CONGRESSIONAL RECORD— Extensions of Remarks E245 HON. ROBERT E. ANDREWS HON. HARRY E. MITCHELL HON. JOE DONNELLY HON. CHARLES
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February 26, 2008 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E245 Madam Speaker, I stand today to honor the IN RECOGNITION OF DAVID M. His tenure in office was marked by a major tax lasting legacy of all former and current Peace NAGEL ACHIEVEMENT OF EAGLE restructuring program reducing reliance on Corps volunteers and the important work that SCOUT RANK property taxes, major improvements to state they do, especially as we celebrate National park facilities, development of a statewide Peace Corps Week. I hope that each of the HON. HARRY E. MITCHELL emergency medical services system, and Members and all Americans can join to look OF ARIZONA adoption of a medical malpractice law that back on the Peace Corps’s honorable 46-year IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES would later serve as a national model. In 1985, Dr. Bowen received the nomination legacy of service at home and abroad as we Tuesday, February 26, 2008 for Secretary of the Department of Health and also look forward to the continued success of Mr. MITCHELL. Madam Speaker, I rise Human Services from President Ronald this invaluable and effective American organi- today to congratulate David Nagel, who has Reagan. After a quick confirmation by the zation. successfully completed the requirements for Senate, Dr. Bowen served in the cabinet until the rank of Eagle Scout. The Boy Scouts of President Reagan left office in January 1989. f America program recognizes the Eagle Scout Now retired, Dr. Bowen resides in Bremen, as the highest attainable rank; less than four Indiana. He has been awarded over twenty- HONORING THE LIFE OF percent of Scouts achieve the rank of Eagle. five honorary degrees during his life, including MURLIDHAR DEVIDAS AMTE The process of becoming an Eagle Scout one from the University of Notre Dame and involves earning numerous merit badges and another from Baylor University. demonstrating spirit, service, and leadership. So, today I rise to pay tribute to Dr. Bowen HON. ROBERT E. ANDREWS Scouts must plan, organize, lead, and manage for the great achievements he has gained not OF NEW JERSEY an extensive service project. David took the only for himself, but for the people of Indiana. initiative to develop a plan for landscaping im- His service to this nation is admirable and his IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES provements at the Kiwanis Building in his legacy serves as a great example of a life Tuesday, February 26, 2008 hometown of Fountain Hills, Arizona. David well-lived. led the project to remove a large amount of f Mr. ANDREWS. Madam Speaker, I rise sand from a volleyball court in order to turn CELEBRATING THE AFRICAN- today to celebrate the life of Mr. Murlidhar the area into a park. He enthusiastically in- AMERICAN CONTRIBUTION TO Devidas Amte, affectionately known as Baba stalled a sprinkler system and laid sod in order BLACK HISTORY Amte. Over 60 years ago, Mr. Amte moved his to beautify the Kiwanis Building. Through his wife and infant children to barren, desert land work, David has showed his strong commit- with the goal of creating a community for the ment to his community and to the Boy Scouts HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL OF NEW YORK most downtrodden people in India, leprosy pa- of America, and has developed strong leader- IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES tients. Today, Anandwan is a self-sustaining ship and management skills that will serve him community of over 2,500 leprosy patients, or- well in the future. Tuesday, February 26, 2008 phans, and other social outcasts built on the David should be proud of his accomplish- Mr. RANGEL. Madam Speaker, I rise today ments. Again, I congratulate him on his belief that ‘‘work builds, and charity destroys.’’ to honor Black History Month and to enter into achievement of Eagle Scout and say thank This community builds their own homes, the record an editorial from New York you for a job well done. grows their own food, and practices recycling CaribNews for the week ending February 19, f techniques beyond those of most communities 2008, ‘‘Celebrating the African-American Con- in the world. Anandwan has a college to teach CELEBRATING THE 90TH BIRTH- tribution to Black History—the NAACP—Then self-sustaining, organic farming techniques, DAY OF GOVERNOR OTIS R. and Now.’’ The National Association for the Advance- and also schools for the deaf and blind chil- BOWEN, M.D. OF BREMEN, INDI- ANA ment of Colored People (NAACP), originally dren of the greater community. called the National Negro Committee was As a successful lawyer during the independ- founded on February 12, 1909 by Ida Wells- ence movement in India, Mr. Amte was a HON. JOE DONNELLY Barnett, W.E.B. DuBois, Henry Moscowitz, staunch believer in Gandhian philosophy and OF INDIANA Mary White Ovington, Oswald Garrison chose to change his entire life to help uplift IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Villiard, William English Walling. The 6 found- people that did not have the same luck at birth Tuesday, February 26, 2008 ers, who comprised a multi-racial group of that he was bestowed. Mr. DONNELLY. Madam Speaker, I rise Americans, renewed the struggle for civil and political liberty. We now know the organization Beyond Anandwan, Mr. Amte worked with today to express my congratulations to Gov- ernor Otis R. Bowen, M.D., former Governor as the NAACP. his two sons to build other communities for In the early years, the NAACP concentrated of Indiana, on the occasion of his 90th birth- tribal people still living in the jungle without on using the courts to overturn the Jim Crow day. Having served two consecutive terms as health care. He furthered his reach when he laws that permitted racial discrimination. The Governor of Indiana, Dr. Bowen’s life has chose to become an activist for not only peo- NAACP in 1913 organized opposition to Presi- been marked with great achievements in his ple, but the environment. With a degenerative dent Woodrow Wilson’s introduction of racial work on both a national and local level. spinal disease that eventually made him bed- segregation into the federal government pol- Governor Bowen was born on February ridden, he traveled to a site for a proposed icy. The NAACP devoted a significant amount 26th, 1918 near Rochester, Indiana to Vernie of energy after World War I and in the 1920s dam, the Narmada Dam Project, which would Bowen and Pearl Wright. After graduating and 1930s to publicize the lynching of blacks destroy the land and force thousands of peo- from Indiana University, he went on to earn throughout the United States and sought fed- ple from their homes. He camped out in a van his medical degree from Indiana University eral legislation against those states which re- on the site in protest of not only that dam but Medical School in 1942. During World War II, fused to prosecute. all dam projects in India. he served in the army medical corps and was Today, the NAACP continues its mission to with the first wave of allied troops in the inva- Mr. Amte has received numerous humani- ensure the political, educational, social, and sion of Okinawa in 1945. After discharge, tarian and environmental awards in his lifetime economic equality of rights of all persons and Bowen returned to Indiana where he served including The United Nations Human Rights to eliminate racial hatred and racial discrimina- as county coroner before his election to the Prize (1988), The Templeton Prize (1990), tion. House of Representatives in 1956. He be- The Gandhi Peace Prize (1999), Dr. (From the CaribNews, Feb. 19, 2008) Ambedkar International Award for Social came minority leader in 1965 and served as Speaker of the House through 4 legislative CELEBRATING THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN CON- Change (1999), and countless others. TRIBUTION TO BLACK HISTORY—NAACP— sessions. THEN AND NOW Baba Amte left this world on February 8, In 1972, Dr. Bowen was elected Governor 2008, but his spirit will always live on through The NAACP was founded as the National of Indiana. That year, a constitutional amend- Negro Committee on February 12, 1909, by a the thousands of lives he helped. I want to ment was ratified allowing governors to serve multi-racial group of political activists in- thank Baba Amte for all he has done for the consecutive, 4-year terms, and in 1976 he be- cluding W.E.B. DuBois, Ida B. Wells, Henry people of Anandwan and the world. came the first governor to succeed himself. Moscowitz, Mary White Ovington, Oswald VerDate Aug 31 2005 05:08 Feb 27, 2008 Jkt 069060 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 0626 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A26FE8.031 E26FEPT1 wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with REMARKS E246 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks February 26, 2008 Garrison Villiard, and William English all about. Lois has been a tremendous exam- H. Res. 930, Rollcall No. 70: Supporting the Walling. DuBois edited the association’s ple for her community, and I commend her on- goals and ideals of ‘‘Career and Technical magazine, The Crisis, which reached more going commitment to helping others. Education Month.’’ Had I been here, I would than 30,000 people. One often overlooked as- I know that my colleagues in the United pect of the NAACP’s history is that the Jew- have voted ‘‘yes.’’ States Congress join me in commending Lois ish community contributed hugely to the H. Res. 944, Rollcall No. 71: Honoring the Aukland for her leadership and service to NAACP’s founding and continued financing. service and accomplishments of Lieutenant Humboldt, Iowa. I consider it an honor to rep- In 1914, Professor Emeritus Joel Spingarn General Russel L.