[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 63 (Friday, May 19, 2000)]
[House]
[Page H3472]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   RECOGNIZING THE FIELD MUSEUM OF CHICAGO'S PUBLIC UNVEILING OF SUE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Gary Miller of California). Under a 
previous order of the House, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) is 
recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I had the opportunity to observe 
and listen to a profound discussion lead by the distinguished minority 
whip and I happen to agree with the views expressed by all of those 
speakers, and I want to commend them for the leadership that they have 
displayed on this issue and I too would hope that next week, when we 
cast a vote, that we would not be rewarding China; we would not be 
rewarding those who do not provide equal rights and equal treatment to 
us all.
  So I too shall be voting no on the establishment of permanent normal 
trade relationships with China.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to come to the floor at this time to 
recognize the Field Museum of Chicago as it celebrates the much awaited 
public unveiling of Sue, its world-famous 67-million-year-old 
Tyrannosaurus Rex.
  In case any of us are not familiar with this colossal fossil, Sue is 
the largest and most complete Tyrannosaurus Rex ever found and was 
named after the fossil hunter who found the remains in South Dakota's 
Black Hills in 1990.
  After 2\1/2\ years of cleaning, restoring and preserving her more 
than 250 fossilized bones, Sue is now ready to meet the public.
  When fully erected in Stanley Field Hall, Sue stands 13 feet high at 
the hips and 42 feet long from head to tail. Her five foot long skull 
is so heavy that the museum will install a replica on the skeleton and 
place the real skull on display for visitors. As a result, visitors 
will be able to get an up-close view of the predator's massive head. 
They can also view animated CT scans of the skull and touch a variety 
of casts of Sue's bones, including a rib, forelimb and tooth.
  The Field Museum plans to use Sue's massive appeal to bring the 
wonders of science to school children and other audiences throughout 
Illinois and the Nation. Sue will be installed in the new Hall of 
Paleontology and Earth Sciences Research with related exhibitry, 
research and educational programming, including a fossil prep lab where 
visitors can observe museum staff at work on real bones.
  The new hall will not only illustrate the history of Sue and other 
dinosaurs but will also serve as a springboard to interest visitors in 
related questions such as mass extinction events, plant and animal 
evolution, plate tectonics, biodiversity through time and women in 
science. The museum plans to develop related curriculum and teacher 
training and offer 2 electronic field trips in which students can see 
and talk to scientists in the field as they are conducting excavation 
and research.
  To celebrate Sue's unveiling, the Field Museum will be hosting a 
number of special dinosaur-related programs from May 17 through May 21, 
including a day of family entertainment, a family festival, a lecture 
by the lead researcher and a concert performance featuring the Chicago 
Chamber musicians about the life and times of Sue.
  Mr. Speaker, while gleaning scientific data from Sue is a key aim, 
Sue is also an extraordinary tool for teaching visitors about 
paleontology, the geologic forces that shape our planet, verebrate 
fossils and other scientific work. Sue has only just started to reveal 
her educational potential and will no doubt continue to yield new 
information about dinosaurs and the world in which they lived for many 
years to come. Please join me in recognizing the Field Museum as they 
share Sue with the world.
  I also invite my colleagues, their staff and families, as well as 
other Americans, to join in the fun at the June 6 opening reception for 
a sneak peak at the national tour of a T. Rex named Sue at Union 
Station in Chicago.
  Mr. Speaker, while we have seen seven wonders of the world, eight 
wonders, this is truly another wonder of the world and we invite the 
world to come and see it.

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