[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 59 (Thursday, May 8, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4212-S4213]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        JACK SWIGERT STATUE PLACEMENT IN NATIONAL STATUARY HALL

  Mr. ALLARD. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the consideration of H. Con. Res. 25, which was received 
from the House.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The clerk will report.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 25) providing for 
     acceptance of a statue of Jack Swigert, presented by the 
     State of Colorado, for placement in National Statuary Hall.

  The Senate proceeded to consider the concurrent resolution.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Colorado.
  Mr. ALLARD. Mr. President, I am proud to announce on behalf of the 
State of Colorado that today the Senate will have the opportunity to 
approve House Resolution 25 to allow the placement of the statue of 
Jack Swigert in National Statuary Hall.
  Coloradans chose astronaut Jack Swigert as the second State statue to 
be placed in the U.S. Capitol. He was elected to the U.S. House of 
Representatives in 1982 representing the Sixth Congressional District. 
Unfortunately, his successful campaign was beset by his battle with 
bone-marrow cancer. The cancer spread quickly but he insisted on 
traveling from Colorado to Washington despite his failing health. The 
Representative-elect died only days before the swearing in ceremony.
  Mr. Swigert is well known as one of the astronauts on the famous 
Apollo 13 mission. The details of the mission are familiar to many; the 
suspenseful story of the astronauts' journey was recently depicted in a 
major movie. The ship and crew of Apollo suffered several complications 
and disasters, including an oxygen tank explosion that threatened the 
lives of the crew. It was the relentless determination and competence 
demonstrated by Jack Swigert and the other crew members that made it 
possible for the return of the spacecraft to Earth.
  Jack Swigert was born in Denver. He began flying while he was in high 
school and dedicated himself to becoming a pilot. After graduating from 
the University of Colorado at Boulder he joined the Air Force and 
served as a pilot during the Korean war. His strong desire to become an 
astronaut inspired him to return to school after twice being rejected 
by NASA's space program. He was admitted to the program at NASA on his 
third try.
  The statue of Jack Swigert will join the statue commemorating 
Colorado native Dr. Florence Rena Sabin. Dr. Sabin broke many barriers 
for women in the field of medicine. She entered medical school in 1893 
and pursued a career in medical teaching and research. At a time when 
women were not considered eligible for the medical teaching profession, 
she became the first woman to attain the position of full professor at 
Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. She also was the first woman to 
be invited to join the Rockefeller Institute.
  Upon returning to Colorado, Dr. Sabin was appointed to a subcommittee 
on public health and helped to draft legislation reorganizing the State 
health department. At the age of 76, Dr. Sabin took on the duties of 
manager of the Department of Health and Welfare of Denver and continued 
to implement public health legislation.
  The passage of House Concurrent Resolution 25 will mark the 
triumphant end to a 10-year effort to honor Mr. Swigert. The striking 
statue, which was cast by the Lundeen brothers in my hometown of 
Loveland, CO, will be provided entirely by private funding.
  Jack Swigert's close friends remember him for his humbling tenacity 
and courage. I remain in awe of his achievements and spirit, and I am 
pleased that this statue will join Dr. Sabin in representing the State 
of Colorado to everyone who visits the Capitol.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Colorado.
  Mr. CAMPBELL. Mr. President, today I join my colleague from Colorado, 
Senator Wayne Allard, in supporting adoption of House Concurrent 
Resolution 25, which authorizes the placement of the statue of Jack 
Swigert in Statuary Hall of the U.S. Capitol. This important resolution 
was submitted by our colleague, Congressman Dan Schaefer, in the House 
of Representatives, who is the dean of our delegation.
  The inclusion of this statue would not be possible without the 
efforts of many Coloradans, who I would like to thank for their 
dedicated efforts. Among these groups, the Arapahoe County Republican 
Men's Club stands out for its large contribution. Club members lobbied 
the state legislature and donated substantial amounts of money in an 
effort to commission the statue.
  Also a key supporter of this effort was Veterans of Foreign Wars 
Chapter 11229. This chapter was commissioned solely for the purpose of 
persuading the state legislature to create the statue of Mr. Swigert 
and put the initiative on the ballot. Mr. Swigert was a lifelong member 
of VFW Post #1, which is the oldest VFW in the nation, founded after 
the Spanish-American War.
  Among the many individuals who worked on this honor, Mr. Hal 
Schroyer, who lives north of Denver, should be mentioned for 10 years 
of work on this project.
  Mr. Swigert was an extraordinary individual, even before his flight 
in the Apollo 13 spacecraft, made famous by the movie in 1996 that my 
colleague mentioned.
  Jack learned to fly at age 16, while attending Denver East High 
School, and was on the move ever since. Jack served in the Air Force in 
Korea, where he flew jet fighters. Even after his plane crashed into a 
radar unit on a Korean airstrip, Jack continued to fly. After leaving 
the service, he was a test pilot to 10 years. He kept busy, earning two 
master's degrees as a followup to his 1953 mechanical engineering 
degree.

[[Page S4213]]

  What Jack is best remembered for though, is his fateful aborted trip 
to the moon in 1970, as part of the Apollo 13 mission. Jack joined the 
crew at the last minute, after his colleague, Thomas Mattingly, was 
exposed to German Measles and could not make the trip. He had no idea 
just how exciting this trip would become when he started. After an 
oxygen tank exploded, the three-member crew used all their knowledge 
and ingenuity to bring the disabled ship home safely. Because of their 
quick thinking and grace under extreme pressure, all three members, 
Jack Haise, James Lovell and Jack Swigert returned safely to Earth.
  Following his service with NASA, Swigert put his extensive 
aeronautical expertise to use as the executive director of the House 
Committee on Science and Technology. He held the position until 1977, 
when he decided to run for the U.S. Senate. He was defeated by his 
friend William Armstrong in the primary and returned to private 
industry as the vice president for two prominent Denver companies.
  In 1982, Jack made a successful bid for a House seat, even after 
learning that he had cancer. Jack's courageous battle was an effort to 
prove that, to use his words, ``technology and commitment can overcome 
any challenge.'' Unfortunately, Jack did not win his battle with bone 
cancer, and, in December 1982, a month after winning the election, Jack 
passed away.
  Jack Swigert will be remembered and honored with this statue we 
dedicate to him as a true American hero. And, his statue will represent 
Colorado with honor and distinction here in the U.S. Capitol for years 
to come. To my knowledge, this will be the first space age statue to be 
included. With my colleague from Colorado, I urge my colleagues to 
support passage of this important resolution.
  I yield the floor.
  Mr. ALLARD. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that H. Con. Res. 
25 be agreed to; that the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table; 
and that any statements relating to the resolution appear at the 
appropriate place in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 25) was agreed to.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Idaho.
  MR. KEMPTHORNE. I thank the Chair.
  (The remarks of Mr. Kempthorne, Mr. Craig and Mr. Torricelli, 
pertaining to the introduction of S. 730 are located in today's Record 
under ``Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions.'')
  Mr. ALLARD addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Colorado.

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