[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 7 (Tuesday, February 5, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E91]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    PAYING TRIBUTE TO CHARLES HANSEN

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                           HON. SCOTT McINNIS

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 5, 2002

  Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to 
pay tribute to the life and memory of Charles Hansen, a Colorado 
newspaperman and visionary whose life and dedication to his community 
is being inducted and honored by the Colorado Business Hall of Fame. 
Though Charles has passed away, I am honored today to bring his good 
deeds and contributions to light before this body of Congress. Charles 
began his career in journalism and later was instrumental in 
establishing the gathering of the West's most precious resource, water.
  As a young newspaperman, Charles came to the town of Greeley, 
Colorado in hopes of furthering his career in journalism. His first job 
was working as a part-time reporter/editor for the Greeley Tribune, 
where he covered stories throughout the Western Slope of Colorado. 
Several years later, he bought several small local newspapers and 
combined their resources and created the ``Greeley Republican.'' He 
further merged his resources with the Greeley Tribune in 1913 and 
successfully operated both endeavors as publisher and eventually as 
President of the ``Greeley Tribune Republican Publishing Co.''
  Charles Hansen was a great cultural contributor to the region and was 
instrumental in bringing well known musicians and talent to the area. 
He was responsible for establishing the Greeley Philharmonic Orchestra, 
which enticed symphony orchestras from New York and Los Angeles to 
visit the state, as well as bringing in notables such as the John 
Philip Sousa Marching Band. As a member of his community, he was active 
in the Greeley Chamber of Commerce and dedicated his time and energy to 
the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy Districts. It was for his 
dedication to bringing water to the plains from the mountains that 
Charles will be most remembered.
  As any Westerner knows, water is our most precious resource. The 
water in our state not only satisfies our human requirements, but also 
is necessary to provide moisture for our agricultural industries. 
Charles, well aware of the need for this resource, lobbied Congress on 
behalf of the region and secured funding for what came to be known as 
the Colorado-Big Thompson Water Diversion Project. The project not only 
satisfied northern Colorado's water needs but also became a model for 
aspiring agricultural communities throughout the world. His 
contributions to the project were later honored when a portion of the 
canal was named in his honor.
  Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride that I have risen today to pay 
tribute to a patriarch of the State of Colorado. Charles Hansen 
dedicated his life to improving his fellow Coloradan's lives through 
contributions to his community, commitment to quality journalism, and 
dedication to providing his region with its most precious resource. I 
would like to take this time to congratulate his family on Charles' 
recent award and let them know that all his fellow Coloradans have 
benefited from his vision and sacrifice, which had made the region 
strong and viable today.

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