[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 12 (Thursday, February 10, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E119]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING GEORGE KNIERIM

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MARK UDALL

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 10, 2000

  Mr. UDALL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the passing of a 
special brand of American hero. George Knierim was an ordinary citizen 
who devoted his abundant skills to realize his vision of the United 
States aid effort in the third world. For 30 years, Knierim worked for 
the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), sharing 
his agricultural knowledge, training, and expertise with governments 
and farmers in Nepal, Iraq, India, Afghanistan, Turkey, and Sri Lanka.
  USAID had its origins in President Truman's Inaugural Address of 1949 
when he said, ``Only by helping the least fortunate of its members to 
help themselves can the human family achieve the decent, satisfying 
life that is the right of all people.'' This vision energized and 
motivated a generation of technical advisors to work in agriculture, 
education, and infrastructure improvements in remote, developing 
regions of the world. Knierim and his colleagues had an impact on the 
lives of countless people as they shared the benefits of our extensive 
American experience. He used his single-minded passion to help protect 
fragile environments, provide pure water supplies, improve irrigation 
practices and improve varieties of cereal grains for the developing 
world. Although he received much recognition for his work, he 
considered his most prestigious title to be ``American Farmer.'' Among 
the many and varied achievements of his career, the one that pleased 
him most was the opportunity to reinvent and adapt Nineteenth century-
style farm implements for use with Asian draft animals. ``I just gave 
them the tools and ideas that the Mormons brought with them into the 
Salt Lake Valley,'' he said.
  George Knierim is symbolic of the thousands of men and women who 
sacrificed the comfort of their homeland and family in the United 
States to share techniques and technology with people for whom simple 
existence and subsistence was a daily challenge.
  Our nation has been blessed because of the contributions of 
compassionate people like George Knierim, who carried their kindness 
throughout the globe. Today, Mr. Speaker, I pay tribute to George 
Knierim, who shared a portion of the American dream with the world.

                          ____________________