[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 145 (Friday, October 7, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: October 7, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                E X T E N S I O N   O F   R E M A R K S


 DR. JOHN LATSCHAR: AN OUTSTANDING SUPERINTENDENT IN THE NATIONAL PARK 
                                SERVICE

                                 ______


                         HON. JOSEPH M. McDADE

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 7, 1994

  Mr. McDADE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to express the sincere gratitude of 
the people of northeastern Pennsylvania, of the Commonwealth of 
Pennsylvania and of our Nation to Dr. John A. Latschar for his 
dedicated service to the National Park Service. During his tenure as 
Superintendent of the Steamtown National Historic Site in Scranton, 
Pennsylvania, Dr. Latschar performed his duties with the most utmost 
professionalism and a commitment to excellence.
  John Latschar was appointed by the National Park Service as 
Superintendent of the Steamtown National Historic Site in 1988, when 
the park was in its formative stages. There could have been no finer 
choice to lead the development of the park. John Latschar brought to 
Steamtown a wealth of historical knowledge, deft management skills, and 
a strong faith in the mission to preserve the story of the role of the 
railroads in America's growth. Throughout his six years at Steamtown he 
remained willing to go above and beyond the call of duty, doing 
everything he could to keep the development of the historic site on 
track and within the budget. He is perhaps the one person most 
responsible for taking an abandoned site which was once a thriving, 
working rail yard and restoring it to its former glory, while bringing 
to it the high standards and visitor accessibility expected of a 
National Park Service unit.
  John Latschar is a 17-year veteran of the National Park Service, 
serving as a research historian and Chief of the Natural and Cultural 
Resources at the Denver Service Center prior to his appointment to 
Steamtown. He and his staff in Denver planned and carried out 
development projects for 70 parks in the western United States and 
Alaska. He earned a doctorate in American history from Rutgers 
University, after earning a bachelor's and master's in history from 
Kansas State University. He is a veteran of the Vietnam War, serving in 
action there in the U.S. Army in 1970 and 1971.
  When John Latschar came to Scranton in 1988 he faced a daunting 
task--to breathe life into a dormant industrial site, and to make it 
historically accurate, educational, and visitor-friendly. John met the 
challenge, and the Steamtown National Historic Site stands at the brink 
of completion as we prepare for the grand opening in July, 1995.
  I ask my colleagues to join me in commending John Latschar for his 
outstanding contributions to the National Park Service, and in wishing 
him our best as he begins his new assignment as Superintendent of the 
Gettysburg National Military Park and Eisenhower National Historic 
Site.

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