[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 24 (Tuesday, March 8, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: March 8, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
          NEW JERSEY PRIDE HONOR ROLL; DR. THOMAS E. DAVIDSON

                                 ______


                           HON. DEAN A. GALLO

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, March 8, 1994

  Mr. GALLO. Mr. Speaker, at all times, and for all nations, the 
watchword for any professional military force is readiness.
  Knowing the mission, having a plan to carry out that mission and 
setting reasonable expectations as to the duration of the engagement 
are bottom line requirements for success.
  The essence of any successful plan for military engagement is the 
development of effective tools to carry out each step of a mission 
quickly and effectively--to enhance the momentum with firepower.
  I am proud to represent the dedicated men and women of Picatinny 
Arsenal, because they are the best in the world in the research, 
development and engineering of armaments--the backbone of our fighting 
forces in the 1990's.
  And, on the occasion of his retirement on March 18, I would like to 
recognize an individual who typifies the commitment and dedication to 
quality which are the hallmarks of the people at Picatinny--and a man 
who has provided the leadership needed to translate talent into 
success.
  Dr. Thomas E. Davidson has dedicated his professional life to the 
reach for excellence and has grasped the gold ring--not only for 
himself, but also for the people of Picatinny and for the Department of 
the Army.
  Dr. Davidson has set an example for others to follow.
  He began his Federal career with the Department of the Army in 1955 
at Watervliet Arsenal, Watervliet, NY, and held many positions of 
increased technical responsibility there until 1982. In 1982, he joined 
the staff of the U.S. Army Armament Research and Development Command, 
at Picatinny.
  He rose to the position of Deputy Director, Fire Support Armaments 
Center, an organization of more than 1,100 scientists and engineers 
involved in the research, development, fielding, initial production and 
field support of the U.S. Army direct and indirect fire weapon systems 
along with the fire control support needed for these systems to be 
effective. He was appointed to the Senior Executive Service, a two-star 
general equivalency, in 1985 while serving as Deputy Director.
  Dr. Davidson was appointed to the position of Technical Director for 
Armaments, U.S. Army Armament, Munitions and Chemical Command in March 
1989. He is responsible for all technical operations at the U.S. Army 
Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center. He manages an 
annual budget of more than $1 billion and a technical staff of over 
2,000 scientists and engineers with approximately 2,000 support 
personnel.
  Dr. Davidson's executive development assignments include serving for 
an extended period of time as the Acting Technology Manager, Weapons 
Systems Director, U.S. Army Deputy Chief of Staff for Research, 
Development and Acquisition at the Pentagon.
  He has published more than 30 papers in national and international 
journals, is a recognized international authority on armaments, and is 
listed in ``American Men of Science'' and ``Who's Who in the East.''
  He was presented with the Presidential Rank Meritorious Award in 1991 
and the Presidential Rank Award of Distinguished Executive in 1992.
  He has been the corecipient of two U.S. Army Research and Development 
Achievement Awards, and has received the Alfred H. Geisler Memorial 
Award for Outstanding Metallurgical Achievement, the American Society 
for Metals President's Award, and numerous other recognitions.
  Dr. Davidson holds a bachelor of science degree in metallurgical 
engineering from Lehigh University as well as a master of science 
degree in metallurgical engineering and a Ph.D. in materials 
engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join with me today to thank Dr. 
Thomas E. Davidson for his dedication and to wish him all the best as 
he retires after 39 years of Federal public service.

                          ____________________