[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 54 (Thursday, May 4, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E661]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               HONORING BERNARD HARRIS, JR., M.D., M.B.A.

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. KEN BENTSEN

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 4, 2000

  Mr. BENTSEN. Mr. Speaker, today I honor Dr. Bernard Harris, Jr., who 
on May 5, 2000 will receive the 2000 Horatio Alger Award.
  Throughout his life Dr. Harris has shown that the simple principles 
of hard work, integrity, and perseverance can transform a young 
person's dreams into reality. When he was a child growing up on the 
Navajo nation reservation near Temple, Texas, Dr. Harris dreamed of 
becoming an astronaut. As Dr. Harris himself once said, ``Dreams are 
simply the reality of the future.''
  That can-do spirit propelled Dr. Harris to become the first African-
American to walk in space when Discovery hooked up with Russia's space 
station Mir. During the mission in 1995, as a NASA Payload Commander, 
he used his expertise to evaluate spacesuit improvements and space 
station assembly techniques.
  In the years following his historic spacewalks, Dr. Harris has made 
it a point to encourage and inspire young people to reach for the 
stars. The foundation for his success, Dr. Harris always maintains, is 
education. I have had the opportunity to visit a school in my District 
with Dr. Harris as he explained flying the Shuttle, walking in space, 
and his determination to succeed. He is truly an inspiration to us all, 
but particularly to the children he addresses.
  Dr. Harris worked hard in high school, then attended the University 
of Houston, earning his tuition by working as a research assistant. 
With a degree in biology, Harris went on to earn a doctorate in 
medicine from Texas Tech University's School of Medicine. He completed 
his residency in internal medicine at the Mayo Clinic and then a 
fellowship at the NASA Ames Research Center. He joined NASA as a 
clinical scientist and flight surgeon.
  Dr. Harris was accepted to train as an astronaut for the space 
program. His first space mission was in 1993 aboard space shuttle 
Columbia. On that flight Dr. Harris carried into space the first Navajo 
item, a flag blessed by a Navajo medicine man. Dr. Harris left the 
space program in 1996, and continued his passion for higher learning 
and achievement. He earned two master's degrees in biomedical science 
and business administration, and now is vice president for Science and 
Health Services, SPACEHAB Inc. of Houston.
  A true role model, Dr. Harris continues to take part in activities in 
Houston that positively impact children's lives. He has spoken to 
several school groups through Urban League and Black History Month 
activities. His message of inspiration is that ``you can do and be 
anything.'' Dr. Harris is certainly living proof of that.
  Mr. Speaker, it is a fitting that Dr. Harris has been chosen as a 
Horatio Alger Award winner. As an excellent role model for young 
people, he embodies the criteria of a modern-day hero who has shown 
that the American Dream is alive and achievable for those willing to 
work for it.