[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 151 (Monday, November 3, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11597-S11598]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          TRIBUTE TO SECRETARY OF THE AIR FORCE SHEILA WIDNALL

  Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, it is an honor to take this opportunity 
to pay tribute to Sheila Widnall, the Secretary of the Air Force, who 
is leaving office at the end of this month to return to the 
Massachusetts Institute of Technology as a professor of aeronautics and 
astronautics. In 1993, Secretary Widnall became the first woman to 
serve as a service Secretary when she assumed her present position as 
the Secretary of the Air Force, and she has done an outstanding job.
  During her distinguished tenure, Secretary Widnall has led the Air 
Force through a critical period of post-cold-war consolidation and 
adjustment. Congress and the country are proud of her achievements. She 
directed a modernization program to shape the future

[[Page S11598]]

of the Air Force and incorporate space technology into military 
operations. She led the Department's remarkable success in overhauling 
its business practices, including major initiatives in acquisition 
reform, outsourcing, and privatization to increase efficiency and make 
maximum use of scarce funds. She has also taken the lead in 
strengthening the Nation's role in space, by working effectively with 
the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National 
Reconnaissance Office, and the private space sector.
  Above all, Secretary Widnall has done her best to care for Air Force 
members and their families. Her emphasis on equal opportunity and her 
skillful and tireless pursuit of quality of life issues kept morale 
high during a period of significant and far-reaching change.
  Secretary Widnall brought an outstanding background to her current 
position. Her accomplishments include many years as a professor of 
aeronautics and astronautics and also as associate provost at MIT. She 
has earned international recognition for her work in fluid dynamics, 
and has had extensive service on numerous boards, panels, and 
committees in government, industry, and the academic world.
  In her years as Secretary, Sheila Widnall has set a high standard of 
leadership and service to the Nation. I know I am joined by my 
colleagues in Congress and a grateful Nation in thanking her for her 
dedication and distinguished service to our country, and I wish her 
well in the years to come.

                          ____________________