John Shimkus

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize Tatum David, a freshman student from Olney High School, who won the Illinois Class 2A state cross country race on November 9. Tatum covered the three-mile course in 16 minutes and four seconds. Her blazingly fast first mile of 5:03 subdued the field as she established a sizeable lead. She ran the next two miles in 5:26 and 5:35, respectively, winning the crown in convincing fashion. The fast first mile reflected the way Tatum has run all season--go out fast, take a big lead, exhaust the field, and win. It makes for a very fast pace overall, and Tatum' s time set a Class 2A record. What might be even more remarkable is how new Tatum is to the sport. A freshman with still untapped potential, she also placed fourth at the Nike Midwest Regional race on November 16, running against 298 other athletes. Her next event will be on November 29 at the Foot Locker Cross Country Midwest Regional. Madam Speaker, it is with great pleasure I stand to recognize Tatum David for her success, and I would like to extend my best wishes to her for a bright future.

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to include in the Record Section B of the fourth and final installment of an article by Keith J. Hamel honoring the 150th Anniversary of the West Point Association of Graduates: 2009-15: The For Us All Campaign Breaks Records ``In the summer of 2008, the Association and the Academy began to consider a new comprehensive campaign for West Point. The campaign, called For Us All: The Campaign for West Point, officially launched in January 2009. By the time the campaign ended on December 31, 2015, more than $420 million had been either pledged or received, well exceeding the original $350 million campaign goal. During the For Us All Campaign, WPAOG continued to achieve new levels of support for the Academy and the Long Gray Line. The average of total annual donations to West Point/WPAOG rose to $40.7 million per year, more than 40 percent higher than the average annual donations during the Bicentennial Campaign. More impressively, 58 percent of living alumni made one or more donations. Approximately 50,000 graduates, families, and friends of West Point participated in the For Us All Campaign. The priorities for the For Us All Campaign were divided into five areas. With a goal of $200 million, the largest category was designated as ``For the Cadets'' and sought gifts to fund scholarships (from research through Academic Individual Advanced Development or AIAD opportunities), endowments (in support of academic departments, cadet clubs and teams), and Academy Centers (e.g., the Combating Terrorism Center and the Center for Oral History). Individuals and classes also committed gifts to numerous brick and mortar projects, including the Frederic V. Malek West Point Visitors Center, the Foley Enners Nathe Lacrosse Center, the West Point Cemetery Columbarium, and more. But, as George Gilmore '71, one of the members of the For Us All Campaign Cabinet said in 2013, ``We will see the effects of this campaign not in new buildings or new playing fields but rather in how well prepared our junior officers arrive in the Army.'' Indeed, in a world of increasing threats to the nation's security, economic stability, and fundamental values, producing leaders of character became more important than ever, and the For Us All Campaign, above all, was focused on ensuring that the Academy had the resources available to fully prepare the next generation of leaders for the Army and the nation. Since the For Us All Campaign concluded in 2015, WPAOG has continued to build on gains achieved, increasing donations to an average of $49 million annually and raising graduate participation to all-time highs, driven by innovative initiatives such as the All-Academy Challenge. During this period, WPAOG has also won the highest awards of recognition for management practices and transparency from Charity Navigator (four stars) and GuideStar (Platinum Seal of Transparency), and the Development team has earned ``Overall Performance'' and ``Sustained Excellence'' (a five-year award won by only 16 colleges) in fundraising awards from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), a 3,700-member global professional association focused on advancing education. Further Expanding WPAOG Services WPAOG continued to expand its Alumni Support activities and services into the new millennium as well. Today, WPAOG provides services to 82 classes, 141 West Point societies worldwide, and to more than 53,000 individual graduates. Since launching in 2011, WPAOG's comprehensive reunion services have also proved popular with graduates: in 2019, WPAOG hosted 29 class reunions for more than 14,700 returning graduates and their guests. The WPAOG Gift Shop has steadily expanded its unique product line and services to reunion classes, graduates, cadets and their families, exceeding $1 million in annual sales for the first time in 2005, and recently achieving $2 million in sales. Profits from the Gift Shop support our alumni services. In September 2006, AOG premiered a new award initiative to engage cadets with the presentation of the inaugural Nininger Award for Valor at Arms to Major Ryan L. Worthan '97. Conceived by E. Doug Kenna '45 and funded in perpetuity by Kenna and his wife Jean, the award is named after First Lieutenant Alexander ``Sandy'' Nininger '41, who was killed in action in the Philippines during World War II and posthumously received the Medal of Honor (the first American army soldier to be so honored in the war). It is given to a recent graduate who has displayed heroic action in battle. Like AOG's Distinguished Graduate Award, the Nininger is an award for which the recipient is meant to be representative of a larger body; in this case, of ``all West Point-commissioned officers who have heroically led Soldiers in combat.'' However, unlike the DGA, which has been historically presented to senior members of the Long Gray Line, the recipient of the Nininger Award must be ``a decorated and relatively recent graduate on Active Duty,'' according to the award's criteria. ``Age is what makes the Nininger Award special,'' said Captain Anthony Fuscellaro '05, the 2013 recipient. ``Cadets have an easier time connecting with the Nininger Award winners because they could be in their boots soon and see a lot of the same things they have seen.'' There have been four board chairmen, Ted Stroup '62, Jodie Glore '69, Larry Jordan '68 and the current chair, Joe DeFrancisco '65, since the new governance model was adopted in 2006. These dedicated alumni servants, along with the WPAOG Board, have provided WPAOG with strong leadership and oversight that has allowed for a consistent upward trajectory in its service to both West Point and the Long Gray Line. Other major initiatives introduced by WPAOG in the last decade include the Dettre Memorial Assistance Program, started in 2008 upon a donation from Mrs. Betty Dettre in honor of her late husband, Major General Rexford H. Dettre '43JAN, which supports graduate burials at West Point cemetery; comprehensive reunion support services as previously mentioned, which debuted in 2011; and the Rockbound Highland Home Program, which launched in 2017 and offers personal benefits through its ``Grad Pass,'' ``Grad Perks,'' and ``Grad Insider Tour'' options so that each graduate who returns to West Point feels warmly welcomed back. A year later, the Rockbound Highland Home Program won two CASE ``Gold'' Awards in the categories of ``Alumni Relations'' and ``Alumni Relations Events and Affinity Programs.'' Just recently, WPAOG has unveiled a new, enhanced Career Services Program, which is designed to equip all West Point graduates with the confidence to successfully navigate each phase of their post-military career transition; Grad Link, a mobile app which expands upon the popular ``Find a Grad'' feature on WPAOG's website to offer the easiest and most powerful way to network with fellow grads; and Sallyport, a secure online portal that provides West Point Societies with three primary services; membership management, communications, and event management. Preparing for the Future Over the course of its 150-year existence, the Association of Graduates of the United States Military Academy has evolved into a truly one of a kind organization, one that is simultaneously an independent alumni association serving graduates with services and programs, and also a foundation that solicits and manages funds on behalf of the institution it supports. At many universities, alumni support is a subset of a that school's development operation and staffed by employees of the school. A few are independent organizations with their own board of directors, but they neither solicit nor manage money for their alma mater. The delicate balance between the foundation side of AOG and its alumni support operations had been an issue of great concern for Robert Lamb '46, Secretary-Treasurer for AOG (1970-72) and then its first Executive Vice President (1972- 90) in his 1990 essay ``Two Decades of Change,'' but after reviewing the last two-plus decades of AOG history it is clear that the fundraising-fraternal fellowship duality of WPAOG's evolved nature has proved symbiotic: the more that bonds between members of the Long Gray Line are strengthened by WPAOG, the more graduates support their alma mater; and the more generously graduates give of their time, talent, and treasure, the more services WPAOG is able to offer to help make the Long Gray Line the most highly connected alumni body in the world. With its new expansion of Alumni Support and communications to keep graduates connected and engaged, today's WPAOG stands poised to lead support for both graduates and West Point well into the 21st century. Or, going back to Anderson's original principles when he proposed the idea of an Association of Graduates in 1869 in his letter to Thayer: ``to perfect and perpetuate this truly national institution'' and ``for the promotion of social and fraternal intercourse,'' later resolved in the Association's preliminary meeting in which he participated.''

