[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 165 (Friday, November 19, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2520]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              ART HOLBROOK

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. BOB BARR

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 18, 1999

  Mr. BARR of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, on an almost daily basis, 
politicians and news commentators in Washington bemoan the fact that 
not enough Americans get involved in public debates. Obviously, these 
people have never met Art Holbrook.
  First, I'd like to add some background. Troup County, located in 
Georgia's Seventh District, is home to West Point Lake. For Troup 
residents, the lake provides many of life's basic necessities, such as 
sites for homes, sources of income, and recreation opportunities.
  However, in recent years, those who manage the lake have dramatically 
lowered water levels to serve downstream water users. The result is 
that people who live on the lake and navigate its waters, have found 
themselves overlooking muddy flats and navigating non-existent waters.
  Most people would look at this situation and complain, but do nothing 
to change it. Not Art Holbrook. Not only did he respond to our request 
to serve on our West Point Lake Task Force, but he took a leadership 
role in building a comprehensive case, with new, innovative, and 
scientific data, in support of higher water levels in the lake.
  These efforts recently reached a pinnacle, as hundreds of Troup 
residents attended a weekday meeting about the lake, with one of the 
top Army officials responsible for overseeing lake management. Most 
meetings would attract a few dozen people at best. However, with Art 
Holbrook on the scene and in charge, an army of activists greeted 
Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Michael Davis, 
when he touched down in LaGrange.
  Of course, I would expect no less from a man who left high school so 
he could serve in the Army during the Korean War at the age of 
seventeen; and who upon returning home, received degrees from the 
University of Florida and Emory Dental School, where he served for two 
years as class president. In the process, he also paid his bills by 
teaching at Emory.
  When Art retired in 1985, he and his sons built a log cabin on the 
banks of West Point Lake, where he and his wife Dianne live today. 
Fortunately for all of us, Art didn't rest on his laurels, but has kept 
fighting to make his community better. He has truly become proof 
positive that local activism in American communities is alive and well.

                          ____________________