[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 127 (Monday, September 27, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Page S11502]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   TRIBUTE TO KATHRYN ``KAYCI'' COOK

 Mr. SARBANES. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to an 
outstanding public servant and steward of our National Park System, 
Kathryn ``Kayci'' Cook, Superintendent of Fort McHenry National 
Monument and Historic Shrine and Hampton National Historic Site. Kayci 
has recently been selected as Assistant Superintendent of Glen Canyon 
National Park in Utah and I, and many others in the State of Maryland, 
are sorry to see her go.
  Throughout her 18-year career with the National Park Service, Kayci 
Cook has distinguished herself for her leadership, commitment and 
dedication to managing and protecting our Nation's most precious 
natural and cultural resources. Beginning as a seasonal park ranger at 
Wupatki and Canyon de Chelley National Monuments in northern Arizona, 
she quickly advanced through the ranks to positions as park ranger at 
San Antonio Missions National Historical Park in Texas, supervisory 
ranger at California's Death Valley National Monument, and Chief of 
Resource Education for Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in Wisconsin. 
In 1994, her contributions and accomplishments in these positions 
earned Kayci the prestigious Benvinetto Congressional Fellowship
  I came to know Kayci three years ago, soon after she was appointed to 
lead Fort McHenry and Hampton and have had the privilege of working 
closely with her on a number of matters of mutual concern affecting 
these units of the National Park System. I can personally attest to the 
exceptional talent, ingenuity, and energy which she brought to this 
position. Under her leadership the fort walls and many historic 
structures at Fort McHenry have been restored, plans have been advanced 
to develop a new visitors center to accommodate the increasing number 
of visitors to the Fort, many preservation projects have been completed 
at Hampton and a new General Management Plan for this historic site is 
being completed.
  Kayci Cook's hard work and dedication to the stewardship Fort McHenry 
and Hampton have earned her the respect and admiration of everyone with 
whom she has worked. She leaves behind two units of the National Park 
System that have been protected and improved through her efforts and 
the visitors to these sites will benefit from her labors for years to 
come. In my judgement, her extraordinary commitment and leadership 
should serve as a standard for those who will follow her. I greatly 
value the assistance Kayci provided to me and my staff and wish her the 
best of luck in the years ahead.

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