30118 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS October 9, 1986 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS the various commemorations of the 200th Bell companies serving Illinois, Indiana anniversary of the U.S. Congress, and to FILM TO DOCUMENT THE 200 Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin, and our sev: give a clearer understanding of the national eral other companies at a place where so YEARS OF THE U.S. CONGRESS legislature, the first branch of government much American history has been made, and that was established by the framers of the to announce the manner in which Ameri­ HON.UNDY(MRS.HALE)BOGGS Constitution. tech will honor the bicentennial of the Con­ OF LOUISIANA The U.S. Congress is rich in history and in gress of the United States. tradition. Through this project sponsored IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES The Ameritech Foundation will provide a by Ameritech, millions of Americans and $750,000 grant to WETA-TV to produce a Wednesday, October 8, 1986 others throughout the world will be able to documentary film on the history of Con­ share in the experience of our history and Mrs. BOGGS. Mr. Speaker, on September gress. The film will air over the Public our traditions. We are very grateful to the Broadcasting System in March of 1989. We 11, 1986 the first major bicentennial project to employees, management, and stockholders commemorate the 200th anniversary of the hope on March 4, the day marking the of Ameritech for making this project possi­ 200th anniversary of the first seating of U.S. Congress was announced. The project, a ble. Congress. grant by the Ameritech Corp., will fund the It's with a great deal of pleasure that I But equally important, we think, is the production of a documentary film on the Con­ present to you, my colleague, the Minority value the film will have for secondary uses gress as well as the publication of a compan­ Leader of the House of Representatives who in school systems. In addition, the project is a valued member of the House Bicente­ ion volume. The film will be produced by the nary Commission, Bob Michel will in tum, calls for the publication of an illustrated noted producer, Ken Burns of Florentine companion book that we think will be an introduce Mr. Weiss and other officials of impressive collector's item. Films, in cooperation with WET A television. Ameritech, whom we salute today for this Senators THURMOND and DOLE participated One of the primary objectives of the major contribution to the bicentennial cele­ Ameritech Foundation's philanthropic ac­ in the projects announcement, as did Repre­ bration of the Congress of the United tivities has been to make people more aware sentatives WRIGHT and MICHEL. Other partici­ States. The gentleman from Illinois, Mr. Michel. of the impact of public policy on our lives. pants included William Weiss, chairman of How public policy is shaped and how we in Ameritech, and Ward Chamberlain, president Mr. MICHEL. Thank you very much, Lindy Boggs and Senator Thurmond and Senator the private sector as private citizens or as of WETA-TV. Dole, and I know my colleague, Jim Wright representatives of a business enterprise can The proceedings of that announcement certainly wants to be here, currently held become involved in the public policy debate. follow: up on the debate on the drug bill over in the To encourage greater awareness, civic Mr. THuRMoND. Senator Dole, the distin­ House of Representatives. But I'm extreme­ awareness in this country, we think it is guished and able majority leader of the ly pleased to be here to join my colleagues hard to find a more appropriate starting Senate, Congressman Michel, the able and and Ameritech in unveiling the plans for point than the topic of Congress. Clearly, distinguished minority leader of the House, the documentary of the 200th anniversary no other group has had more influence on and other distinguished colleagues from the of the Congress. public policy. Its many contributions should House and Senate, members of the press, Ameritech happens to be an Illinois corpo­ be understood and appreciated by all Ameri­ and ladies and gentlemen. rate entity, and so we're particularly proud cans. It is a pleasure for me to be here today to that they have come forward to support this And the best way to understand any insti­ participate in a very important announce­ extremely worthwhile endeavor. tution is to examine its heritage. ment relating to the Bicentennial of the As for my part, this is my 30th year in the In the case of Congress, that heritage is Congress. I am privileged to say that as House of Representatives. Practically all my rich indeed, and worthy of being expressed Chairman of the Commission, established to adult life has been spend in this institution, by a chronicler for international statute coordinate the celebration of the bicenten­ so I have a real great respect for it and what I'm proud to announce that the individual nial of the Senate. this anniversary means to all the American who will produce and direct the film more The product that is to be unveiled today is people. than fits this description. He is the award­ exactly the kind that is needed to make the Unfortunately, my only regret is that I winning documentary producer, Ken Burns bicentennial of the House and Senate a re­ have the dubious distinction now with Con­ who is best known for film documentarie~ sounding success. gressman Broomfield of Michigan, of, with­ on subjects such as the Statue of Liberty, I believe it is very exciting to see private out announcing any plans to retire or leave Huey Long, and the Shakers. enterprise, in this case, the fine Ameritech this body, that already at this juncture, we In these works, Ken has demonstrated a Corporation, recognizing the importance of hold the record for consecutive years as deep reverence for the past and an un­ this bicentennial and stepping forward to members of the minority party, and unfor­ matched ability to bring history to life. provide generous funding for a major tunately, throughout the history of our As the premier supplier of telecommunica­ project. country. That's a dubious distinction to tion services, Ameritech wants to be associ­ I look forward to learning more about the have. ated with the highest standards of excel­ details of the project. I now want to yield to But nevertheless, it is a wonderful experi­ lence. Given the choice of Ken and his my charming and distinguished friend, the ence to be serving in this body. team, and the outstanding capabilities of Chairman of the House Bicentennial Com­ Ameritech should be lauded certainly for Ward Chamberlin and WETA, we know our mission, Representative Lindy Boggs. its full-fledged support for such an ambi­ standards will be met. Mrs. BOGGS. Thank you very much, Sena­ tious undertaking. Attempting to capture Once again, on behalf of the Ameritech tor Thurmond. I welcome you as the Chair­ 200 years of the Congress' impact on history family of companies, let me express our man of the House Bicentenary Commission as well as the personalities, and related pride in underwriting this very deserving and as a member of the U.S. Commission on anecdotes will certainly be a great chal­ project. We're confident that it will be a the Bicentennial of the Constitution. lenge, even to Ken Burns and WETA. major contribution to the Congressional bi­ I'm very proud to be here with you today It's a distinct pleasure then for me at this centennial celebration, and one of the high­ on an occasion that I think is very impor­ juncture in these proceedings to introduce lights of the PBS schedule in 1989. tant for both the Senate and the House of to you the Chairman and Chief Executive We also believe it will serve as an impor­ Representatives. What we are announcing Officer of Ameritech, Mr. Bill Weiss. [Ap­ tant educational resource for years to come today is the first major effort for the cele­ plause.] and that's very important to us. ' bration of the 200th anniversary of the Mr. WEISS. Thank you very much, Repre­ Now it is my pleasure to introduce Ward United States Congress that is funded by sentative Michel. Chamberlin, President of WETA, who will the private sector. This is an exciting day for us. And I must discuss the station's role in bringing this The House and the Senate Bicentenary tell you that I am very proud to represent project to fruition. Ward? [Applause.] Commissions were established to celebrate the American family of companies, the five Mr. CHAMBERLIN. Thank you Bill. e This "bullet" symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. Matter set in this typeface indicates words inserted or appended, rather than spoken, by a Member of the House on the floor. October 9, 1986 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS 30119 Distinguished members of the Senate and And I know that 1989 seems like a long fectly, but continuously, and surely better House, Bill Weiss. This is a happy occasion. way off, but I would guess, that as anyone than any other system, for 200 years. I was We think that public television stands for would say then and would say now, one startled, some few years back, when the quality programs on television and we know thing that is certain to remain constant is prime minister of Ireland, addressing our that Ameritech stands for quality products the critical role that Congress plays in the Congress, said that he brought greetings for this country.