H5352 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE July 12, 1999 way to major league softball. They won mul- was a mixed bag but had four very strong 's organization. It was fun and ex- tiple national championships. Players were ce- teamsÐthe Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons, the tremely rewarding.'' lebrities. By the late 50s, as I was growing up, Rochester Royals (later moved to Cincinnati in For buffs, there are two books softball was no longer as significant but I re- Hoosier days), George that most of this special order was based member my father talking about Leo Luken Mikan's Minneapolis Lakers (now the Los An- upon. Rodger Nelson has written the Zollner and Bernie Kampschmidt as if they were Nel- geles LakersÐever wonder where the lake Piston Story, covering both the basketball and lie Fox and Ernie Banks, my baseball heroes. was in LA?), and the Indianapolis Krautskys softball teams. Todd Gould has written a book After having success in softball, in 1939 (named after local grocery store owner Frank titled Pioneers of the Hardwood, about not Zollner fielded a team in a Chicago industrial Krautsky). These teams actually dominated only the Pistons but other early pro Indiana league tournament and never looked back. the NBA for most of its first years. basketball teams as well. Indiana, in the sec- The Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons were not Fort , the Commissioner of the ond year of the merged leagues, had 3Ð Wayne's first pro basketball teamÐthe Fort BAA, came to Fort Wayne to Carl Bennett's threeÐof the NBA teams. Wayne Knights of Columbus (the Caseys) and home. After preliminary discussions, they were Let me close with several quotes from the the Fort Wayne Hoosiers were. And the Fort joined the next day by Fred Zollner and then Pioneers of the Hardwood, from former Fort Wayne General Electrics played in the NBL the Indianapolis Krautsky's owners in Fort Wayne Zollner Piston basketball stars. (National Basketball League) in 1937. The Wayne. The agreement to pull the four teams Frank Brian: ``Whenever I hear the song Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons left Fort Wayne at from the NBL and join with the BAA was the `Back Home Again in Indiana' I get real nos- the end of 1957 but continue today as the De- start of the NBA. Additional changes occurred talgic, because Indiana was like a second troit Pistons. over the next few years but the core remains home to me. The fans were so congenial and There were many eventful years in Fort until today. really loved their basketball. Basketball was its Wayne. The Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons brought own special culture there. When anybody ever For most of the Fort Wayne era, the Pistons many thrills to northeast Indiana, including one asks me about the fans in Indiana, there's played at the North Side High School gym. of the early NBA All-Star games which fea- only one word I can sayÐunbelievable. Yes, The enthusiastic fans and confined quarters tures such stars as (whose sir, unbelievable. It was great.'' gave the Pistons a significant homecourt ad- 1948 basketball card is the most valuable of Hall-of-Famer , the first Pis- vantage. Minneapolis Laker's star Slater Mar- all time), and . The ton and the first NBA player in history to score tin was quoted on the courtside seating at then brand new Allen County War Memorial 2000 points in a season, said, ``If it's winter- North Side: ``I never really saw the fans get Coliseum was a showpiece arena, packed to time, and it's Indiana, it must mean basketball. physical with the players. I had them pull the the ceiling with over 10,000 fans. Over 8,000 The fans there were really wonderful. I loved hair on my legs through.'' came to see the Zollner Pistons defeat the it, truly loved it. It was the greatest experience Fred Zollner was key in keeping the NBL Boston Celtics, during 's first visit in the world.'' (National Basketball League) solvent. He gave there. Yardley, a California boy and Stanford grad, direct financial aid to other teams, he pur- Fred Zollner's vision for Fort Wayne was for also said about Fort Wayne: ``My wife and I chased players for cash to help keep teams the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons to be to the didn't know what to expect when we got to afloat, and did other things to keep the league NBA what Green Bay was to professional foot- Fort Wayne. We had never seen snow before. going. Carl Bennett who's personal history ball. But, alas, it was not to be. New York, Major league sports to Fort