[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 78 (Thursday, May 11, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1018]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                      HONORING DR. MICHAEL GANNON

                                 ______


                         HON. KAREN L. THURMAN

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 11, 1995
  Mrs. THURMAN. Mr. Speaker, this year, the State of Florida is 
celebrating its 150th birthday. This important milestone, Florida's 
Sesquicentennial, will be observed all year as our citizens recognize 
the varied events and people that have contributed to our State's rich 
heritage.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor someone who has contributed 
greatly to the understanding and popularization of Florida's history, 
Dr. Michael Gannon.
  Dr. Michael Gannon is a Distinguished Service Professor of History at 
the University of Florida. A specialist in the Spanish colonial history 
of Florida and the Caribbean, he is also Director of the Institute for 
Early Contact Period Studies, which conducts research into the voyages 
of Christopher Columbus and the first contacts between Europeans and 
Native Americans in the New World.
  Raised in St. Augustine, FL, Dr. Gannon has had a long interest in 
the early Spanish missions of Florida about which he has written 
extensively. Two of his books, ``Rebel Bishop'' (1964) and ``The Cross 
in the Sand'' (1965) give readers an indepth look at the early history 
of Florida. He is coauthor of two other books and a contributor to 
numerous others on the region, including ``Spanish Influence in the 
Caribbean, Florida and Louisiana, 1500-1800,'' and ``The Hispanic 
Experience in North America.'' Dr. Gannon also edited the comprehensive 
``New History of Florida,'' which will appear in bookstores later this 
year.
  Dr. Gannon served for 19 years as a member and two-time chairman of 
the Historic St. Augustine Preservation Board; and currently serves 
under the Secretary of State as chairman of the De Soto Trail Committee 
and chairman of the Spanish Mission Trail Committee. Under the 
Secretary of Commerce he served as a member of the State's Columbus 
Quincentenary Jubilee Commission, and chairman of that body's History 
and Culture Committee. In 1992 the U.S. Secretary of the Interior 
appointed Dr. Gannon to a 4-year term on the national De Soto 
Expedition Trail Commission. He is an Honorary Board Member of the St. 
Augustine Historical Society, and a member of the Editorial Board of 
the Florida Historical Quarterly.
  In the area of military history, Dr. Gannon published ``Operation 
Drumbeat,'' a history of Germany's first U-boat operation along the 
American coast in World War II. The book became a national best seller 
and the subject of a National Geographic Explorer program. The show won 
an Emmy award as the Best Historical Program in 1992. Dr. Gannon 
published ``Florida: A Short History'' in 1993 and in 1994, ``Secret 
Missions,'' a Florida-based historical novel set in World War II.
  Dr. Gannon has published numerous articles on history, religion, 
military affairs and ethics in national journals and magazines. In the 
summer of 1968, Dr. Gannon served in Vietnam as a war correspondent for 
the journal, ``America'' and the National Catholic News Service. He is 
the author of the historical article on ``The Catholic Church in the 
United States'' that appears in the 1994 edition of the ``Encyclopedia 
Americana'' and of another article under the same title that appears in 
the ``Encyclopedia of Southern History.'' Dr. Gannon has lectured 
widely in this country, as well as in Spain, Italy, Mexico and the 
Caribbean.
  Mr. Speaker, Dr. Gannon is a distinguished professor who has been 
honored for his expertise and achievements. In 1979, the University of 
Florida National Alumni Association awarded him its first Distinguished 
Alumni Professorship in recognition of the impact that he has had on 
student's lives and careers. In 1990, King Juan Carlos I of Spain 
conferred on Dr. Gannon the highest civilian award of that country, 
Knight Commander of the Order of Isabel la Catolica. Dr. Gannon has 
also been the recipient of the Arthur W. Thompson Prize in Florida 
History and in 1978 was named Teacher of the Year for the College of 
Liberal Arts and Sciences.
  Mr. Speaker, Dr. Gannon's work has added a great deal to our 
knowledge of the varied influences that have shaped the history of 
Florida. The Sesquicentennial celebrations in Florida will be that much 
more meaningful because of the careful research of Dr. Gannon. Mr. 
Speaker, I am very proud to represent the University of Florida and 
professors like Dr. Gannon, who are dedicated to excellence.


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