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Madam Speaker, I rise before you today to recognize Wendell ``Skip'' Brownfield for his heroic service in the United States Army during the Vietnam War. On February 5, 1970, Skip and nine others set out to a location where increased enemy activity had been noticed. In route, Skip's unit triggered a booby trap, detonating a large explosive. The explosion was followed by heavy enemy fire. During the attack, two members of Skip's unit were injured. Despite the enemy fire, Skip and a fellow soldier got the two injured men to an opening so that a helicopter could rescue them. Skip Brownfield's heroism that night was not the only time he served meritoriously in battle during the Vietnam War. For actions he took in previous engagements with enemy forces, Skip was awarded a Bronze Star with ``V'' device and Air Medal with ``V'' Device, among other decorations. Madam Speaker, I wish to send my most sincere gratitude to Mr. Brownfield for his service to our nation. Skip is a hero to us all.

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to include in the Record Section A of the fourth and final installment of an article by Keith J. Hamel honoring the 150th Anniversary of the West Point Association of Graduates: ``When the Association of Graduates of the U.S. Military Academy moved into the Herbert Alumni Center in the winter of 1995, it was primed to capitalize on its past and, in the process, make new history as well. The AOG began on May 22, 1869, when a group of graduates, upon a suggestion from Robert Anderson, Class of 1825, held its first organizational meeting in the office of Dr. Horace Webster, Class of 1818. Out of this meeting came the Association's mission: ``. . . to cherish the memories of our Alma Mater, and to promote the social intercourse and fraternal fellowship of its graduates.'' Ever since then, the AOG mission has been about serving both West Point (``Alma Mater'') and the Long Gray Line (``its graduates''). In the first stage of its history (1869-1900), covered in our Winter 2019 issue, AOG was instrumental in moving the remains of the ``Father of the Academy,'' Sylvanus Thayer, Class of 1808, to the West Point Cemetery and memorializing him with a statue. Also during this era, one of AOG's founding members, George Cullum, Class of 1833, bequeathed $250,000 to build a memorial hall at West Point and $10,000 for ``necessary expenses'' of the Association. In AOG's second stage (1901-45), outlined in our Spring 2019 issue, AOG raised money to purchase the Sanctuary Window in the newly built Cadet Chapel and introduced initiatives such as ``Alumni Day'' (first held on June 11, 1923) and ASSEMBLY magazine (which debuted in April 1942). The modern AOG (see the Summer 2019 issue) began to take shape in the late 1940s with the establishment of the West Point Alumni Foundation and the granting of tax-exempt status by the IRS. Thanks to these developments in AOG's third era (1946-95), fundraising for both the West Point Superintendent's Fund and AOG's annual appeal steadily grew, and in 1972, Major General William Knowlton '43JAN, the 49th Superintendent, removed the AOG active duty officer from the Office of Assistant to the Superintendent, freeing the Association to solicit money for the Academy and to establish new services for graduates. To meet these dual objectives, AOG created both a Directorate of Development (fundraising) and a Directorate of Alumni Affairs (fraternal fellowship) in the 1970s and 1980s, setting up the themes that dominate the present era of its 150-year history. 1997-2002: The Bicentennial Campaign In 1996, after AOG had moved into Herbert Alumni Center, Edward ``Shy'' Meyer '51, Chairman of the Association, noted that it was time for the Association to refocus its fundraising efforts. ``The bulk of money has gone into the Alumni Center and alumni type things rather than the Superintendent's projects,'' Meyer said, according to the minutes of the October 1996 Board of Trustees meeting. ``With 2002 coming up for a target, we have a responsibility as alumni to do something for the Academy in the way of a gift.'' In June 1990, AOG's Long Range Planning Committee had agreed to raise $100 million in 10 years for USMA, based on a long-range analysis of Academy needs through 2002. However, debate over whether to run an Army Athletics Center Campaign or a Cadet Leadership Opportunities Campaign in conjunction with the Academy's Bicentennial in 2002 slowed efforts to get the Bicentennial Campaign fully underway. All that changed in 1996. Now with focus provided by Meyer and the West Point Fund Committee, chaired by Jack Hammack '49, and in partnership with Lieutenant General Dan Christman '65, USMA's 55th Superintendent, AOG's fundraising moved into high gear, thanks in large part to lessons learned in the campaign to raise funds for Herbert Alumni Center. The Bicentennial Campaign kicked off with a goal to raise $150 million for West Point between 1997 and 2002. In the six years preceding the Bicentennial Campaign, the average AOG annual collection was $9.4 million, from fewer than 14,000 donors annually, but during the campaign, those numbers jumped to $28.8 million and 21,000 donors per year. But even more than raising more money and growing the donor pool, the Bicentennial Campaign provided the vehicle to aid AOG's burgeoning maturity. It made it necessary for the Association to grow and professionalize, developing new office systems where none had existed, establishing gift acceptance and donor recognition policies and procedures, and educating graduates to overcome general objections of some alumni toward fundraising. It also transformed the physical, academic, and extracurricular landscape of West Point, because the result of the campaign was not just ``something for the Academy in the way of a gift,'' but a collection of many significant and lasting gifts. ``The response to the Bicentennial Campaign was overwhelming,'' said Tom Dyer '67, who was Chairman of the West Point Fund during most of the Bicentennial Campaign, and who took over as AOG Chairman in January 2002. When the campaign closed on December 31, 2002, AOG had raised $218.6 million for West Point, nearly $70 million more than its initial goal. What's more, nearly half of all West Point graduates had given at least one gift. ``Never in our wildest dreams did we think we would finish having raised nearly $220 million!'' said Dyer, addressing the success of the Bicentennial Campaign in his Chairman's Letter in the March/ April 2003 issue of ASSEMBLY ``What a great tribute to [all graduates] and dear friends who recognized how much the `margin of excellence' enriches the cadets' experience.'' Expanding AOG Services While AOG's Development team was busy raising funds for the Bicentennial Campaign, the AOG Alumni Support team was expanding services to graduates across a broad spectrum of programs. In fact, according to one Chairman and CEO Annual Report of this era, ``the most rapidly expanding activity managed by the Association of Graduates is its Alumni Support Program.'' In November 1996, the team hosted the first AOG Minority Alumni Conference. A year prior, the Association established the Minority Outreach Committee with the mission to enhance the participation of minority members in AOG programs and activities. More than 120 graduates and friends of West Point attended the first conference, raising and discussing issues of major concern to minority graduates. A second conference was held in April 1998. Attended by 107 participants, the objective of the conference was to translate those issues identified in 1996 into action plans to achieve specific objectives related to minority cadet recruiting, the experience of minority cadets at the Academy, AOG support of minority graduates, and fundraising for minority-related projects. Another new initiative that emerged during this time was the 50-Year Affiliation Program. In 1999, the Class of 1949 asked the Superintendent if it could present second lieutenant bars, inscribed with ``49-99,'' to the graduates of the Class of 1999. The Superintendent agreed, and four members of the Class of 1949 greeted each cadet as he or she left the dais, diploma in hand, and presented the bars. Called a ``friend raising'' program by the Alumni Support team, the 50-year Affiliation Program later expanded to include a class flag presented to the yearling class as it completed summer training at Camp Buckner and a class coin presented to the cow class upon their taking the affirmation oath. Today, the 50-Year Affiliation Program features eight formal events and a handful of unofficial events at which cadets ``Grip Hands'' with those who preceded them a half- century earlier, including R-Day, A-Day, Plebe Class Crest Unveiling, Yearling CFT Class Flag Presentation, Cow Affirmation, Ring Weekend, Branch Night and Graduation. Finally, in November 2000, AOG inaugurated the Class Ring Memorial Program. Proposed by Ron Turner '58 in the May/June 1999 edition of ASSEMBLY, the ``Ring Melt,'' as it is more popularly known, has today become one of AOG's most revered traditions. As described by Turner, the program involves ``graduates bequeathing (or graduates' descendants donating) West Point class rings for the specific purpose of incorporating the gold into the class rings of future graduates.'' Demonstrating that he had a long-term ``tradition'' in mind when he proposed his idea, Turner also recommended retaining some gold shavings after each melt so that these could be placed in the following year's melt, thus ensuring each year's ``Memorial Gold ingot . . . would contain some of every ring donated.'' To date, a total of 575 rings have been donated, spanning the classes of 1896 to 1997. All graduates' rings from the classes of 2002-2020 contain this ``legacy gold'' from the Class Ring Memorial Program. New Governance, New Operations With growth in the number of services it offered and the amount of money it was raising, AOG began considering changes to its organizational structure soon after the conclusion of the Bicentennial Campaign. At the same time, legislation proposed by New York's Attorney General requiring non-profit organizations in the state to follow practices similar to the Sarbanes-Oxley corporate reforms, which Congress enacted during this period, also prompted AOG to consider changes to its governance model. Thus, in 2003, AOG formed the 2020 Governance Committee, which presented the results of its yearlong study to the Board of Trustees in January 2005. According to the Governance Committee's findings, the AOG board structure of the time was inefficient: ``too many people for effective ideas, too infrequent for full consideration, too little time for all issues, too cumbersome to act as needs demand.'' Furthermore, in the opinion of AOG's legal counsel at the time, the early 2000s governance model left its 54 Trustees exposed to potential personal liability. The Governance Committee's solution was the creation of a smaller Board of Directors (12-16 members), plus Chairman and Vice-Chairman, who would be legally and fiduciarily responsible for the Association, supported by a larger 57-member (ultimately reduced to 54-member) Advisory Council made up of a representative group of class, society, and at-large members. The Governance Committee believed that the Advisory Council would provide AOG with broad graduate representation and participation while also accessing a wide diversity of skills and experiences. They also felt that service on the Advisory Council would be excellent training for future Board of Directors members. An additional change to note, the Governance Committee concluded that role of Chief Executive Officer should not remain with the Chairman but transfer to the AOG President, the person on-site in Herbert Alumni Center, who would have authority over the day- to-day affairs of the Association and the management of its staff. After careful consideration and multiple compromises, the modernization and rewrite of AOG's Bylaws was completed and voted on in March 2005, elections were held in the fall of 2005, and, for the first time since the 1920s, a new model of AOG governance took effect on January 1, 2006 under the chairmanship of Ted Stroup '62. A year after receiving its new streamlined model of governance, AOG received a new name: the ``West Point Association of Graduates'' (WPAOG). Board of Trustee minutes show that AOG's Strategic Planning Committee had been considering the name change since 1998, as part of a larger effort to change the fundraising, marketing, and business organization efforts of the Association, but it wasn't implemented until WPAOG launched its redesigned website in September 2007. The timing of this coincided with ``AOG Strategic Plan 2010,'' which the Board considered in May 2007. One of the considerations under discussion during this meeting was branding, and the Association's new name now incorporated what many consider to be one of the world's premiere brands--West Point. The new website was the product of WPAOG's Information Systems Department (ISD), which had been established in 1996 to build and maintain AOG's hardware and software infrastructures. ISD also developed and executed the AOG Information Strategic Plan, which leveraged existing technology to enhance the ability to communicate information quickly via electronic means. In 1997, this plan led to a test program that provided classes with a notification of the death of one its members within 24 hours after confirmation by AOG. That same year, AOG purchased software that enabled it to create real-time distribution of news items and articles. This was the beginning of today's Death Notification System (DNS), which each day receives and verifies death notifications and then sends out daily updates to Class and Society leaders (on average 400 per year). Given the emphasis on improving communication with graduate members and on increasing awareness of the new WPAOG name change, it wasn't long before the Association created a specific department to address both needs. Effective communication had been a decade-long goal of AOG by 2009, and in August of that year, the Association began to seriously consider establishing an integrated communications team. One of the questions facing WPAOG at the time was what to do with ASSEMBLY magazine. Although beloved by many graduates, by 2009, less than 20 percent were subscribing to the magazine, which meant that the majority of graduates were not receiving news from their alma mater. After much discussion and deliberation, WPAOG elected to follow the model of several peer alumni associations and produce a new quarterly magazine that would be mailed out free of charge to all graduates. West Point magazine debuted in January 2011, and in February WPAOG's Publications Directorate became part of the new Department of Communications and Marketing, which was charged with mastering new communications technologies in the internet era, becoming an ongoing source of information for graduates and promoting participation in WPAOG services. At the same time, WPAOG's Finance Department continued its management of gift funds and endowments for West Point and the Long Gray Line, aided by expert advice from the Investment Committee. Today, WPAOG manages more than $380 million in endowment funds, and the Association has received the highest rankings for transparency and efficient funds management from non-profit watchdogs Guidestar (Platinum) and Charity Navigator (4 stars). In the early 2000s, AOG tried an innovative approach to building gift funded brick and mortar projects, which now encompass both new construction and renovation. WPAOG successfully managed the planning, design and construction of the Hoffman Press Box in 2002-03 and proffered the completed project as a gift to the government. The success of this approach led to it becoming the new model for gift-funded construction at West Point, and by 2019 WPAOG had completed over 170 projects, representing more than $250 million donated by members of the Long Gray Line''.

