[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 41 (Thursday, April 2, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3173-S3174]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO RICK FRIES

 Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, next week, the students, 
parents and faculty from Orange Grove Junior High in Hacienda Heights, 
California, will be visiting our nation's Capitol. This will be the 
twentieth consecutive year that students from Orange Grove have visited 
Washington, D.C. This also marks the twentieth consecutive visit by 
Orange Grove's tour leader and history teacher, Rick Fries.
  It was in the Spring of 1979 when Rick Fries first led a group of 
more than 25 students and adults to the East Coast, visiting Jamestown, 
Yorktown, Williamsburg, Charlottesville and finally Washington, D.C. 
For each succeeding year thereafter, he would bring another group of 
Orange Grove students, sometimes to new historic places, but always to 
Washington. His students have seen where Revolution was born in Boston, 
where Independence was declared in Philadelphia, where the Union was 
preserved in Gettysburg, and where our laws are made right here in 
Washington.
  From the very first tour in 1979, Mr. Fries' goal was simple: to make 
American History come to life for his students. The name of his tour 
says it all: Living History. It's fair to say he has succeeded. This 
year, Mr. Fries will be leading a group of 63 students and 20 adults to 
Washington. His tour is so popular among Orange Grove students, it is 
sold out well before the beginning of the school year.
  The tour has remained popular after all these years because the 
enthusiasm Mr. Fries shows for history and for his students has never 
wavered. Those who have traveled with and learned from Mr. Fries all 
agree: He makes the history of our country an enjoyable experience for 
both students and parents because he enjoys it as well.

[[Page S3174]]

  It's no secret to all who are associated with Orange Grove Junior 
High that Mr. Fries consistently has been one of the school's most 
popular teachers--popular with both students and parents. He is well-
liked simply because he truly cares about his students. And he's 
considered a wonderful teacher of history because he truly cares about 
his country.
  Mr. Fries is one of those remarkable teachers who has made a lasting 
impact on the lives of young people. In fact, one of his students who 
traveled with Mr. Fries on his first tour to Washington back in 1979 is 
now a Legislative Director for my friend and colleague from Ohio, 
Senator Mike DeWine. This former student has said that his own interest 
in government, and his own love of history, was due largely to Rick 
Fries. I am sure there are quite a few more current and former students 
who were inspired by Mr. Fries, and not just in history and government. 
Mr. Fries also dedicates his time with young people as a football and 
basketball coach, and follows the example of the legendary UCLA Coach 
John Wooden, who developed in his athletes not just physical strength, 
but also strength of character.
  It is fitting that the Orange Grove students will be visiting Capitol 
Hill on April 13--the birthday of the author of the Declaration of 
Independence and our third president, Thomas Jefferson. I understand 
Mr. Fries is a great admirer of President Jefferson, and it shows when 
he and his students visit Monticello--President Jefferson's home--and 
the Jefferson Memorial. I also understand that of all the tributes 
given to President Jefferson, Mr. Fries is particularly fond of the one 
given by President John F. Kennedy, when the following at a White House 
dinner honoring Nobel Prize winners: I think this is the most 
extraordinary collection of talent, of human knowledge, that has ever 
been gathered together at the White House, with the possible exception 
of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone.''
  Mr. President, I am sure I speak for the community of Hacienda 
Heights when I express my admiration and thanks to Rick Fries. 1He is 
truly an inspiration to his students and his fellow teachers for his 
tireless devotion to young people and to his profession. I wish Mr. 
Fries, and the students, parents and faculty from Orange Grove an 
enjoyable and memorable twentieth visit to our nation's 
capitol.

                          ____________________