[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 119 (Friday, July 21, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1490]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                    IN MEMORIAL OF DAVID J. WHEELER

                                 ______


                            HON. WES COOLEY

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, July 21, 1995
  Mr. COOLEY. Mr. Speaker, yesterday I submitted a bill (H.R. 2061) to 
name the Federal building in Baker City, OR, after the late David J. 
Wheeler. I rise today to offer a few words in memory of Mr. Wheeler.
  Baker City is a close-knit community in eastern Oregon--a little over 
an hour from the Idaho border. The town, lying just east of the 
beautiful Blue Mountains, was deeply affected by the recent loss of 
David Wheeler, one of the community's best-loved citizens. Mr. Wheeler, 
an employee of the U.S. Forest Service, was inspecting bridges in the 
Payette National Forest in late April when he was brutally murdered by 
two teenaged thugs.
  Mr. Wheeler's death has had a tremendous impact on the entire Baker 
City community, because he was an active civic leader involved in and 
committed to his adopted Oregon hometown. In 1994, Mr. Wheeler was 
selected by the Baker County Chamber of Commerce as the Baker County 
Father of the Year. At the time of his death, Mr. Wheeler was 
president-elect of the Baker City Rotary Club. He was a leader in the 
United Methodist Church, where he served as chair of the staff-parish 
relations committee. He served as a coach at the local YMCA and was a 
member of the Baker County Community Choir. The import of the above is 
clear, Mr. Speaker--Mr. Wheeler was a model Forest Service employee, a 
dedicated family man, and an admired and respected citizen.
  I am honored to propose that the Federal building in Baker City be 
dedicated to his memory.


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