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the November 11, 2019, dedication of an Illinois State Historical Society Historical Marker for the Completion of the War Emergency Pipeline in 1943 from Longview, Texas, to Norris City, Illinois. Before the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, and entry of the United States into World War II, 95 percent of the crude oil delivered to east coast oil refineries was transported by tanker ships, with 90 percent of that from Texas oil fields. In 1942, oil tankers from the Gulf of Mexico were being sunk by German submarines at the rate of three per day. A committee appointed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt recommended an overland pipeline be built from Longview to Norris City. Work began at Longview on August 3, 1942, and a dedication ceremony at Norris City was held upon completion, February 19, 1943. Newspapers and radio stations recorded the event; the newsreels were shown prior to movies in theaters all over America. The first day, 60,000 barrels of crude oil flowed into Norris City. The first trainload left Norris City the night of the dedication with 96 oil tankers. Fifteen 80,000-barrel storage tanks and three loading racks had been built. 13,500 barrels of crude oil were received hourly on this pipeline between February 19 and September 1, 1943. The railroad hauled 124,193 tankers of oil out of Norris City. The War Emergency Pipeline put 3,500 people to work. Madam Speaker, the pipeline's impact on the war effort was tremendous, enabling the safe and timely transport of oil vital to the allies during the height of wartime service. I want to extend a warm thank you to the Enbridge-Texas Eastern Company and The Illinois State Historical Society for collaborating to ensure an important piece of this nation's history is preserved for future generations.

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize Don Guinnip, a member of my Ag Advisory Board in the 15th district of Illinois, who was recently cited by the Illinois Soybean Association High Yield PLUS Quality program for consistently producing soybeans that rank very high in livestock feed value. Don is a farmer in the Wabash River Valley near Marshall, IL., who makes a point to know the nutritional makeup of the soybeans he grows. He feels that this knowledge is essential to meeting the specific needs of the soybean industry's largest and most important customer, the livestock producer. Livestock consume more than 70 percent of the U.S. soybean crop each year. Don has submitted soybean samples for nutritional analysis for seven years. His 2018 sample of Stine Seed Company variety 38LE02 yielded a composite feed value of $347.40 per ton, putting him in the top 15 growers in Illinois for feed value. Madam Speaker, I congratulate Don Guinnip on choosing soybean varieties that best serve livestock producers, and I encourage other farmers to maximize the U.S. feed-market opportunities as well.

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the achievements ofthe Breese Mater Dei High School boys' golf team, which recently brought home the Illinois Class 1A state championship. It was a very closely contested tournament October 19 to 20 at Prairie Vista Golf Course in Bloomington. At the end of the first round, the Mater Dei Knights found themselves trailing Carmi-White County's 320 score at the top ofthe leaderboard by a single stroke, with Belleville Althoff Catholic one shot behind them in third place. In the second--and final--round, Mater Dei and Althoff both shot 322, while Carmi-White County carded a 347 total to fall out of contention. The Knights' 643 gave them a one-stroke victory over their rivals from Althoff and the school's second state golf title. Long-time Coach Dennis Trame also led Mater Dei to the Class A championship in 1993. My hearty congratulations go to Coach Trame and team members Carter Goebel, Grant Goebel, Nathan Rivera, Ian Berndsen, Blake Kloeckner, and Tanner Gerdes, as well as to Athletic Director Ron Schadegg and Principal Dennis Litteken. Madam Speaker, these student-athletes have represented themselves, their school, and their community in the best tradition of high school athletics. I wish them all continued success.

