[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 123 (Tuesday, September 10, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1553]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




[[Page E1553]]



                        THANK YOU, CHUCK MILHEM

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JAMES A. BARCIA

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 10, 1996

  Mr. BARCIA. Mr. Speaker, the most important and valuable resource we 
have in this country is our children. Providing a safe environment for 
them to grow and mature has always been this country's No. 1 priority. 
People who dedicate their time and energy to making this possible are 
most deserving of our praise and thanks. Mr. Chuck Milhem is one of 
those people. He is being honored on September 11, 1996, by the Boys 
and Girls Clubs of Bay County Inc., with its Eighth Annual Helping Hand 
Award for his more than 10 years of support and dedication to this 
outstanding organization.
  Chuck Milhem was born in 1929, the year the stock market crashed. He 
grew up in a tough, lower east side neighborhood in Detroit, and 
learned early the importance of community centers for children. His 
time there not only provided an alternative to gang activities but 
convinced him that higher education was the road to a better future. 
Chuck attended Wayne State University in Detroit and after leaving to 
join the Navy during the Korean war, returned to complete his degree. 
While working at a bank to help defer college costs, Chuck was 
introduced to the world of coin-operated vending machines. This 
interest eventually led him to accept a job with Brunswick.
  At Brunswick, Chuck was instrumental in the introduction and 
widespread popularity of the coin-operated air hockey table. Chuck's 
talent and success did not go unnoticed and eventually led him to the 
presidency of Valley Recreation Products from 1979 to 1994. Always a 
leader, Chuck helped found the VNEA, Valley National Eight Ball 
Association. Today the VNEA has 200 operators and almost 50,000 
sanctioned players. The VNEA's concentration on youth leagues reflects 
Chuck's concern and commitment to American children. As Mr. Milhem 
knows so well, ``Giving youngsters a place to excel at something, no 
matter what the circumstances at home, is not to be taken lightly.''
  The caring and concern Chuck Milhem has shown to both his career and 
his community serve as an example to all of us. Many of us talk about 
making the world a safer place for our children but few do anything 
about it. Chuck Milhem has not only made it happen but has made a 
lasting commitment of over 10 years to make it happen. How many of us 
can say that?
  Mr. Speaker, I invite you and all of our colleagues to join me in 
congratulating Chuck Milhem, his wife Florence, and his children Laurel 
and Janice, for his well-deserved honor from the Boys and Girls Clubs 
of Bay County.

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