[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 134 (Tuesday, October 24, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Page S10924]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        IN RECOGNITION OF THE RETIREMENT OF DR. JAMES HENDRICKS

 Mr. ABRAHAM. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize Dr. 
James Hendricks, who is retiring this year from a career in education 
which spanned 43 years, and included 33 years of dedicated service to 
Northern Michigan University in Marquette, Michigan. For the past 22 
years, Dr. Hendricks has served as Director of the School of Education 
there, and in this capacity he has illustrated to fellow professors and 
students alike that, while there is no single formula for successful 
education, there is a single foundation--caring deeply for each and 
every student in the classroom.
  Dr. Hendricks grew up on a farm in rural Indiana. As a child, his 
interests were extremely atypical. He loved the opera and classical 
music, and often chose to read a book during recess while his 
classmates played games. His experiences at school were to help him 
later in life, as he gained a sensitivity towards children with 
different interests, and developed educational strategies with the goal 
of ``just and inclusive classrooms.''
  Dr. Hendricks graduated from the University of Indiana, where he 
studied English, Philosophy, History and Spanish, in 1957. Following 
his graduation, he turned down a job at his local bank to teach 
elementary school in Southport, Indiana. He immediately knew that he 
had made the right decision, and it did not take long for him to fall 
in love with teaching. His goal during those years was to help ``all 
children find a happiness in being in that classroom.''
  Recognizing a need to further his own education, Dr. Hendricks 
returned to the University of Indiana after three years of teaching in 
Southport. In 1962, he received his Master's Degree in History and 
Education. He then spent three years in Bloomington as both a graduate 
assistant and research fellow before coming to Marquette to serve as an 
Assistant Professor at Northern Michigan from 1965-67.
  In 1968, he returned to the University of Indiana, and received his 
Doctoral Degree in History and the Philosophy of Education. Following 
this, he accepted a position as Assistant Professor in the Department 
of Education at Portland State University, and during his time there 
helped the university set up its educational doctoral program. In 1969, 
Dr. Hendricks returned to Marquette and the faculty of Northern 
Michigan University.
  During Dr. Hendricks' tenure at Northern Michigan, the Education 
Department has been rejuvenated. Admission standards for students have 
been elevated and the curriculum has been deepened. From the time that 
they decide they want to be teachers, students are required to gain 
hands-on experience in classrooms throughout Marquette County, where 
they learn from proven teachers, as well as from students. In addition, 
veteran elementary and secondary school teachers have joined the 
University's faculty in an effort to assist student teachers. All of 
this equates to students graduating the Education Department who are 
experienced and knowledgeable enough to immediately handle the pressure 
and responsibility of having their own classroom.
  Dr. Hendricks' good works within the community were surpassed only by 
those of his wife, Sandra. Mrs. Hendricks greatly impacted the City of 
Marquette with her volunteerism, while at the same time remaining a 
devoted mother to the couple's three children. Before her death in 
1998, she spent time baking brownies for cancer patients at Beacon 
House in Marquette, and then brightening their days by hand delivering 
the goods and staying to chat with the patients. She loved Christmas 
and each year sponsored the Alternative Gifts Fair, which benefitted 
Third World artists. The event still takes place each December at St. 
Paul's Episcopal Church.
  Mr. President, I applaud Dr. Hendricks on an extraordinary career in 
education. The key to his success has been nothing more than a strong 
desire to see his Department and his students succeed to the utmost of 
their potential. Because of this desire, the Northern Michigan 
University Education Department not only has a profound impact on the 
quality of education offered to students in the Upper Peninsula, but 
throughout the entire State of Michigan. On behalf of the United States 
Senate, I thank Dr. James Hendricks for the many beneficial things he 
accomplished during his career, and wish him the best of luck in 
retirement.

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