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize Dr. Matthew C. Winkleman of Harrisburg, Illinois for having been honored with the Distinguished Service Award by the Illinois Academy of Family Physicians. Dr. Winkelman received this prestigious award because of his long- standing dedication to providing outstanding primary care. Dr. Winkleman's focus on expanding access to health care to Southern Illinois over the past decades has ensured that quality care has always been available to those in need. Established by Dr. Winkleman, the Primary Care Group of Harrisburg, which has since evolved to become SIH Medical Primary Care Group Harrisburg, is among his many initiatives designed to ensure high-quality primary care. Especially important to this goal has been the successful recruitment of other dedicated physicians to the clinic. Dr. Winkleman's focus on primary care has led him to host medical students from Southern Illinois University School of Medicine to expose them to the need and opportunity which family medicine offers. Several students have followed Dr. Winkleman's example and themselves gone into rural family medicine. Madam Speaker, it is with great pleasure I stand to recognize Dr. Winkleman for his leadership in health care in Southern Illinois. His dedication to this cause has benefited thousands, and I am pleased that he has been selected by the Illinois Academy of Family Physicians to receive their 2019 Distinguished Service Award.

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Madam Speaker, I rise to commemorate and recognize the 150th Anniversary of the first college football game and the importance of college football to our country. That first game, played on November 6, 1869, featured Rutgers College (now Rutgers University) defeating the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University) by a score of 6-4. Since then, more than five million Americans have participated in college football, a game that is now woven into the very fabric of our country. American Football has become the most popular sport in our great nation, and without the developmental landscape provided by the college competitive format, that would never have been possible. Thanks to the influence of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt, the college game instituted the single most influential rule change in the history of American Football: the introduction of the forward pass. Notre Dame players Gus Dorais and Knute Rockne perfected the forward pass from a gimmick into a unique and defining feature of the game. On November 1, 1913, in a game against Army, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish unleashed one of the first sophisticated passing attacks to win in an upset by a score of 35-13. Later, in 1914, legendary University of Illinois Head Coach Robert Zuppke used an early version of the ``T formation'', which became the blueprint for modem college and professional football offenses. Since then, college football has grown in scope and spectacle over the years. It has served as a proving ground for innovation in the game and on the field, and has produced U.S. Presidents, Rhodes Scholars, actors, chief executives of businesses, entrepreneurs, academics, and elected officials off the field. Watching or playing college football allows us--even if just for the span of a few short hours--to put our differences aside and celebrate a game that in many ways embodies the spirit of what makes us great as a country. As Americans we believe in having the will to succeed; we believe in teamwork; we value grit and determination; we embrace our individual roles as we work to advance an idea, concept, or organization bigger than ourselves. College football has drawn participants from every corner of America, and we see the diversity of our nation in the faces of the players and coaches on the field every Saturday. Madam Speaker, I would like to congratulate the schools, teams, coaches, players, and fans who participate in college football on the celebration of this incredible milestone. I hope that the next 150 years of college football bring all of us just as much passion, joy, and fulfillment as the last 150 years have.

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the achievements of the Mater Dei Knights golf team, which recently brought home the Illinois Class 1A State Golf Championship. It was a very tense tournament. At the end of the first round the Knights found themselves tied for first with the Althoff Crusaders. However, with a great deal of grit and determination the Knights eventually pulled out a hard-fought one stroke victory over rival Althoff to claim the state title. My hearty congratulations go to team members Grant Goebel, Carter Goebel, Nathan Rivera, Blake Kloeckner, Ian Benderson, Tanner Gerdes, head coach Dennis Trame, athletic director Ron Schadegg, and school principal Dennis Litteken. Madam Speaker, these student-athletes and their coaches have represented themselves, their school, and their community in the best tradition of high school athletics. I am pleased to join with the other Members of this House in congratulating them on their victory and wishing them all the best in their future academic and athletic careers.

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Command Sergeant Major Wayne T. Brewster, on his retirement from the United States Army Reserve, after more than 34 years of faithful service to our nation. Command Sergeant Major Brewster was born in Odin, IL and graduated from Sterling High School in Sterling, IL in 1983. In 1985, Command Sergeant Major Brewster completed Basic Combat Training and Advanced Individual Training as an Infantry Soldier at Fort Benning, GA. During his 34 years of service, Command Sergeant Major Brewster would serve with gallantry at every command level, finishing his service as the Command Sergeant Major for Army Reserve Medical Command in Pinellas Park, FL. In his civilian capacity, Command Sergeant Major Brewster is a Firefighter and Engineer for Poudre Fire Authority and has been in the fire service since 1993. Madam Speaker, I thank Command Sergeant Major Brewster for his 34 years of dedicated service, and wish him well as he starts this next chapter in his life.

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, it is great to come down here today and talk on this issue. I have been a little bit outspoken since the decision was made by the executive branch, so it is great to see the legislative branch take a stand and talk about what this policy decision has made. And I am good friends with Chairman McCaul and, of course, Eliot Engel who is the chairman of the committee. As someone who served for many years in the military, and I am very involved with the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and our alliances-- alliances and values are important. Walking away from friends is the sad indication of policy that we don't want to support, we don't want to condone. Yes, we want America to be great, but we are also great because of our friends and our allies. Coalitions are not bad. Coalitions strengthen our public policy around the world. And our relationship with the Kurds goes way back to the first Gulf war and the protection of the northern Iraqi Kurdish area protecting the air space. Talk to people in uniform who have been protected by Kurdish fighters throughout these 20 years of involvement in Syria. We give them our word that we will be with them. I liken it to being in a foxhole with someone from another country, and the attack is coming. You don't get out of the foxhole and go to the rear and leave your ally in the foxhole to defend themselves. We see what is going on. I think this could have been predicted. It is unfortunate. I don't know how we get the genie back in the bottle, but I am glad we are getting a chance to make a statement from Article I of the Constitution to the legislative branch that we think this policy has been wrong and failed and we do it in a strong bipartisan matter. So I thank both of you for bringing this, and I look forward to voting ``yes'' on it.

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Madam Speaker, I rise to acknowledge the St. Peter Lutheran Church for 150 years of unfaltering service to its community. The church began in 1869 with a congregation of 26; the growing number of attendees quickly surpassed the capacity of the small church, and a new building was constructed across the street. In 1894, a community formed around the church, which became known as the town of Saint Peter. In 1971 a parochial school was added to the church grounds which still operates today. To celebrate this historic occasion, the church will be holding honorary services dedicated to the anniversary on Sunday, November 10, 2019, at 9 AM. Immediately after the service there will be a presentation of the church's history, featuring memorabilia collected throughout the last 150 years. I extend my well wishes to Reverend Ryan Meyer, the congregation, and the church anniversary committee as they celebrate this exciting event. Madam Speaker, I would like to congratulate the St. Peter Lutheran Church and their entire congregation for their service and commitment to their community and to their faith throughout the past 150 years. I look forward to seeing the Saint Peter Lutheran Church continue to prosper.