Wayne was the with the Pistons is so intertwined with Zollner Chicago, Boston and other cities had millions Pistons. They were great basketball fans. But as to be inseparable said that Zollner never of people to draw from whereas Fort Wayne more importantly, they were great people. wanted anyone to know how he helped the had less than 200,000. But Fred Zollner not They wanted you to know that Fort Wayne leagueÐand pro basketballÐalive. only brought big-time basketball to a smaller was a great place to live, and they did every- Zollner treated his players well, being known size city, but he was instrumental in the found- thing they could to illustrate that to you. To throughout the league as a generous owner. ing of the NBA and much of its development. this day I believe that Fort Wayne has some He was the first owner to purchase a plane for Zollner saw the writing on the wall in the of the coldest weather and warmest people in the team. He did this even though he did not mid-fifties. He knew that the big-city teams the country.'' like to fly. It gave the Pistons such an advan- weren't thrilled to come to Fort Wayne. What In Fort Wayne we no longer have the Pis- tageÐplayers weren't as tired from travelingÐ may have finally pushed him over the edge, tons basketball team. We still have nearly that the league re-configured its schedule to according to long-time sports broadcaster and 1000 Zollner Pistons jobs that are part of the the disadvantage of Fort Wayne. Fort Wayne civic leader Hilliard Gates, was a backbone of our community. We have the Zollner was constantly upgrading his teamÐ situation that developed in 1955. Fred Zollner pride of having been there in the early days of which eventually led to repeat national titles. wanted badly to win an NBA championship. the NBA and now having one of our commu- The nation knew he was serious when he The Zollner Pistons made it to the finals. But nity leaders being honored by his selection signed ``Mr. Basketball''ÐBobby McDermott of the Fort Wayne Coliseum had booked the na- into the Basketball Hall of Fame. And we still the New York Celtics, then the most famous tional bowling tournament so the Pistons were have some of the coldest weather and warm- player in all of basketball famous for the tow- booted out of Fort Wayne for the NBA finals. est people in the country. ering two-hand set-shots typically from half- Now bowling was big in IndianaÐbowling still f courtÐor beyond. Paul ``Curly'' Armstrong was is very popular in IndianaÐbut it probably another favorite. wasn't the wisest move. The Fort Wayne Pis- TRIBUTE TO U.S. WOMEN’S The Zollner Pistons were also responsible tons lost four games to three, so the record NATIONAL SOCCER TEAM for the 24-second shot clock. When George should show that they did win all the games The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a Mikan, who was not only a giant of his day at played in Indianapolis. previous order of the House, the gentle- 6′10′′ but a talented athlete as well, changed Dick Rosenthal, who played as a Piston and woman from Florida (Mrs. MEEK) is the nature of basketball with his huge height later was the University of Notre Dame's ath- recognized for 5 minutes. advantage, the Pistons decided to try a dif- letic director, said about Fred Zollner: ``He was Mrs. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I ferent way to win. In Minneapolis, as the a man of vision. Fred nurtured professional rise today to pay tribute to the United crowd hollered, they stalled. It remainsÐand basketball from a very iffy proposition to a States women’s national soccer team. always willÐas the lowest scoring game in major business venture. He embodied the soul Our soccer team won the women’s NBA basketball history. 19±18. But the Fort of the organization and the league. Profes- World Cup. This tournament was held Wayne Zollner Pistons won. But the league sional basketball had come a long way. The this past weekend in Pasadena, Cali- said never again. game owes a great deal to the pioneer spirit fornia. Fred Zollner, coordinated by his able bas- of an owner like Fred Zollner.'' We are all very proud of our women’s ketball specialist Carl Bennett, was key in cre- Carl Bennett, who crusaded to get Fred soccer team. The 1999 women’s soccer ating the NBA as we know it today. The NBL Zollner into the Hall of Fame, and who for team has boldly gone where no United and the BAA (Basketball Association of Amer- most of the years of the Fort Wayne Zollner States soccer team has gone before. ica) were competing for players in a market in Pistons