[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 13 (Thursday, February 10, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: February 10, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                THE FDR COMMEMORATIVE COIN AND MEMORIAL

  Mr. HEFLIN. Mr. President, I was proud to be added as a cosponsor 
last fall of legislation authorizing the minting and sale of a 
commemorative coin honoring one of our best-loved Presidents and one of 
the most important historical figures of the 20th century--Franklin 
Delano Roosevelt. Next year will mark the 50th anniversary of FDR's 
death.
  President Kennedy once remarked before his own tragic death that all 
Americans old enough to remember could recall where they were when they 
heard of the death of Franklin Roosevelt. Even those with only a faint 
remembrance of him, or none at all, are nonetheless, touched by his 
legacy. Ideological and political views notwithstanding, no one can say 
that the Roosevelt Presidency did not leave a permanent impression on 
our Nation.
  His 12 years in office--longer than any other Chief Executive--
defined what we have come to know as the modern presidency. He is 
ranked today among our greatest Presidents, and a fair number of 
historians, academics, and citizens-at-large call him the best we've 
ever had.
  In 1955, Congress established the FDR Memorial Commission and 
authorized it to plan, design, and construct a national memorial 
honoring the late President's life and legacy to the Nation. In 1978, 
the memorial design by Lawrence Halprin was approved. Groundbreaking 
took place in 1991 and the projected completion date is 1996.
  The memorial will encompass 7\1/2\ acres in West Potomac Park on the 
Tidal Basin. In a park-like setting, it will consist of a series of 
four outdoor galleries, each one depicting one of his terms in office. 
Water, in various states of activity, flows its way continuously the 
length of the memorial.
  Five American sculptors are creating vivid images of President 
Roosevelt, showcasing major events during his administration, and 
including a statute of Eleanor Roosevelt. This will mark the first time 
in history that a First Lady has been included in a Presidential 
memorial.
  In 1992, Congress mandated the FDR Memorial Commission to raise $10 
million in private funds for construction of the $50 million memorial. 
Proceeds from the sale of this commemorative coin will likely raise 
half the amount to be raised from the privator sector. All its profits 
will go for construction of the memorial; there is no cost to the 
taxpayer for the enactment of this legislation.
  I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support the 
passage of this bill to enable the FDR Memorial Commission to raise a 
portion of the funds to complete the memorial by 1996.

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