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Madam Speaker, I rise to include in the Record section B of the third installment of an article by Keith J. Hamel honoring the 150th Anniversary of the West Point Association of Graduates: WPAF Dissolved AOG celebrated its centennial in 1969, although there is no mention of the Association recognizing its 100th year of existence in any AOG publication that year (it wasn't even brought up at the annual meeting!). In the first year of the Association's second century, two events occurred that significantly changed the direction of AOG: First, Paul Thompson '29 was elected President; second, Major General William Knowlton '43JAN took over as Superintendent from Major General Samuel Koster '42. Thompson and Knowlton, as it turned out, were made for each other, as each was interested in reorganizing and reforming the work of AOG. Weeks before his departure, Koster had announced plans to raise $10 million through WPAF in order to endow cadet activities, calling the plan the ``$10 Million Cadet Activities Endowment.'' Ambitious (since, from its inception in 1961, the West Point Fund had raised just $1.02 million), Koster's plan reportedly resulted in a 369-percent increase in contributions over FY1969, but Knowlton suspended it in the spring of 1970 fearing ``that there may be some duplication of our fund-raising efforts'' and announcing that ``a study is being made to sort out our alumni-related fund-raising efforts.'' A year later, in the 1971 Annual Report of the Superintendent, Knowlton declared, ``Pending at present is a reorganization and consolidation of the West Point Alumni Foundation and the Association of Graduates.'' To hasten this shakeup, Knowlton had earlier introduced plans to remove the active duty officer from the Office of Assistant to the Superintendent (Gifts Program) who had been working for AOG, and thus limiting the Association's ability to solicit funds for USMA, and to establish the Alumni Affairs and Gifts Program Division, a precursor to today's Directorate of Academy Advancement. While Knowlton forced the merger between AOG and WPAF, it was up to Thompson to seal the deal. As noted in Lamb's report, the leadership at WPAF feared that funds raised would be directed to AOG ``and that USMA at most would get crumbs.'' At a fall 1970 meeting, Thompson convinced George Olmsted and Cortlandt Schuyler, both Class of 1922 and key WPAF Board members, that this would not be the case. Just a few years earlier, Schuyler had served as AOG President, and his views were valued by Board members of both organizations. Schuyler agreed to work with Thompson on the details of the reorganization, and the following fall they presented these details to the WPAF Board of Managers, who ultimately ``decided that it would be in USMA's best interests to transfer its fundraising and publishing responsibilities and all its assets to AOG.'' On February 8, 1972, AOG and WPAF signed two memorandums of agreement (one for fundraising and one for publishing) to that effect. To that point in time, WPAF had raised $1.8 million for the Academy. It continued its existence as a backup to AOG from 1972 to 1987, receiving more than $1,450,000 in gifts and bequests, all of which were transferred to AOG before the Foundation finally voted itself out of business on March 21, 1988. Seeds of ``WPAOG'' Sown Stepping back a bit, one more significant event occurred closely after AOG's centennial, but it's unclear whether it had a direct impact on Thompson and Knowlton's vision to reorganize the Association. In 1972, AOG received a $1.5 bequest gift from the estate of Leah and Clement Trott, Class of 1899. According to Lamb's report, ``The Trott gift gave the AOG the financial flexibility and capability to expand program and activity support of the Academy, as the Cullum gift had provided graduates their administrative center and `alumni house' at West Point.'' Lamb would certainly know: Even though AOG was losing its active duty officer in the Superintendent's office, who did a tremendous amount of work for the Association, the Trott gift allowed AOG to now hire and pay a full-time Executive Vice President, and the person the Association hired was Robert Lamb. He retired from his position as Alumni Secretary on the Superintendent's staff on August 31, 1972 and the next day reported to AOG in his new role, which he labels in his report as ``managing director.'' The Trott gift also allowed AOG to hire Stephen O. Fuqua '33 as Director of Development, Michael Krisman '39 as Director of Publications, and a handful more staff personnel for its offices on the lower floors of Cullum Hall. The early 1970s were an exciting time for the Association. Its membership among graduates was hovering around 97 percent, it completed a record annual appeal in 1970 ($61,996), and in 1972 AOG's Endowment Fund exceeded the $3 million mark, providing more than $100,000 in interest and dividend income to annually fund the Association's operating expenses (in recognition of its surplus, AOG presented a gift of $25,000 to the Academy). ``By the summer of 1973, the basic elements of the reorganization of the Academy's alumni affairs were in place,'' noted Lamb in his report. Despite these positives, there were still challenges for the reorganized AOG, none bigger than trying to convince more and more graduates to support the Academy with a donation. Most of these graduates had served in an Army for which almost all recreational activities and facilities were paid by appropriated dollars, and they did not comprehend why the Academy needed private funding. Lieutenant General Sidney Berry '48, the 50th Superintendent, addressed this matter in his March 1976 ASSEMBLY letter, stating: ``Public funds support the necessaries of cadet life, education and training. Privately contributed funds augment programs and activities supported by public funds, provide extracurricular opportunities for cadets, and in general improve the quality of education and training at West Point. In short, they provide the margin of excellence we desire and expect for the Military Academy and the Corps of Cadets,'' coining a phrase that is essential to AOG's mission today. More changes familiar to today's AOG came in the 1980s. As the new decade began, AOG had just inaugurated its new travel program with a cruise from Texas and added new trips (three- to-five annually) in the coming years, and it had launched the West Point Preparatory Scholarship Program, which provided funds to deserving candidates who needed additional instruction at a military junior college to ensure success at West Point. In 1981, AOG President George Dixon Jr. '40 convened a long-range planning conference in Boiling Springs, Pennsylvania, one of the outcomes of which was the establishment of a West Point Societies Program. Dozens of West Point Societies had been in existence by this time, most assisting the Academy with its Admissions efforts, but they had been relatively autonomous. The new program, which was finally implemented in the fall of 1986 with Morris Herbert '50 as its first Director (aided by James ``Skip'' Wensyel '52 as Deputy Director of Information), sought to align the 75 or so active societies and encouraged them to assist AOG in achieving its objectives toward the Academy, rather than their own individual objectives. On May 1, 1987, AOG held the first West Point Societies Presidents Conference, a forerunner of today's Leaders Conference, during which Denis Mullane '52, Chairman of AOG's Societies Committee, discussed four key topics with the 53 society representatives present: admissions support, information dissemination, community relations, and strengthening support between AOG and societies. Around this time, AOG also established a new development program to assist West Point classes in their efforts to support the Academy, latter known as Class Giving, complete with support from AOG Financial Services to administrate the funds, ensuring that interest on said funds was properly reinvested (Williams Harrison Jr. '52 became AOG's first Director of Financial Services and Treasurer). Finally, in 1992, AOG introduced the Distinguished Graduate Award (DGA), its second major annual award (the first being the Thayer Award). James Van Fleet, Class of 1915; Matthew Ridgeway, Class of APR1917; Andrew Goodpaster '39, and Thoralf Sundt Jr. '52 were the first recipients of the DGA. Conclusion--AOG'S New Home By the end of the 1980s, AOG was taking in more than $5 million annually in donations, establishing a financial position that finally allowed it to realize a decades-long desire to eliminate membership dues, which it did starting with the Class of 1994. What's more, in 1990, Thomas Russell '59, a Planned Giving Officer, took a phone call from the son of graduate who was inquiring about how much money it would take to have a building at West Point named for his father, James K. Herbert, '30. Russell explained that the names for public buildings at the Academy were made by the Secretary of the Army and not named for donors, but that AOG would be willing to name its long-desired alumni center after his father. Thus, upon his death in 1990, Herbert bequeathed $3 million to AOG, which became the lead gift in a campaign to build what became known as the Herbert Alumni Center. Ground was broken for AOG's new home on April 8, 1993, and its cornerstone was dedicated on October 12, 1993 during Homecoming ceremonies. When the AOG staff moved into Herbert Alumni Center on March 1, 1995, the Association had just completed two banner years: its Development staff raised $11.04 million from 14,454 gifts in 1994, with graduate participation increasing to 24 percent, an all-time high; and, a year earlier, it stood up its Office of Alumni Support (derived from the West Point Societies Program and complete with Society, Classes, and Communication divisions). But this was just the start of some amazing successes for AOG. Now that it was working out of Herbert Alumni Center, it was about to realize a goal it had established for itself at the 1990 Board of Trustees strategic planning conference, a goal to raise $100 million for USMA in 10 years, a goal that became known as the Bicentennial Campaign for West Point, and it's the opening subject in the next and final installment of AOG's 150-year history.

