[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 4 (Tuesday, January 21, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E110-E111]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO KENT SWANSON, JR.

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. ROBERT L. EHRLICH, JR.

                               of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 21, 1997

  Mr. EHRLICH. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to pay tribute to a heroic 
young man whose life ended tragically and prematurely, Kent Swanson, 
Jr.
  Kent Swanson was raised in Phoenix, MD, where his parents still live, 
and graduated in 1989 from Dulaney High School in Cockeysville. He 
attended Lewis and Clark College in Portland, OR, receiving a degree in 
biology in 1995.
  Kent had a lifelong love of the outdoors. Upon graduating from high 
school, Kent travelled to the Andes, where he climbed his first 20,000 
foot mountain. His experiences in the majestic Pacific Northwest, 
however, defined the course of his life.
  While in college, Kent joined the Portland Mountain Rescue Squad. 
This enabled him to use his love of the mountains to help others. He 
used his skills, his good judgement, and his intimate knowledge of the 
often treacherous mountain terrain to rescue skiers and climbers lost 
or stranded in the mountains.
  On one occasion, Kent and his team braved freezing rain to reach 
three stranded colleagues. Such acts of heroism became routine in 
Kent's life. While a member of the ski patrol of Mammoth Mountain, a 
popular resort near Los Angeles that handles 15,000 skiers a day, he 
personally treated or rescued an estimated 3,000 injured skiers during 
one season.
  Kent was known for his expertise as a mountain climber as well as for 
his bravery. He spent his summers working at the American Alpine 
Institute in California, where he developed a guide and instruction 
manual for the

[[Page E111]]

14,494-foot Mount Whitney. ``He had all the qualities that go into 
making a great teacher and guide,'' one of his supervisors said. ``His 
clients liked him because of his teaching skills and his wonderful 
companionship.''
  On January 11, Kent Swanson, Jr. died in a helicopter crash in 
British Columbia. Typically, Kent was en route to an avalanche rescue 
class. This young man died as he lived--a hero.
  He leaves behind his parents, Kent Sr. and Tricia Swanson; his 
maternal grandfather, Robert A. Bishton; and host of aunts, uncles, and 
cousins. He also leaves behind a lot of people who might not be alive 
today without his heroic efforts. My sympathy goes out to the Swanson 
family during this sad time. As they mourn his death, I hope they will 
take pride in his life.

                          ____________________