeles district and tains. The maritime and seafood industry military despotism.’’ the countries they are currently serving in are made Annapolis a prosperous town—and they It spoke of the numerous injustices inflicted as follows: Jennifer Baez, Ecuador; Roberto were all connected to and dependent upon the upon the settlers of the state then known as Dubon, Paraguay; Anna Frumes, Ukraine; Chesapeake Bay. The Annapolis Maritime Mu- Coahuila y Tejas: the elimination of the state’s Joyce Hahn, Azerbaijan; Roanel Herrera, Pan- seum teaches current residents and youth legislative body; the denial of religious free- ama; and Christina and Justin Senter, Mauri- about this connection to the water and how it dom; the elimination of the civil justice system; tania in North-West Africa. I congratulate them continues to influence our culture and econ- and the confiscation of firearms, this last one and all of the 821 Californians currently serv- omy to this day. being the most intolerable, particularly among ing around the globe as Peace Corps volun- As reported in the Baltimore Sun late last Texans. teers. year, the museum has established a program The declaration stated that Texas was ‘a I also thank Peace Corps Director Ron with Eastport Elementary School to connect free, sovereign, and independent republic . . . Tschetter, himself a former volunteer in India, students with the Chesapeake Bay through fully invested with all the rights and attributes’ for his service at the Corps’s helm since Sep- activities that fit into their studies in reading, that belong to independent nations; and a dec- tember 2006. Mr. Tschetter is the latest in a math, and science. The students participate in laration that they ‘fearlessly and confidently’ long line of distinguished Peace Corps Direc- activities such as ‘‘measuring water tempera- committed their decision to ‘the Supreme Arbi- tors that includes Jack Vaughn, Carol Bellamy ture, salinity and clarity; they observe, meas- ter of the destinies of nations.’ and, of course, Sargent Shriver, who served ure and document the museum’s terrapins and The Texan Army was ready to defend itself as the organization’s first leader under Presi- oysters; and account for funds they’re raising from the oppression of Santa Anna and his dent Kennedy. to support the upkeep of the terrapins.’’ These army. Outnumbered by the vastly larger Mexi- Peace Corps volunteers each cross the bor- kinds of programs have a profound and long can army, approximately 200 Texans and ders of language and culture to inspire new lasting impact on students as evidenced by Tejanos under the leadership of Lt. Colonel perspectives, provide real assistance in their the feedback from one parent who said, ‘‘My William Barrett Travis and Tennessee Con- host countries, and extend American values child has become more excited and interested gressman David Crockett made their stand in and friendship around the world. They are a in the bay and what it means to the area the defense of Texas at an old Spanish mis- unique and effective corps of informal ambas- where he lives.’’ sion known as the Alamo. sadors for this country. By maintaining the Gateways network and They bravely held their position for 13 days, Madam Speaker, as the organization ob- providing access to sites such as the Annap- enduring wave after wave of attack, and on serves its 47th Anniversary, please join me in olis Maritime Museum, we can help develop the morning of March 6, 1836, they made the congratulating Ron Tschetter and the Corps’s the next generation of environmental stew- ultimate sacrifice for freedom as they were thousands of volunteers on a job well done. ards, which is one of the best ways to truly killed in action defending Texas at the Alamo. They truly represent the best of what our great ‘‘Save the Bay.’’ It is therefore critical that we Two weeks later on March 27, 1836 Colonel Nation has to offer. act now to reauthorize the Gateways program James W. Fannin and 300 men under his f so that the Network and its partners can con- command were massacred by Santa Anna’s tinue to educate residents of the Chesapeake army at Goliad. INTRODUCTION OF THE CHESA- Bay watershed about how their communities The sacrifices made at the Alamo and PEAKE GATEWAYS AND relate directly to the health of our largest estu- Goliad would not be forgotten as they became WATERTRAILS NETWORK REAU- ary and a national treasure—the Chesapeake the battle cry of the Texan Army: ‘‘Remember THORIZATION Bay. the Alamo. Remember Goliad!’’ f On April 21, 1836 a much smaller Texan HON. JOHN P. SARBANES Army led by General Sam Houston launched OF MARYLAND TEXAS INDEPENDENCE DAY a surprise attack on the much larger Mexican IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES force at San Jacinto. After only 18 minutes the Battle of San Jacinto was over, and Texas Wednesday, March 5, 2008 HON. GENE GREEN OF TEXAS had won its independence. Mr. SARBANES. Madam Speaker, I rise IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES That battle is memorialized along the San today to introduce legislation to reauthorize Jacinto River with the San Jacinto Monument Wednesday, March 5, 2008 the Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network in Baytown, Texas in the 29th district, the dis- (CBGN), which will otherwise expire at the end Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Madam trict I represent. 2008. The CBGN provides grants to parks, Speaker, Sunday, March 2, 2008, marked Texas Independence Day is important to all volunteer groups, wildlife refuges, historic Texas Independence Day. 172 years ago that Americans because the events show that the

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