did most everything from coaching to And along the way, Mr. Speaker, they which few were able to make money. The managing to player personnel decisions, said: have taught us all that anything is pos- BAA had franchises in big cities with big are- ``If somebody would have asked me when I sible if you dare to dream; that by rais- nas (Madison Square Garden for example) but was a kid what I wanted to do with my career, ing the bar of expectations, there can few fans and not the best players. The NBL I would have told them exactly what I did for be no limits; that if you are allowed to July 12, 1999 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H5353 fully realize your potential, you can rain of blue, red and orange fire over Just last year he joked that he have it all. They did, Mr. Speaker. the Indian Ocean in Australia. I rise looked forward to his 77th birthday They fought very, very hard. today to honor the memory of an as- saying, ‘‘I fully expect that NASA will The championship of our women’s tronaut who largely contributed to the send me back to the Moon as they soccer team won on the field in com- success of that program. treated Senator Glenn, and if they petition this weekend was more than a Charles ‘‘Pete’’ Conrad, who died last don’t do so, why then I will have to do feel-good athletic victory but a victory Thursday in a motorcycle accident at it myself.’’ for American women everywhere. From the age of 69, began service to his coun- The life of Charles P. Conrad, Jr., Liberty City in my district to Houston, try as a U.S. Navy aviator after grad- serves as an example of the patriotism to Los Angeles, the lives and hopes of uating from Princeton with an engi- and sense of adventure that sets the young women everywhere have been neering degree. It continued when he United States apart and makes us all, expanded and transformed by a new set was selected as a member of NASA’s as Americans, unique. I am proud to of American heroes, real-life role mod- second class of nine astronauts. He flew have known him in life, I honor him in els who are confident, strong and fe- on two Gemini missions, setting a death, and I marvel, as we all do, at his male. space fight endurance record on Gemini legacy. Their victory, however, was not just 5, and commanded Gemini 11 which f a victory for one team but a victory for docked with another spacecraft, lead- all girls and all women and a victory ing the way to the Apollo missions. INTRODUCTION OF H.R. 2448 for all America. And the culmination He is best known, though, for the dis- The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. GIB- of a very long process, of title IX. Not tinction of being the third man to walk BONS). Under a previous order of the too long ago, people said women ath- on the Moon. Apollo 11 captured the House, the gentlewoman from Hawaii letics was perhaps a waste of time and world’s imagination, but the mission (Mrs. MINK) is recognized for 5 minutes. money, that women could not perform. missed its landing site by several Mrs. MINK of Hawaii. Mr. Speaker, I rise This victory shows, Mr. Speaker, that miles. Commander Conrad’s mission today to introduce H.R. 2448, a bill to restore all that was needed for women was the proved that not only could we go to the fairness to our immigration system. Family re- opportunity to compete on an equal moon but we can land on our target. unification is a fundamental principle of U.S. level. This mission goal was essential if any immigration law. Another key principle gives I am a former athlete, Mr. Speaker. I scientific exploration of the moon was American citizens priority over non-citizens ran track and played basketball in col- going to take place. Unlocking the when they seek to bring their relatives here. lege more than a few years ago. I know mysteries that the moon presents re- Most of the time, Americans get their peti- the importance of role models in life quires the ability to excavate specific tions handled first. and sports. I had outstanding role mod- sites. Apollo 12 and Pete Conrad proved But an aberration arises when Americans this to be possible. els like Lua Bartley and Babe Minor. seek to bring their unmarried sons and daugh- Five years later, when Skylab was Now, Mr. Speaker, little girls and ters here from the Philippines. In this case, launched into orbit atop a Saturn V women all across America have a new rocket, major damage was sustained U.S. citizens wait several years longer than set of real-life American role models which would have to be repaired in legal residents. who are driven, determined, aggressive, space