[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 110 (Monday, September 18, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1503]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    HONORING RICHARD P. SCHARCHBURG

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DALE E. KILDEE

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 18, 2000

  Mr. KILDEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the memory of 
Richard P. Scharchburg. The Kettering/GMI Alumni Foundation Collection 
of Industrial History will be formally renamed the Richard P. 
Scharchburg Collection of Industrial History at a ceremony on Tuesday, 
September 19 in my hometown of Flint, Michigan. I have known Richard 
Scharchburg for many years and it is a great honor for me to pay 
tribute to him on this occasion.
  Richard Scharchburg first taught history at Kettering/GMI in 1964. He 
left the school to pursue other endeavors for a short period of time 
and returned in 1968. He was influential in establishing the Frances 
Willson Thompson Chair of Industrial History and taught the history of 
the automotive industry with a passion at the school until his untimely 
death in June of this year.
  He was a noted authority on the automotive industry. His renown in 
the field brought him recognition nationally and internationally. He 
was a member of the Board of Trustees of the National Automotive 
History Collection of the Detroit Public Library and vice-president of 
the Society of Automotive Historians. He is past president of the 
Durant-Dort Foundation, former president of the Genesee County 
Historical Society, and was a founding member of the Whaley Historical 
House. He was featured in a 1996 television series on the centennial of 
the automobile and one week before his death the History Channel had 
interviewed him for a program on the evolution of automotive 
technology.
  Richard Scharchburg was a noted author. In addition to numerous 
articles about the development of the automobile his books include 
``W.C. Durant: The Boss,'' ``Under No Man's Shadow: Eugene W. Kettering 
and the Dieselization of the Railroads,'' ``America's Co-op College 
(GMI): The First 75 Years,'' ``Carriages Without Horses: J. Frank 
Duryea and the Birth of the American Automobile Industry.'' The last 
book was published by the Society of Automotive Engineers and won the 
Thomas McKean Memorial Cup of the Antique Automobile Club of America 
and the Nicholas-Joseph Cugnot Award of the Society of Automotive 
Historians. At the time of his death he was working on a book about 
Walter Marr, the engineer that had worked with David Buick.
  Through his efforts the Industrial History archives has grown to its 
current size and renown. Richard was very proud of the collection and 
had worked diligently to make the archives as comprehensive as 
possible. It is a world class resource on the history of the automobile 
and industry. The archives encompass the history of the automobile, 
automotive history and the history of the greater Flint area. Recently, 
my staff had to utilize the archives in doing research. The information 
they needed was not readily available anywhere else.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask the House of Representatives to join with me in 
paying homage to my friend, Richard P. Scharchburg. I commend the 
Kettering/GMI Alumni Foundation for demonstrating their respect for a 
great historian by naming the Collection of Industry History in his 
honor so that his memory may live on for future generations.

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