[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 96 (Wednesday, June 26, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1187]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    TRIBUTE TO CHRISTINE E. GOODMAN

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. ALBERT RUSSELL WYNN

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 26, 1996

  Mr. WYNN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Miss Christine 
E. Goodman, a national winner, from the fourth Congressional District 
of Maryland, in the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States and 
its Ladies Auxiliary's 1996 Voice of Democracy broadcast scriptwriting 
scholarship competition.
  The Voice of Democracy Scholarship Program was started 49 years ago 
with the endorsement of the U.S. Office of Education and the National 
Association of Broadcasters, Electronic Industries and State 
Association of Broadcasters. This year more than 116,000 secondary 
school students, from over 7,900 schools, participated in the 
competition for the 54 scholarships totaling more than $118,000. The 
contest theme this year was ``Answering America's Call.''
  Christine is a resident of Silver Spring, MD, and is a 17-year-old 
honor roll senior attending Springbrook, High School, where she is the 
assistant editor of Musings, the school's literary magazine; and a 
member of the Chamber Singers, the Shakespearean Troupe, and the 
Thespian Society. As a national winner of this year's Voice of 
Democracy Program, she is the recipient of the $1,500 Department of 
Colorado and Auxiliary Scholarship Award. She has also distinguished 
herself by being awarded first place in acing and second place in 
poetic interpretation by the Montgomery County Forensics League; 
Springbrook High School's Renaissance Award for academic achievement; 
best actress in the Paint Branch High School Shakespeare Symposium; and 
excellence in acting at the Folger Theatre's Student Shakespeare 
Festival. Ms. Goodman has been an honor roll student throughout her 
high school career.
  James and Joni Goodman, Christine's parents; Mr. Donald Kress, her 
high school principal; and Ms. Hummel, her English teacher and 
coordinator of this program at her school, must be extremely proud of 
her achievements as she prepares for a career in acting and drama at 
New York University upon graduation.
  Mr. Speaker, please join me in congratulating this fine young 
American's achievement. I would ask to include the text of her winning 
script into the Congressional Record.

                        Answering America's Call

                         (By Christine Goodman)

       ``I'll get the phone.''
       ``Hello? (pause) Yes it is. Whom may I ask is calling? 
     (pause) Oh. Can I help you? Wait. Don't answer that. I know 
     that I can help you. I just don't know how. (pause) No. You 
     don't need to call back later. It's best that I face this 
     challenge now. I'm ready. Tell me what to do. (pause) What do 
     you mean that it's up to me? It's hard at my age to find some 
     way to make a difference. (pause) What do I have to offer? 
     Well, I have so many ideas, but no idea of how to start. And 
     I'm not the only one. Are you aware of the fact that there is 
     a large, eager and intelligent generation stirring in the 
     background of this society? We are merely waiting for a 
     chance to contribute our ideas for positive change and growth 
     in America.
       (Pause) No, I don't believe that being a patriot is 
     pointless. This is the garden of Democracy and I feel that it 
     is our job as a nation to water the sprouting plants. By 
     encouraging youth to stand up and speak out, America will be 
     encouraging those who will someday take their place in the 
     forefront of society. (pause) No, I don't think that's a 
     glittering generality. If it is, America will suffer for it.
       You know, as I talk to you, I am beginning to see what I 
     can do. I can contribute my voice. I've never realized just 
     how powerful it can be.
       There are so many issues that need our thoughts and voices. 
     For example, does AIDS represent a moral breakdown in our 
     society or is the moral breakdown our failure to deal with 
     it? AIDS is not alone as an issue; how are we going to 
     support our older population in the future? What more can we 
     do as a people to stop the increasing rate of violence? Is 
     our society such that homelessness is an unavoidable 
     consequence or is there something more that can be done to 
     help these people? And what about jobs? Is it possible to 
     expand the job market to include all productive individuals 
     and to make them feel that their contributions are 
     productive? Should limits be set on modern technology or 
     should it be allowed to flourish, creating limitless 
     possibilities for the future? With all of these ideas for 
     tomorrow, have we stopped to consider today? Our environment 
     is slowly deteriorating and we need to find ways to protect 
     these natural resources. In a modern democracy, is it 
     necessary for the pursuit of value to overshadow the value of 
     pursuit? As an informed member of the public, I can express 
     my views and ideas as well as talk to those who are my age 
     and encourage them to take an important role in our country, 
     too. Without concerned people, there is no Democracy, no 
     future, no America.
       (Pause) Thank you for calling me. I know that if I had not 
     talked to you, I would not have contemplated what my role in 
     this great democracy might be. (pause). Yes. (pause) Sure. 
     Alright, take care. We'll keep in touch.