if the microgravity laboratory The Department of State reports that such tough and committed. That is our program was to be useful. Pete Conrad U.S. citizen petitions are backlogged to Octo- United States 1999 women’s national answered the call to duty on the first ber 1, 1987, while legal resident petitions are soccer team. manned mission to the space station. backlogged only to August 1, 1992, a dif- This weekend’s victory was a coming He and his crew mates repaired the ference of five years. The law was never de- of age for women. In a real sense, it is damage in three exhaustive EVAs in signed to make citizens wait longer than legal something you cannot touch or you addition to conducting a number of residents, and we must correct this problem. cannot quantify. Because little girls all other experiments over the 3 weeks Mr. Speaker, I would like my colleagues to over the world, Mr. Speaker, saw they spent aboard the station. imagine how devastating it is to achieve Amer- strong, independent and capable When he left NASA, Pete Conrad was ican citizenship, only to find that this move sig- women playing soccer these past 3 never far away. His enterprising spirit nificantly postponses your own child's visa. It weeks, they will realize that they are took him into the fertile environment is a heartbreaking task to have to inform con- not crazy for wanting to do something of the commercial space industry, first stituents of this sad fact. out of the ordinary, to excel them- with McDonnell Douglas and then on My bill fixes this irregularity. Simply put, it selves in athletics. They are saying to his own with Universal Space Lines ensures that a legal resident who files for a themselves, ‘‘If they can play soccer and several sister companies. The vi- son or daughter to immigrate will not have to and win, I can be a CEO of a Fortune sionary Pete Conrad recognized that it wait longer for his children to arrive after he 500 company.’’ will be up to private industry to truly gains U.S. citizenship. Thank God for all of the dedicated open the commercial markets of space, U.S. citizenship is a great honor. By passing soccer moms, Mr. Speaker, in this so he created companies to design reus- H.R. 2448, we can ensure that it remains a country that have driven their girls able launch vehicles and build ground great privilege as well. I urge my colleagues to back and forth to rehearsal over and tracking systems, with the goal of support this legislation. over again. May they continue to pro- making it easier, cheaper and safer to H.R. 2448 vide the continued support that fosters put people and equipment into space. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of World Cup winners. Through my work on the Committee Representatives of the United States of America I am proud of our women’s soccer on Science, I had the pleasure of meet- in Congress assembled, team and what they have done for our ing Pete Conrad, as a matter of fact, SECTION 1. PREVENTING IMMIGRANTS FROM national psyche and for the psyche of most recently several months ago. I WAITING LONGER FOR IMMIGRANT Americans from coast to coast. Girl VISAS AS A RESULT OF RECLASSI- have always been impressed by the FICATION FROM FAMILY SECOND power and the power of women, Mr. force of his personality. He seemed to PREFERENCE TO FAMILY FIRST Speaker, live on. exemplify the maxim of ‘‘attitude is al- PREFERENCE. f titude.’’ At 5 feet 6 inches, Pete Conrad (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 203 of the Immi- gration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1153) is IN MEMORY OF ASTRONAUT personified this quip with his eye to- ward enterprise and adventure. amended by adding at the end the following CHARLES ‘‘PETE’’ CONRAD new subsection: The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a b 1915 ‘‘(h) ASSURING IMMIGRANTS DO NOT HAVE TO previous order of the House, the gentle- Though highly regarded as a truly WAIT LONGER FOR AN IMMIGRANT VISA AS A RESULT OF RECLASSIFICATION FROM FAMILY woman from Maryland (Mrs. MORELLA) terrific pilot, he had a reputation as a SECOND PREFERENCE TO FAMILY FIRST PREF- is recognized for 5 minutes. jokester. Upon setting foot on the ERENCE.—Notwithstanding any other provi- Mrs. MORELLA. Mr. Speaker, 20 Moon, he cheered, ‘‘Whoopee, that may sion of law, in the case of a petition that has years ago today, the NASA space lab- have been a small one for Neil, but been approved to accord preference status oratory Skylab fell to the earth in a that’s a long one for me.’’ under subsection (a)(2)(A) may be deemed to