[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 154 (Friday, September 29, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1882]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 DEDICATION, ACCOMPLISHMENT, FRIENDSHIP

                                 ______


                          HON. JAMES A. BARCIA

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 29, 1995

  Mr. BARCIA. Mr. Speaker, there are moments in life that are a mixture 
of joy and sadness, and many of us who care about Saginaw Valley State 
University, are about to experience such a time with the retirement of 
Charles B. Curtiss. For the past 32 years, this man has been a member 
of the university's governing board, and on Monday, October 2, he is 
being honored for his years of service following retirement from the 
SVSU Board of Control.
  Charles Curtiss is certainly dedicated. He served as the chairman of 
a local committee that led to the establishment of Saginaw Valley State 
University. His 32 years of service is the longest length anyone has 
ever served at a public institution of higher learning in Michigan. His 
motivation on behalf of SVSU specifically and higher education 
generally, has been inspirational to many who have come after him and 
will continue to serve as a model for years to come.
  He has had many accomplishments. Besides helping to create a 
university, he is most active with fund raising to help keep it strong. 
He has greatly contributed to the raising of millions of dollars during 
his tenure. He designed the management formula for the university to 
make sure that it kept its focus by effectively establishing one 
program before moving on to another.
  Perhaps most importantly, Charles Curtiss is a good friend, and has 
made many. I was privileged to work with him during my days as a 
student at SVSU, as a student body president. Our friendship developed 
quickly and early, and has grown over the years. Charles' appointment 
and reappointments to the SVSU board by both Republican and Democratic 
Governors, including George Romney, William Milliken, and James 
Blanchard, clearly demonstrating his ability to make people of 
different persuasions understand his effectiveness at leadership.
  At the coming event, Charles will be honored by having the Business 
and professional Development Building of the West Complex of Saginaw 
Valley State named as ``Charles B. Curtiss Hall.'' This is a fitting 
tribute for a man who has given of himself over the years, and has left 
a mark that will be most difficult to match.
  Mr. Speaker, we need dedicated leaders who make true accomplishments 
while conducting themselves in a friendly and respectable manner. We 
need people like Charles Curtiss. That is precisely why I said earlier 
that this moment is a mixture of joy and sadness. We have joy because 
we appreciate all that Charles has done, and we wish him well. We are 
sad because we will miss him, and we know that someone like him is so 
hard to find.
  I urge you, Mr. Speaker, and all of our colleagues to join me in 
thanking Charles B. Curtiss for his years of dedication, 
accomplishment, and friendship, and wish him well for the new 
challenges he is certain to undertake.

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