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Madam Speaker, I rise to include in the Record section A of the third installment of an article by Keith J. Hamel honoring the 150th Anniversary of the West Point Association of Graduates: ``For the first 30 or so years of its existence (1869- 1900), the Association of the Graduates of the U.S. Military Academy barely resembled the WPAOG that West Point graduates know today. Back then, its mission was ``. . . to cherish the memories of our Alma Mater, and to promote the social intercourse and fraternal fellowship of its graduates;'' its activities consisted of an annual meeting and the publishing of an annual report (dominated by a ``Necrology'' section of obituaries for those graduates who died the previous year); and its finances primarily relied on an estate gift from George Cullum, Class of 1833, who bequeathed $250,000 to build the Memorial Hall that bears his name and left $10,000 to fund ``the current and necessary expenses'' of the nascent Association. In its second stage of existence (1901-45), changes to AOG's mission, governance, and operations signaled its desire to become more like a contemporary alumni association. Some of the initiatives from that era included ``Alumni Day,'' featuring a wreath-laying ceremony at Thayer Statue that is still practiced nearly 100 years later; the ``Stained Glass Windows'' project, a precursor to Class Giving, where classes purchased windows in the Cadet Chapel (with some classes also purchasing a panel for a class that graduated 100 years earlier which had no living members); and the introduction of ASSEMBLY magazine, which replaced the Annual Report with a quarterly publication chronicling news involving West Point cadets, faculty, and alumni. The third part of WPAOG's history (1946-95) begins with the founding of the West Point Alumni Foundation and continues through the opening of Herbert Alumni Center, the current home of the West Point Association of Graduates, the modern alumni association with which all graduates are familiar today. west point alumni foundation The West Point Alumni Foundation, Inc. (WPAF) was founded on December 26, 1945 by trustees of the much older Association of Graduates. In the years immediately preceding WPAF's founding, the financial condition of AOG was dangerously close to running in the red. Other than the annual yield from an $100,000 endowment, AOG's only income source was the one-time $15 initiation fee it charged for membership, which included a lifetime subscription to the recently launched ASSEMBLY magazine (April 1942). Unfortunately, printing and mailing costs had escalated to such an extent during World War II that it was impossible to continue issuing ASSEMBLY on the support of membership fees alone. Looking at ways to increase revenues for the organization and save its new alumni magazine, the AOG Board of Trustees considered publishing a ``Register of Graduates'' similar to the one the U.S. Naval Academy's graduate association had been publishing since the mid-1930s. Not only would it raise funds through subscriptions, this new annual Register (different than the decennially published Biographical Register that Cullum had started in 1868 and that AOG had continued through Volume IX [1940-50]) would generate revenue from advertisements in the new publication. As AOG President Robert M. Danford, Class of 1904, noted in his letter for the July 1946 issue of ASSEMBLY, ``The publication of this Register, if we may judge by that of the Naval Academy, should give us an additional, material, and much needed source of revenue for the Association.'' There was, however, one rather larger sticking point to the AOG's plan. At this point in time, AOG's Secretary and Treasurer (who was also the Editor of ASSEMBLY) was an active duty officer who also served in the Office of the Superintendent as the Academy's Alumni Secretary. According to the provisions of the annual Army appropriations bill, ``No appropriation for the pay of the Army shall be available for the pay of any officer or enlisted on the active list of the Army who is engaged in any manner with any publication . . . which carries paid advertising of firms doing business with the War Department.'' AOG was, in essence, a quasi-government staff section of USMA, and, as long as AOG had an active duty officer on its staff, it was prohibited from soliciting advertisers for its publications. To solve this dilemma, Danford and Chauncey Fenton, also from the Class of 1904, who were members of the AOG Board of Trustees, pushed for the formation of a separate corporation, that became the West Point Alumni Foundation (WPAF), which was to be operated entirely by persons not on the active list of the Army. According to Michael Krisman, WPAF's last Executive Manager, the purpose of WPAF was multifold: ``To acquire and disseminate information on the history, activities, objectives and methods of the United States Military Academy, and its place in the National Defense organization of the United States; to acquire, preserve, and disseminate historical materials relating to it and the Armed Forces of the Nation; to encourage and foster the study of military and naval science; to promote the advancement and diffusion of knowledge among worthy [youths] in preparation for entrance to West Point or other military or naval schools; to receive, provide, and maintain funds and apply the income therefrom in furtherance of these purposes.'' WPAF was first established as a Maryland corporation, but on August 6, 1946, New York authorized its request to do business in the state as a foreign corporation--with a governing board of nine officers and directors, no membership other than its Board, a paid staff of civilians and retired military, and a headquarters in New York City (with a satellite office in Cullum Hall). The first Register, with Danford as its editor, was published shortly thereafter. It contained short biographical briefs of 16,161 graduates and listed 7,847 former cadets. It also contained well over 100 advertisements, everything from full-page spreads by Curtiss- Wright Corporation and Coca-Cola to one-eighth-page, classified-type ads by Mall Portable Power Tools and The Loesch & Green Construction Company. What's more, in the ``Acknowledgements'' section of the inaugural Register, the officers and directors of WPAF recognized, ``with grateful appreciation,'' all the advertisers who published in the Register and ``urge[d] their patronage upon our subscribers.'' The 1946 Register also placed a half-page, in- house ad on page 338 that said, ``The West Point Alumni Foundation, Inc., wishes to take this opportunity to express its sincere appreciation to the advertisers in this, the 1946 Register of Graduates of the United States Military Academy, for their part in making possible the production of this volume.'' WPAF was evidently staking its fortunes, and those of AOG, on advertising, now and in the future. According to a report in the January 18, 1946 edition of ASSEMBLY, AOG expected that the advertising included in the Register would provide ``a greatly desired and needed source of revenue,'' and, in that first year, funds received through WPAF increased AOG's income sheet $5,807.64, nearly a 40 percent rise from 1946's number. Yet, despite this apparent surge in revenue, the continually rising costs of paper, printing, labor and shipping threatened the solvency of the Association and forced the AOG Board of Trustees to end the lifetime membership benefit and to institute subscription rates for ASSEMBLY, starting with the October 1947 issue. Even with this move, the balance sheet was still bleak. In July 1948, Fenton, now AOG President, remarked, ``A subscription for both ASSEMBLY and the Register at $3 gives the Association a profit of 74 cents; a subscription to ASSEMBLY alone at $1.50 gives a deficit of 46 cents.'' tax-exempt donations Help came from an unexpected source: the Internal Revenue Service. In a letter dated December 1, 1948, the Commissioner of the IRS granted tax-exempt status to the Association, confirming that gifts to AOG for operational purposes could now be deducted from the income tax of the donor. Interestingly, it was WPAF's purpose statement, which AOG later adopted in modified form at its June 1949 annual meeting, that allowed AOG to receive its IRS privilege. AOG's new mission now stated, ``The objects of the Association shall be to acquire and disseminate information on the history, activities, objectives and methods of the United States Military Academy; to acquire, and preserve historical materials relating to that institution; and to encourage and foster the study of military science there by worthy [youths].'' Not being religious, charitable, or scientific, AOG needed to alter the Association's purpose to emphasize the ``acquiring and disseminating information on USMA'' to ensure tax-exempt status as an ``educational society.'' Just one month after receiving its good news, AOG put out an appeal in the January 1949 issue of ASSEMBLY with an article titled ``All West Pointers, Attention!'' asking graduates for financial assistance, claiming that the ``war classes have greatly increased the size of the Association, new activities have been undertaken, and the cost of labor and materials and everything else has skyrocketed.'' The second paragraph of that appeal reads, ``Contributions, gifts and bequests to the Association of Graduates are now tax- deductible under the Federal Income Tax, Gift Tax, and Estate Tax laws.'' According to the article, greater income was needed for ``Expansion in office facilities, equipment and number of personnel for the office of the Association at West Point.'' While the primary focus was AOG, the article ended by noting that, ultimately, ``Your gifts . . . will be of great benefit to West Point.'' This last point was reinforced in a January 1950 letter by Fenton, written from his role as Chairman of the Association's Fund Raising [sic] Committee, in which he explained AOG's needs but also stated that giving to the Association provides ``an opportunity to invest in our Alma Mater.'' Granted, AOG already benefited the Academy by maintaining graduate records for USMA's reference, by providing information to local West Point Societies about USMA activities so that it could recruit prospective cadets through graduates, and by recent initiatives such as the Thayer Award (first given in March 1958), but could the '49 fundraising appeal unconsciously have been suggesting something more? Major General Garrison ``Gar'' Davidson '27, the 44th West Point Superintendent, seemed to think so and envisioned a future in which AOG could directly assist West Point financially. In a speech before West Point Society members on September 26, 1958, Davidson said, ``There are quite a few facilities that are necessary at the Military Academy for which it is probable that appropriated funds will not be available in the foreseeable future.'' Earlier, he had asked the AOG Board of Trustees to hire a Kansas City survey firm to conduct a fundraising campaign feasibility study. The Fall 1958 issue of ASSEMBLY briefly references the survey stating, ``At press time there was little information available except the fact that generally the alumni strongly favor such a campaign.'' Indeed, the firm later recommended that West Point, through AOG, conduct a 19-month, $3 million campaign for facilities at the Academy. Yet, Anthony McAuliffe, Class of 1919, President of the Association, rejected the proposal, fearing that such a fundraising effort would put AOG's relatively recent tax-exempt status in jeopardy. West Point Superintendent's Fund Davidson's successor, Major General William C. Westmoreland '36, also saw opportunities in asking graduates to financially support the Academy, but instead of approaching AOG he turned to WPAF as the organization best able to assist him. After all, the last sentence of WPAF's mission statement read, ``. . . to receive, provide, and maintain funds and apply the income therefrom in furtherance of [the United States Military Academy].'' In the spring of 1961, shortly before June Week, a group of senior graduates, headed by Lucius D. Clay, Class of 1918 June, and George Olmsted '22, met in New York City to hear from Westmoreland what special needs the Military Academy had that could not be met from appropriated or other fund sources. The result of this meeting was the establishment of the West Point Superintendent's Fund. During the formative stages of the Fund, Westmoreland visited Congress and discussed the proposed endowment with leaders of the Armed Services and Appropriations Committees, who reacted positively to the idea of soliciting private donations for what Westmoreland called, ``nice-to-have facilities for the Academy and for use by the Corps of Cadets,'' later defined by Major General James B. Lampert '36, West Point's 46th Superintendent, as ``worthwhile projects which have a direct bearing on cadet welfare.'' In a WPAF brochure outlining the goals of the Fund and addressing questions raised by graduates, Clay wrote the following: ``Today, the alumni of other schools and colleges, including state-supported schools, give heavily and gladly to their schools and in doing so become more deeply interested than ever . . . Become a part of West Point's development and future.'' General Robert E. Wood, Class of 1900, one of four ``Honorary Advisors'' of the West Point Superintendent's Fund Committee (along with Douglas MacArthur, Class of 1903; Dwight Eisenhower, and Omar Bradley, both Class of 1915) made the initial contribution to the Fund. After one year, the Fund raised nearly $100,000 toward its $1 million goal from 92 graduate donors, 29 of whom gave more than $1,000. According to the minutes of AOG's 93rd Annual Meeting, some of this early money went to install a ski lift, to partially pay for work being done on the First Class Club (the old Ordnance Compound), to improve the echo division of the Cadet Chapel organ, and to meet the expenses of three cadets who were selected to take part in Operations Crossroads-Africa (a practice that continues today in the form of AIADs). Clay, Chairman of the Fund Committee, publicly suggested that graduates give an annual contribution of one dollar for every year since their graduation. True to form, at a birthday party celebrating his 102nd birthday in the spring of 1962, Henry Hodges Jr., Class of 1881, West Point's oldest living graduate, presented Charles N. Branham '22, Secretary- Treasurer of the Fund, with a gift of $81, while Lieutenant John F. McLaughlin '61, the Long Gray Line's youngest graduate, gave $1. Early publicity for the West Point Superintendent's Fund went to great lengths to establish that this new fund should be viewed as separate from AOG's annual request. ``The Association of Graduates is alumni-oriented and its fund- raising [sic] efforts are generally directed toward awards and other alumni activities in the fields of education and history,'' stated an article in the Summer 1961 issue of ASSEMBLY. Nine months earlier, in the Fall 1961 issue, Westmoreland addressed the matter in his regular Superintendent's letter, writing, ``The Superintendent's Fund, on the other hand, provides a development fund which, through its listing of specific additional educational and extracurricular projects, will stimulate interest, guide donors into giving for useful purposes, provide an organized approach to such giving, and thus encourage contributions.'' Coincidentally, just as the Superintendent's Fund was being established, AOG received the sum of $1 million from the will of Agnes Pierce, widow of Palmer Pierce, Class of 1891, who served as AOG Treasurer (1905-07), President (1931-34), and Trustee (1938 until his death in 1940). Listed in AOG financial report as the ``Palmer E. Pierce Memorial Fund,'' the terms of the gift simply stated that ``the Trustees of the Association shall in due course establish a suitable memorial in memory of my late husband. . . .'' With no restrictions on the gift, AOG invested the money in U.S. Treasury bills, earning $18,479 in interest in the first year, and eventually used it to build the semi-circular dining room extension of the West Point Club. In 1962, another graduate, Gilbert Youngberg, Class of 1900, left $50,000 for AOG in his will, which the Association also deposited in its Endowment Fund. By the mid-1960s, both AOG and WPAF were humming along, each doing what it did best. According to the report ``Two Decades of Change,'' written in 1992 by AOG's first Executive Vice President, Robert Lamb Jr. '46, ``WPAF, acting through is its fundraising committee, annually conducted a relatively low-key private fundraising program for the Academy (which was renamed ``The West Point Fund'' in 1969) and served as the publisher of two alumni publications (ASSEMBLY and the Register of Graduates), while AOG conducted alumni events (such as class reunions), operated a catalogue gift shop, maintained historical and biographical records on graduates, solicited funds for its annual appeal (supplemental AOG operating funds), and exercised editorial responsibility for ASSEMBLY.'' While separate entities, the relationship between AOG and WPAF was actually synergistic: AOG represented the graduates from which most of the funds raised WPAF came, and WPAF solicited advertising for AOG's publications, which the Association could not do given the active duty officer serving as its Secretary-Treasurer.''

