[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 117 (Friday, August 2, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1470-E1471]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       VISION IS MORE THAN SEEING

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JAMES A. BARCIA

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, August 2, 1996

  Mr. BARCIA. Mr. Speaker, many of us take our senses for granted, 
until some situation comes so close to us that we can no longer ignore 
the fact that some people cannot see, cannot hear, or cannot do some 
other thing that the rest of us do thousands of times each day.
  Last year, the Saginaw News, under the editorial leadership of Paul 
Chaffee, the moving photography of Steve Jessmore, and the profound 
writing skills of Jean Spenner, published a wonderful story entitled 
``Blind Faith.'' The story detailed how the more than 500 students of 
Carrollton Elementary School worked for 11 months to train Carl, a 
lovable puppy, into a leader dog who has become the source of sight for 
Gordon W. Bailey, a motorcycling minister from Kansas City, MO.
  Steve Jessmore won several well deserved awards for his photography 
in this 24-page story. He was named the ``Midwestern Region 
Photographer of the Year'' by the National Press Photographers 
Association, the ``Michigan Photographer of the Year'' by the Michigan 
Press Photographers Association, and won the Barry Edmonds Michigan 
Understanding Award by the Michigan Association. It seems rather 
poignant that the story of a man who could no longer see without help 
was so strongly portrayed by Steve's moving photographs. Every shot 
served to remind us that we take for granted one of God's blessings. It 
also served to demonstrate that even though many of us can see, we can 
still be blind to what is in front of us without the skilled assistance 
of a photographer with a vision for the ordinary things around us that 
are so important.
  The series itself also won the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award for 
Photo Journalism, the Detroit Press Club Foundation Award, the Women in 
Communications Great Lakes Regional Journalism Competition, and the 
Lincoln University Unity Award.
  Chris Chambers, the fifth grade teacher at Carrollton Elementary, and 
her students learned about a puppy growing into a dog, leader dogs, and 
the very important training work done by Leader Dogs for the Blind in 
Rochester, MI. They also learned about holding fundraisers to pay for 
the expenses of their dreams.
  After a year at Carrollton Elementary School, Carl goes on to Leader 
Dogs for the Blind where he becomes the 10,048th dog graduated from the 
organization since 1939. He met his new owner, Gordon Bailey, who 
continued training with him. Remarkably, Carl, as a puppy, made a 
difference in the lives of the students at Carrollton Elementary, and 
as a leader dog has restored a great freedom of mobility to Gordon 
Bailey.
  There are times when many of us criticize the media for concentrating 
on bad news. This is one time when these proficient journalists have 
brought us a moving story of hope, of sacrifice, of need, and success. 
I commend

[[Page E1471]]

this story by the Saginaw News to you and our colleagues and urge all 
of you to look for these stories of worth from your own media. Let 
editors, reporters, and photographers know that we appreciate what they 
do, and want to see more of it.

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