[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 68 (Wednesday, May 15, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E804]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 SAILING CENTER NAMED FOR YOCUM FAMILY

                                 ______


                         HON. MICHAEL P. FORBES

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 15, 1996

  Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and celebrate one of 
our country's most valuable educational institutions, the U.S. Merchant 
Marine Academy, also known as Kings Point. Few realize that this Nation 
came very close to losing this vital service academy that has served 
this Nation in times of war and peace. Under the masterful stewardship 
of Adm. Thomas Matteson, Kings Point is becoming the premier maritime 
education institution in the world. I fought hard throughout the 
appropriations process to ensure that the Merchant Marine Academy 
received its full funding of $30.9 million for 1996 and I am prepared 
to take up that fight again.
  For too long the extraordinary contributions of the U.S. Merchant 
Marine Academy have been overlooked. The Academy has always been 
connected to national defense as well as maritime commerce in peace and 
war. Today, the Academy still promotes a ``can do'' approach to tasks 
that is reminiscent of the war days, when cadets and ships were ordered 
to deliver, no matter how dangerous the conditions.
  Thanks to the continued support and dedication of the faculty, 
graduates, alumni, and midshipmen, the tradition of Kings Point 
continues. On May 3, 1996, Kings Point christened a new legacy--the 
Yocum Sailing Center. The Yocum Sailing Center is the centerpiece of 
what will ultimately be a fully endowed midshipmen sailing and 
waterfront professional development program. The building, located at 
the water's edge with a spectacular view of the Long Island Sound and 
the Manhattan skyline, was named in recognition of the unprecedented 
support and service of James H. Yocum, a resident of Reading, PA.
  Mr. Yocum graduated from the Academy in 1947. As a cadet midshipmen, 
he sailed with Alcoa Steamship Co., American Export Lines, and Grace 
Line. After graduation, he sailed as a deck officer with Moor-McCormack 
Lines and Grace Line. A veteran of the Korean War, Mr. Yocum served 
active duty in the U.S. Navy from 1952-54 in both Korea and Japan. 
Having become involved with the Merchant Marine Alumni Association in 
1955, Mr. Yocum holds the record for the longest continuous service to 
this association. He has been awarded the alumni association's 
Outstanding Professional Achievement Award, the Meritorious Alumni 
Service Award and, in 1992, was chosen the ``Kings Pointer of the 
Year.''
  Thanks to Mr. Yocum's enthusiasm and philanthropy to Kings Point, the 
Yocum Sailing Center was completed and opened in 1994. It houses the 
classrooms for seamanship instruction, a large boat bay for year round 
maintenance and repair of sail and power boats, a crew rowing tank, 
offices for the sailing master, the master of the T/V Kings Pointer and 
midshipmen staff of the Department of Waterfront Activities. The Yocum 
Sailing Center is dedicated to the beloved memory of Mr. Yocum's 
grandparents, William H. Yocum and Emma Kate ``Bright'' Yocum, his 
parents, George Lehman Yocum and Helen Yocum and, his two brothers, 
William Yocum II and George L. Yocum, Jr. At both the north and south 
entrances to the building there is a beautiful plaque that eloquently 
pays tribute to the Yocum Family--``So they gave their abundance to 
education and for that, each received recognition, reward and 
remembrance that will never die.''
  I would like to offer my congratulations to Kings Point on its newest 
acquisition and to Mr. Yocum for his generosity and dedication to the 
U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. May God bless all who pass through her 
portals.

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