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Madam Speaker, I rise to thank and welcome Pastor Wright. Pastor Wright serves as pastor of my home congregation, Holy Cross Lutheran Church and School in Collinsville, Illinois. He received his undergraduate degree from Concordia University in Austin, Texas, and a master of divinity from Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He is currently pursuing a master of sacred theology at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri. He has served as a pastor for the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod since 2006. During that time, he has also served as a resource hospital chaplain, hospice chaplain, and on multiple boards. His wife, Keri, is the help, support, and love of his life. They have four beautiful daughters. Katie is 12; Gwen, 10; Lilli, 10; and Magie, also 10. Yes, you heard it right, triplets.

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Chairman, it is great to be out here with my friends on both sides of the aisle. As many know, I have announced I am not going to run for reelection. One of the successes is because of what Chairman Young was able to do in the last Congress. Mr. Chairman, I have been to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. I don't want to debunk the view. Alaska is bigger than the whole continental United States. The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is a small area where no one is at. I have been there. I hope you get there. It is a flat coastal plain. This would be like putting a drilling rig that is the size of a football field on the State of South Carolina. We can't debunk those arguments. My father-in-law worked on the pipeline. He was a communications microwave guy. There are thousands of jobs. Also, an insidious part of this plan is we know that the pipeline has to have oil in it to flow. We know that we need to continue to have exploration up there so that there is enough oil to keep that pipeline operating. My friends in the environmental left organizations want to shut down the pipeline. This will make sure it doesn't get shut down.

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize a group of former Capitol Hill staffers who will gather in Washington on September 20-22 to celebrate 40 years of bipartisan friendship. Whether competing in softball and flag football matchups, celebrating victories over burgers at the Tune Inn, Christmas caroling with Leader Michel and his colleagues, enjoying weekend road trips to national parks and historic sites, there were always respectful and lively debates on the issues of the day. Accordingly, this group of friends shares a special bond that began right here in these hallowed halls and continues today. Many of these congressional staffers began their careers in 1979, working over the years for the following Members: Representatives Wendell Bailey, Larry Craig, Dan Crane, Phil Crane, Ed Derwinski, David Emery, Billy Lee Evans, Joe Gaydos, Bo Ginn, Larry Hopkins, Dan Lungren, Ray McGrath, Dawson Mathis, Bob Michel, Hal Rogers, Jim Slattery, Gene Taylor, Bob Whittaker, Henry Waxman, and Vin Weber, and Senators Jake Garn, John Glenn, Jesse Helms, Sam Nunn, Bob Packwood and Richard Stone. Madam Speaker, it is my honor to recognize this lasting friendship that began right here in the halls of Congress, and I ask my colleagues to join me in wishing this special group well as they remember fondly their days on Capitol Hill and their years of fellowship and fun.

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize Sister Ruth (Vanhoose) Weinkauf on celebrating her 100th birthday. Sister Ruth was born September 19, 1919 and was raised in Southern Illinois. She lived in Winkle and Cambria before relocating to East St. Louis. There she married the love of her life, Loyal Weinkauf. Together they were blessed with one daughter, Sherry. Ruth and her sister Margaret became the first women to host a 30- minute radio talk show in Southern Illinois titled ``Moments of Comfort''. Additionally, at the young age of 24, Ruth and Margaret founded the Glad Tidings Church of St. Claire County, Illinois. Their legacy lives on 75 years later in Life Church, which has recently relocated to Swansea, Illinois. Madam Speaker, I congratulate Ruth on her long and successful career of preaching, ministering, and teaching. Ruth continues to be an inspiration to all of us and she is deeply loved by many. I wish her and her family continued health and happiness.

