[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1239 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1239

 Honoring the life of Jacques-Yves Cousteau, explorer, researcher, and 
              pioneer in the field of marine conservation.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              June 4, 2008

 Ms. Ros-Lehtinen (for herself and Mrs. Capps) submitted the following 
  resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Honoring the life of Jacques-Yves Cousteau, explorer, researcher, and 
              pioneer in the field of marine conservation.

Whereas Jacques-Yves Cousteau was born on June 11, 1910, in Saint-Andre-de-
        Cubzac, France, to Daniel and Elizabeth Cousteau;
Whereas Jacques Cousteau in 1930, after having made his preparatory studies at 
        the College Stanislas in Paris, entered the Naval Academy in Brest and 
        became an officer gunner;
Whereas after serving in World War II for the French Army, he was decorated with 
        the Legion of Honor, France's highest honor;
Whereas in 1950, Jacques Cousteau founded the French Oceanographical Campaigns 
        (COF), and he leased a ship called Calypso and equipped her as a mobile 
        laboratory for field research and as a support base for diving and 
        filming where he traversed the most interesting seas of the planet as 
        well as big and small rivers;
Whereas from 1952 to 1953, Jacques Cousteau took the Calypso to the Red Sea and 
        shot the first color footage ever taken at a depth of 150 feet, for a 
        documentary titled ``The Silent World'';
Whereas ``The Silent World'' was made using skin-diving gear Cousteau invented 
        with engineer Emile Gagnan in 1943, freeing divers from heavy helmets 
        and allowing them to be free and weightless as if in space;
Whereas in 1956, ``The Silent World'' won the top award at the Cannes Film 
        Festival and the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in the 
        United States;
Whereas in 1973, Jacques Cousteau, with his two sons Jean Michele and Philippe 
        and Frederick Hyman, created the Cousteau Society for the Protection of 
        Ocean Life, today boasting a membership of over 360,000 people;
Whereas in 1977, Jacques Cousteau and Peter Scott were awarded the United 
        Nations International Environment prize;
Whereas in 1977, the ``Cousteau Odyssey'' series premiered on PBS and 7 years 
        later, the ``Cousteau Amazon'' series premiered on television;
Whereas in 1985, Jacques Cousteau received the Presidential Medal of Freedom by 
        President Ronald Reagan;
Whereas throughout all of his voyages, Jacques Cousteau produced over 120 films 
        and authored or contributed to roughly 50 books; and
Whereas Jacques Cousteau passed away in Paris on June 25, 1997, after spending a 
        lifetime of 87 years inventing, exploring, and storytelling: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives honors the life, 
achievements, and distinguished career of Jacques Cousteau, explorer, 
researcher, and pioneer in the field of marine conservation.
                                 <all>