CONGRESSIONAL RECORD— Extensions of Remarks E1611 HON
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September 21, 2012 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E1611 to the reason why we were homeless. She ized for a month. She lost her job and we lost RECOGNIZING DR. TRACY VALLIER raised my sister and I as a single mother and our apartment. For a whole month I lived with had to work all the time while my sister baby friends; Friends who I was able to create HON. TOM McCLINTOCK sat me. bonds with because we were stable. After that OF CALIFORNIA We lived in Colorado for the first five years month, we had to move back into the shelter. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES of my life, but I was born in San Antonio, My mother was told that she wouldn’t be able Friday, September 21, 2012 Texas. My mother and I, along with my older to work ever again. This news threw my moth- sister moved to San Antonio because it’s er into a depression because she knew that Mr. MCCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today where the rest of our family was. It wasn’t she could no longer support herself, much in recognition of Dr. Tracy Vallier. Dr. Vallier’s career as a Professor of Geol- even my mom’s idea to go to Colorado in the less her daughter. The shelter, once again, ogy at Indiana State University, Whitman Col- first place so the first chance we got to come helped us move into an apartment complex lege, Lewis-Clark State College, and Iowa back, we took. Growing up in San Antonio that wanted only a fraction of our total income, State University; as well as his experience was quite difficult. As soon as we arrived, my and helped us with transportation. Luckily, my mother asked a family member for a place to with Scripps Institute of Oceanography, Moss father had begun paying child support a few Landing Marine Laboratories and the US Geo- stay. She needed time to find a job for herself years earlier so we had an income. We lived and an elementary school for me. My sister logical Survey are all worthy of note. He has there for two and a half years, until I grad- doubtlessly passed his passion and hard- was old enough by this time to get her own uated from Thomas Jefferson High School, earned knowledge on to innumerable students job and begin living her own life, so that’s ex- ranked number 7 of my class. and colleagues. actly what she did. Eventually, the family of That summer, I left to attend Texas State Dr. Vallier has spent the last 50 years work- the family member we were staying with University. Moving from school to school made ing to explore, document and teach the geog- began to grow and my mother knew it was me slower than the other students because of raphy and geology of the Hells Canyon. The time to give them their own space back. We all the different teaching techniques I’d been canyon, which follows the route of the Snake felt somewhat intrusive, as we did for most of exposed to; some teachers even thought I River through Idaho and Oregon, is the deep- the others we stayed with. The people we was dyslexic. However, I made it all the way. est gorge in North America: at 7,993 feet stayed with usually already had their own fam- I plan to go so much further, too, because I’m deep, it dwarfs the Grand Canyon by nearly ily, but still had the heart to offer a whole room tired of being homeless. ‘‘Education is power’’ 2,000 feet. Hells Canyon is a breathtaking, to my mother and I. is my motto. Look at me now: ‘‘Only after two nearly-inaccessible American treasure that has My mother was great with keeping me in semesters of college, I’m influencing the deci- been over 300 million years in the making, school, but not so great at staying put in one sions of congressmen!’’ during which numerous geological processes place, or keeping a job. This sounds really ranging from volcanic uprisings, to the slow negative, but the reasons will explain why she A TRIBUTE TO PETTY OFFICER carving of the Snake River to cataclysmic gla- couldn’t keep a job. My mother found out that GREGORY GAYLOR cial floods have provided a landscape filled she was a diabetic when I was in the second with some of the most complex and inter- grade. The next school year, we found out HON. DAVE CAMP twined geology in North America. that I was also diabetic. She fell ill quite a bit, Dr. Vallier has dedicated the last half-cen- OF MICHIGAN and so did I. We were both new to this dis- tury to understanding this geologic master- ease, so we didn’t quite know how to control IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES piece. His colleagues tell us that he has prob- it like we do now. Most minimum wage jobs Friday, September 21, 2012 ably explored more geography of Hells Can- expect a doctors excuse if a day is missed. yon than any person alive. In his 50 years For my mother, that was difficult. She never Mr. CAMP. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay working in the Canyon, Dr. Vallier has led to learned how to drive, so we stuck to public tribute to Petty Officer Gregory Gaylor, an Ex- an understanding of not only the geologic his- transportation, but for a woman who is ill, pub- plosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Technician tory of the Canyon, but also of the regional lic transportation is just not safe. I remember with the United States Navy. Petty Officer tectonics of the Pacific Northwest. He has feeling so helpless knowing that my mother, Gaylor is being honored by the Navy at the shared this knowledge of the Canyon’s history, the woman who’d kept me healthy and up to USO annual gala this November as the 2012 native sites, flora and fauna, and ecology to date with shots and other records was sick USO Sailor of the Year. He is being recog- colleagues, students, and almost everyone he and I could do nothing. By the fifth grade, I’d nized for the steadfast determination and un- has met. Dr. Vallier is a born teacher and his been to seven elementary schools, and my wavering courage he displayed in saving the love and knowledge of the Canyon is passed mother had worked a handful of jobs. The last lives of his fellow soldiers and furthering the on to students and strangers alike. person we stayed with lived in the courts. U.S. mission in Afghanistan. John Wesley Powell, who is best known for They got evicted because we weren’t on their Perhaps the most notable aspect of Petty his pioneering study of the Grand Canyon, lease. We got someone kicked out of the Officer Gaylor’s service came when he said about his explorations: ‘‘We have an un- courts. After that event, my mother felt so low expertly led a three man EOD team during known distance yet to run, an unknown river and so bad about what we’d done. After that, combat operations in Afghanistan from De- to explore. What falls there are, we know not; she decided that it would be best if we were cember 2011 to June 2012, in which he was what rocks beset the channel, we know not; on our own instead of hurting others. responsible for locating and dismantling Impro- what walls ride over the river, we know not. We moved into the Dwyer Avenue Shelter vised Explosive Devices (IEDs), among other Ah, well! We may conjecture many things.’’ and I feel that was the best decision my moth- objectives. In April of 2012, Gaylor and his Without Powell, indeed we would have been er made. The shelter provided so much infor- team were fired upon by four separate ma- left for a long time with only conjecture as our mation about the services that were available chine gun positions, but with little regard for guide to the Grand Canyon. to us. They even offered my mom a job as re- his own safety he managed to clear a nearby In the same way Mr. Speaker, without Dr. ceptionist in the front office of the shelter. compound of explosive hazards and help Tracy Vallier, we would remain in the dark They helped us get in contact with Transpor- transport those wounded from the line of fire. about the wonders of Hells Canyon. As Dr. tation Services who provided school busses Overall, he located and destroyed four IEDs, Vallier continues his work in the Canyon for me to attend which ever school I was last faced six direct fire engagements, and trained today, it is my privilege to rise in recognition attending. Unfortunately, I had just moved up over 300 Afghan Commandos in Counter-IED of his many achievements and contributions to to junior high school so I attended yet another tactics and basic demolition techniques, which our nation. school, but I still felt more stable than I had aided in the autonomy of Afghan security f before. The Shelter case workers helped all of forces. COLORADO BIOBUSINESS the families who lived in the shelter find an The courageous and selfless actions of ACCELERATOR apartment complex in a really nice part of Petty Officer Gaylor are truly commendable town at an extremely discounted price. After and indicative of the skill, professionalism and HON. ED PERLMUTTER the lease was up, my mother had worked fortitude of the men and women of the United OF COLORADO enough as a receptionist that we could now States Navy.