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize the 100th anniversary of Kruta's Bakery, a family-run business that has become an iconic institution in my hometown of Collinsville, IL. In 1919, Russian immigrant Frank Kruta, Sr., saw an opportunity around the expanding meat-packing industry in East St. Louis, IL, and started a bakery on 8th Street in the city. Numerous fellow natives of eastern Europe flocked to the business, and it grew, as did Frank's family, many of whom would work at the bakery. Frank Kruta, Jr., eventually took over from his father, then was succeeded by his son, Jim. Kruta's Bakery relocated a few miles east to Collinsville in 1974. It has come to be known for its signature Stollen pastries, breads, Danish rolls, and cakes for special occasions, such as marriages, baptisms, confirmations, and birthdays. I just enjoyed one of its cakes in honor of my father's 91st birthday and my nephew's return from overseas military service. A number of recipes brought from eastern Europe by Frank Kruta, Sr., are still used to this day by the bakery, now under a fourth generation of the family, led by Paul Kruta, son of Jim and his wife, Mary. Although technically retired, Jim still joins Mary in helping out Paul and the many other family members and employees who are involved in the still-thriving business. In honor of Kruta's 100-year milestone, the city of Collinsville closed St. Louis Road in front of the bakery on August 18 for a celebration, which included music, artists, magicians, and--of course-- free bakery items. Money was raised for the American Warrior Initiative. Madam Speaker, it is an honor to congratulate Kruta's Bakery for a century of excellence, and I send my best wishes for another 100 years or more.

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize Michael Lane Harvey on his election as vice president of the 2019 Illinois FFA. Mr. Lane's background should serve him well in his new position. He served the past few years as his school's FFA representative and more recently as president of Illinois FFA Section 23. In that post, he served the farming interests of thirteen area schools as a state officer. After being voted in by over 400 delegates and over 5,000 members from across Illinois at the 91st Illinois FFA State Convention held in Springfield, Mr. Lane will be taking on even greater responsibilities as he represents over 20,000 FFA members and advisors. Madam Speaker, I congratulate Michael Lane Harvey on his election as vice president of the 2019 Illinois FFA. I have always enjoyed working with our agricultural leaders, especially those in the blue jacket. I would like to extend my well wishes to Mr. Lane, the entire State Officer Team, and all members of the Illinois FFA.

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be discharged from further consideration of H.R. 962, the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I urge the Speaker to immediately schedule this bill.

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Madam Chair, I claim time in opposition.

Mr. SHIMKUS. Madam Chair, this amendment is anything but simple. It is highly complex. Per- and polyfluorinated compounds, there are probably 5,000 different permutations, and my colleagues act like it is one formulation; and it is multiple. So what they want to do is, in essence, do a de facto ban by claiming a class of 5,000 chemicals as qualified for toxic and in the Superfund; and that is a de facto ban of all these applications. We are all going to fly home tonight. We are going to close the door to the plane. We are going to have this seal, and this seal is what is used to protect--the seal around the airplane door--us, so we don't get sucked out. Banned, toxic Superfund. No one disputes our colleagues' concerns and maybe my concern about former installations, current installations, and water in ditches from firefighting foam. So let's deal with that issue. Let's not do what this amendment and other amendments will do which is throw the proverbial baby out with the bathwater. So what do we use some of these formulations of per-and polyfluorinated compounds--again, some 5,000--for? We use it to save the lives of people. Here is a stent, which are in millions of people. PFAS banned, de facto banned, because it falls under a Superfund. No one is going to make them because they don't want to be held legally liable if this stent eventually goes into a landfill. So we don't need that anymore. More kids than I know are born with a hole in their heart. So what is the chemical compound that helps plug the hole, so these children can grow and mature? Oh, it is a PFAS-formulated compound. So let's have a de facto ban on this device. Remember, these medical devices are approved by our Food and Drug Administration. They say they are safe to be inserted into the human body. So why would we then say, if it is safe to be inserted into the human body, these medical devices are now going to be unsafe in a landfill, and then you have a Superfund act and, again, a de facto ban? This shouldn't be in this debate. I have great respect for the chairman and the ranking member, but this is a National Defense Authorization Act. It is not an Energy and Commerce Environment and Climate Change Subcommittee act; and I hope we will take that up. EPA deals with toxicologists, analytical chemists, organic chemists, epidemiologists, chemical biologists, material scientists, theoretical chemists. Those are the ones who are going to help us decide which of the 5,000 permutations of PFAS are actually good and which ones are actually harmful. But this says they are all bad. It is like--my folks don't want me to use this example. It is like saying, an orange is bad. Let's ban all fruit. Okay. No, we are going to take the peeling of a banana and throw it in a dump. Oh, no, that is going to be a toxic dump under Superfund, and no one is going to have and harvest bananas anymore. That is just ridiculous. It is moved by emotion. We understand that. It is moved by real problems and groundwater contamination. We are not against that. My plea is, let's use the committee process, and help you and help me and these other communities affect change and provide safe drinking water to our communities. We have got the water communities who are afraid of this amendment. They are afraid of this amendment because of previous practices, and then them falling under Superfund liability, and then having to raise rates based upon providing sludge to farmers who put it on their ground, and then they get held up in this Superfund trap. So I have all the waterway councils, all the water works, the municipal utilities that are saying, this is not the way to go to ban a whole class, and this is going to put us on the hook, and it is going to raise water rates. I also have a list of 20 or so manufacturing sectors. They said, let's clean up the water. Let's not ban a whole class. July 11, 2019. To the Members of the U.S. House of Representatives: We, the undersigned associations, believe that Congress should act to address contamination associated with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in a manner that prioritizes cleanups over bureaucracy. For this reason, we oppose Amendment 440 offered by Reps. Kildee and Dingell, and Amendment 48, offered by Rep. Pappas, to H.R. 2500, the ``National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020.'' PFAS are a large and diverse class of chemicals with unique properties that have been used in a broad number of beneficial applications for decades. Heightened attention to potential health effects of certain PFAS chemicals has understandably led to increased public concern and interest in new regulatory protections in this area. We support action to address these concerns, and are committed to proactively working with Congress, regulators, and other stakeholders to establish risk-based standards for PFAS that protect human health and the environment. We applaud the leadership of Reps. Kildee, Dingell, and Pappas for pushing Congress to address PFAS contamination. Amendments 440 and 48, however well-intentioned, are unproductive approaches to expeditiously address PFAS contamination. Amendment 440 would require the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to designate all PFAS as hazardous substances under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), or Superfund, within one year. Similarly, Amendment 48 would require EPA to add all PFAS to the list of toxic pollutants regulated by the Clean Water Act and establish effluent and pretreatment standards, which could trigger ``back door'' CERCLA designations. CERCLA listing decisions are not political questions that Congress is best positioned to address. EPA should retain its traditional authority to study potentially hazardous substances and to ascertain whether they should be designated under CERCLA. The Superfund program has a strong track record, and EPA's career scientists have the requisite expertise to examine PFAS. Moreover, Amendments 440 and 48 would likely lead to slower cleanups because of an overwhelmed EPA and the potentially needless reopening of vast amounts of remediated sites. Such an approach could also undermine the nascent progress towards clean up at some of the prevalent, known contaminated sites. We are disappointed that an amendment proposed by Rep. Fitzpatrick, with Reps. Boyle, Upton, McKinley, Rouda, and Blunt Rochester, will not come up for a vote in the House. The approach of this bipartisan amendment, which mirrors provisions of the defense authorization bill passed by the full Senate, would have encouraged the development of a consistent approach and clear timelines for assessing and regulating specific PFAS across all relevant federal agencies to ensure that government regulations, actions, and communications are consistent and coordinated for maximum effectiveness. Congress's goal should be to create conditions for cleanups to occur as expeditiously as practicable. While we oppose Amendments 440 and 48, we applaud the work of the amendments' sponsors and the other leaders of PFAS issues in both parties for their important contributions. We look forward to working with you on this important matter as the legislative process continues. Sincerely, Airlines for America; Airports Council International-- North America; Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers; American Chemistry Council; American Forest & Paper Association; Council of Industrial Boiler Owners; Flexible Packaging Association; International Liquid Terminals Association; National Association of Chemical Distributors; Plastics Industry Association; Petroleum Marketers Association of America; Society of Chemical Manufacturers and Affiliates; TRSA, the Linen, Uniform, and Facility Services Association; U.S. Chamber of Commerce.