[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 81 (Tuesday, June 18, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1079]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

[[Page E1079]]



                        TRIBUTE TO STEN CARLSON

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TOM LANTOS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 18, 2002

  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, it is my great pleasure to invite my 
colleagues to join me in paying tribute to my friend, Sten Carlson of 
Burlingame, California, on the occasion of his ninetieth birthday. I 
want to acknowledge his public service and lifetime of accomplishments.
  Mr. Carlson was born on June 27, 1912 in Fort William, Ontario, 
Canada, of Swedish immigrant parents. Sten's early life was spent 
farming in Saskatchewan. He immigrated to the United States in 1951 
where he met and later married Elizabeth. They have been happily 
married for the past forty-five years and are the proud parents of 
Eric, an automobile executive, and Frank, who was killed in a horrible 
violent crime in San Francisco shortly after his marriage.
  Mr. Speaker, Sten Carlson was a model employee of MacDonald Aircraft 
where he built the Mosquito aircraft, a low flying plane used for 
observing troop movement and low level bombing. Known as the ``Flying 
Coffin,'' the aircraft was made of balsa wood and glue, and powered by 
Rolls Royce Engines. He then worked for 25 years as a ground mechanic 
for United Airlines in San Francisco. Although he retired in 1977, Sten 
has continued to be active in the local labor community, becoming a 
lifetime member of the International Association of Machinists Local 
1781. To this day, Sten still serves as a member of the Board of 
Directors of Retirees. He has been a strong voice for retirees and for 
protecting pensioners.
  I am grateful to have the privilege of paying tribute to a man so 
dedicated to the enrichment of his community. Mr. Carlson is a tireless 
volunteer at San Francisco's public television station, KQED, and has 
given over 15 years of volunteer service to Peninsula Medical Center. 
He is currently involved in implementing the medical center's Lifeline 
Program, which provides local seniors with a transmitter placed in a 
necklace. If the senior is in need of medical assistance and unable to 
reach the phone they can then push a button on the medallion, sending a 
signal to local emergency medical services that they need assistance.
  These efforts are typical of Sten Carlson, as he has always made time 
in his life for community service. His own personal tragedy, the loss 
of a son in a senseless violent crime, has been the motivation for his 
long-standing focus on victim support groups, a commitment spanning 
over three decades. Sten Carlson lives a life that serves as a 
testimony to integrity, fidelity, honor, ethical courage, and devotion 
to family, friends, and country.
  Mr. Speaker, I invite my colleagues to join me in saluting and 
congratulating this extraordinary individual, Sten Carlson, as he and 
his family gather to celebrate his 90th birthday.

                          ____________________