[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 145 (Tuesday, November 12, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Page S10840]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        60TH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY

 Mr. SMITH of Oregon. Madam President, today I congratulate 
George and Gertrude Lewis on the occasion of their 60th wedding 
anniversary. They have been residents of Oregon for most of their 
lives, first in Medford and now in Lake Oswego.
  George Lewis was born May 8, 1920 in Takilma, OR. Gertrude Lewis was 
born July 22, 1920 in Lambert, MT.
  George and Gertrude met in the fall of 1939 when they were both 
pursuing undergraduate studies at the University of Washington in 
Seattle, WA. They began dating in the spring of 1941 and were married 
November 11, 1942. November 11, 2002 marks their 60th wedding 
anniversary.
  George joined the Army Air Force, and he left to join allied forces 
in Europe in February of 1943. On April 5, 1943, his plane was shot 
down and he became a Prisoner of War until he was liberated on May 8, 
1945. He has received a Purple Heart for his service to his country.
  George and Gertrude's first child, Diane, was born on October 13, 
1943 while George was still a POW. He didn't meet his daughter until he 
returned from the war in 1945. They then moved to Medford, OR, where 
George worked for United Airlines as a passenger agent. On April 22, 
1946, their second child Stephen was born.
  In 1950, George and Gertrude opened their own business, Rogue Valley 
Travel, a travel agency in Medford, OR. They ran the company together 
until they sold it and retired in 1980. Gertrude remembers that one of 
the best times of their lives was in 1952 when they were able to afford 
their first trip to New York City and Europe, where they visited London 
and Paris. Since that time, they have traveled all over the world, to 
Europe, Asia, Africa and more. George's and Gertrude's grandchildren 
will always remember a map kept in the garage in their home in Medford 
with pins of all the cities they had been to.
  In 1999, George and Gertrude moved to Lake Oswego, OR, where they 
live today.
  Their two children, six grandchildren and two great grandchildren, 
are proud to help them celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary and 
work to live by the great example they have set.

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