[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 167 (Friday, December 3, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2534]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO LARRY BURKHART

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. PAUL E. GILLMOR

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, November 22, 1999

  Mr. GILLMOR. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise to 
pay special tribute to an outstanding individual from Ohio's Fifth 
Congressional District. For more than thirty years, Larry Burkhart has 
educated the children of Ottawa, Ohio as a teacher, coach, and current 
guidance counselor at Ottawa-Glandorf High School.
  Larry Burkhart has dedicated much of his life to ensuring that our 
children are prepared and ready to face their lives. While growing up 
in Northwest Ohio, Mr. Burkhart first realized the difference that 
teaching can make in the lives of our youth while attending Miller City 
High School. After graduating from high school, he went on to college 
and graduated from Bowling Green State University. Not long after 
graduation, Larry Burkhart began his long and distinguished career in 
education by teaching industrial arts.
  Larry Burkhart truly has made an enormous difference with his 
students. Through personal interaction and diligent attention to their 
academic achievements, he has helped them through some of their biggest 
successes and disappointments. He spent several years in the classroom 
before becoming a guidance counselor--a position in which he has served 
for the past twenty-seven years.
  In addition to his service as a teacher and guidance counselor, Larry 
Burkhart has made an immeasurable difference on the more than 750 
athletes he has coached in the last three and a half decades. During 
that time, he has helped instill in those students the qualities of 
respect, sportsmanship, competitive spirit, dedication, and hard work. 
Larry Burkhart's students, both athletes and nonathletes alike, will 
carry with them throughout their lives the positive aspects he has 
taught.
  Clearly, Larry Burkhart has given freely and unselfishly of his time 
and energy for the betterment of our children. He understands that our 
children are the future of our nation and the best way to prepare them 
to lead is to provide them with the best education possible. His caring 
and guidance for his students and his strong support for the profession 
of education distinguish him as one of the community's most respected 
educators.
  Mr. Speaker, it is often said that America prospers due to the 
wondrous deeds of her sons and daughters. Without question, Larry 
Burkhart has dedicated his life to the future of our nation through the 
education of our children. I would urge my colleagues to stand and join 
me in paying special tribute to Larry Burkhart. For his extraordinary 
service to education, we salute him and wish both him and his family 
the very best in the future.

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