[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 119 (Thursday, September 19, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1615-E1616]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        HONORING THE DEDICATED LIFE AND WORK OF DR. DAVID KRUGER

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. TOM DAVIS

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 19, 2002

  Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Dr. 
David Kruger, an outstanding citizen of Alexandria, Virginia, who, for 
over half a century, has served his community and humanity.
  His downtown Alexandria optometry office is a local landmark 
patronized by a wide clientele. In fact, Dr. Kruger was among the first 
healthcare professionals to open his office to clients of every 
economic or social status and ethnicity. He is universally recognized 
as a leader for nearly every community cause and is honored by a 
caricature in an Alexandria restaurant as a leading citizen.
  Active in a variety of civic causes in Alexandria, he is especially 
noted for his support of and leadership roles in such community groups 
as the Red Cross, Boy Scouts, United Givers Fund, Kiwanis (as President 
in 1960), and the Salvation Army. Similarly, he has served many other 
community groups with distinction. Among them are the Alexandria Board 
of Health as Secretary, the Alexandria Hospital, the Community Welfare 
Council, Tuberculosis Association, Boys Club, and Family Services.
  As a man who embraces all religious traditions, he was one of the 
founders of a group called Men of all Faiths, which for many years has 
held well-attended lunchtime meetings where civic leaders shared 
fellowship and heard presentations by pastors, rabbis, and other 
religious leaders in Alexandria. In his own religious tradition, Dr. 
Kruger served as Vice President of Temple Beth El in Alexandria for 
nine years and was active in the Conference of Christians and Jews.
  Caring for children and students is a hallmark of Dr. Kruger's life. 
Working through the RiteCare Program of the Scottish Rite of 
Freemasonry, S.J., U.S.A., Dr. Kruger has led the development of a 
network of six clinics in Virginia. These facilities evaluated or 
treated 1,246 children in the last period, 1999-2000, of official 
record. Without his leadership of this program, these children would 
almost certainly have gone untreated. Most recently, Dr. Kruger 
spearheaded the PACES Mobil clinic, a satellite service of the Scottish 
Rite clinic at Radford University. He has also been instrumental in 
establishing scholarships to train Speech Language Pathologists and 
related clinical professionals at James Madison University in 
Harrisonburg and Old Dominion University in Norfolk. A large majority 
of the graduates of these programs remain in Virginia

[[Page E1616]]

and provide clinical services to children throughout the state.
  Community service is also a strong aspect of David Kruger's 
membership in the Grand Lodge of Virginia, A.F. & A.M., where he has 
been a member of Norfolk Lodge No. 1 for over 50 years and of the 
Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, Valley of Alexandria, since 1946. In 
1991, the Grand Lodge of Virginia awarded Dr. Kruger one of its highest 
honors, the John Blair Medal for Distinguished Service. The Scottish 
Rite of Freemasonry, S.J., USA also honored David Kruger for his many 
services to community, state, and nation. He was invested a Knight 
Commander Court of Honour in 1953 and Inspector General Honorary 1963. 
After serving as President of the Scottish Rite Conference of Virginia 
in 1975, Dr. Kruger became the Sovereign Grand Inspector General of 
Scottish Rite Freemasonry in Virginia in 1985 (13,343 members in 2002). 
In 1989, he became Grand Secretary General of the Supreme Council, 
33[deg], S.J., USA (369,474 members in 2002 in 35 states, the District 
of Columbia, and Puerto Rico). In this influential role, he has been 
central in guiding the development of 161 clinics, centers, and 
programs throughout the United States. During each year of the two-year 
period ending December 31, 2000, a total of 57,413 children with 
language and learning differences received evaluation or therapy. Left 
untreated, these children would have been permanently handicapped. Dr. 
Kruger's service has even gone beyond the United States to Canada where 
he is an Honorary Member of the Supreme Council of Canada and the 
Supreme Council of the International Order of DeMolay, a Masonic group 
for young men.
  At age 80 as he concludes, due to statutory limitation, his service 
in the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, other awards and honors still 
accumulate to recognize David Kruger's continuing role in bettering the 
lives of many thousands of children and fellow citizens. David Kruger 
will never retire from these roles. Given his long record and deep 
sense of civic, religious, and philanthropic involvement, every 
American, Mr. Chairman, will continue to be enriched by the life and 
service of this notable Virginian and American.

                          ____________________