[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 167 (Thursday, October 26, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S15973-S15974]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   HONORING THE MIDDLESEX COUNTY VOCATIONAL AND TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL

 Mr. BRADLEY. Mr. President, as Plato stated in his Republic, 
any society which would be strong and healthy, must ensure that every 
citizen finds an occupation which best suits his or her individual 
talents. Such a philosophy resonates through the halls of our Nation's 
vocational schools, and today I rise to honor the oldest vocational 
school in the country, the Middlesex County Vocational and Technical 
High School of New Brunswick, NJ.
  In the United States, vocational schools play a vital role in 
maintaining a balance in occupations that are needed to make our 
society tick and our economy hum. Vocational schools recognize the fact 
that young adults have talents that lie in a wide range of areas. A 
natural bent toward mechanics or carpentry which might be left untapped 
in the normal high school environment, is brought to light, cultivated 
and celebrated in a vocational high school.
  Therefore, it gives me great pleasure to recognize the Middlesex 
County Vocational and Technical High School, the Nation's oldest such 
institution. In 1913, the New Jersey State Legislature of Public Law 
passed chapter 294, providing for the establishment of county 
vocational schools. A year later, H. Brewster Willis approved a plan to 
create a vocational school system in Middlesex County. Soon after, 
schools were set up in New Brunswick, Perth Amboy and Jamesburg which 
taught such skills as mechanical drawing, carpentry, printing, cooking, 
dressmaking and agriculture.
  Enrollment increased steadily over the years, and the influx of 
talented students spurred the board of education to create new schools 
and to expand existing ones. New courses were added and different age 
groups included as the program began to grow and realize its full 
potential. In 1949, the State board of education approved the 
establishment of the Middlesex County Adult Technical School for the 
purpose of providing full-time pre-employment training for adults in 
skilled trades and technical occupations. Today, the Middlesex County 
Vocational and Technical Schools remain a thriving and essential part 
of New Jersey's economic community. Therefore, I am pleased today to 
have the opportunity to honor the Middlesex County Vocational and 

[[Page S15974]]

Technical Schools on the anniversary of its establishment.

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