[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 188 (Tuesday, November 28, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H13691]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        RECOGNITION OF VOLUNTEER TOUR GUIDES AT BULL SHOALS DAM

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Arkansas [Mr. Hutchinson] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. HUTCHINSON. Mr. Speaker, far too often the work of the men and 
women who choose to volunteer their time and talent goes unnoticed. 
These individuals, most of whom are busy with families, full-time jobs, 
and daily tasks, are rarely recognized for the invaluable service which 
they provide to their communities.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to seven such individuals 
from my own congressional district of northwest Arkansas, who are 
better known to the folks back home as ``The Fabulous Seven.'' All 
local residents of Lakeview and Bull Shoals, AR, Mr. Pete Ehmen, Ms. 
Shirley Spitzer, Mr. Bob Olmo, Mr. Curt Schlueter, Mr. Bob Koenig, Mr. 
Carl Wilhelm, and Mr. Neil Underhill took precious time out of their 
already-busy summers to conduct guided tours of Bull Shoals Dam, when 
Federal budget constraints threatened to end public tours of the local 
Corps of Engineers dam.
  Mr. Speaker, I commend these individuals for coming forth with such a 
brilliant solution and putting it into action! At a time when Federal 
downsizing is necessary, and Federal funds are very limited, citizen 
volunteers are indispensable in keeping the wheels turning in our 
communities. Throughout the entire summer, over 7,000 tourists had the 
opportunity to see things, which otherwise would not have been 
possible, without this ``Fabulous Gang of Seven.''
  According to Mr. Bill Self, Chief of the Corps of Engineers' 
hydropower facility in Mountain Home, it was quite routine to hear 
tourists exclaim, ``This was the best tour we have ever been on!'' 
after their tour of the dam. Mr. Self is particularly proud that his 
office did not receive one complaint all summer regarding the tours.
  Mr. Speaker, while I am recognizing these individuals today on the 
floor of the U.S. House of Representatives, I would also like to point 
out that the corps formally honored ``The Fabulous Seven'' this fall 
with a brunch, and presented them with certificates of appreciation for 
their invaluable contributions throughout the summer. In the very words 
of Mr. Self, ``The volunteers did a fabulous job this year!''
  To ``The Fabulous Seven,'' thank you for your dedication and hard 
work for Bull Shoals Dam, for northwest Arkansas, and for our great 
State of Arkansas.

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