[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 85 (Wednesday, June 11, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Page S7712]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page S7712]]
DR. SAMUEL B. HAND, UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT PROFESSOR OF HISTORY EMERITUS

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I come to the floor today to talk about an 
extraordinary Vermonter, Dr. Samuel B. Hand. Many people argue about 
what makes you a true Vermonter. Some say it is if you were born there; 
some say it is if you plan to die there. Until the debate is concluded, 
the person who could settle the matter is Dr. Hand.
  While originally from Long Island, in 1961, Dr. Hand became a 
professor of European history at the University of Vermont, UVM. As a 
scholar with a passion for history, Dr. Hand quickly became one who 
added to Vermont's achievements and glories. He emphasized to his 
students the importance and the excitement of the history of Vermont, 
resulting in a number of his former students becoming teachers and 
archivists in Vermont.
  Last month, the University of Vermont's Center for Research on 
Vermont honored Dr. Hand as the recipient of a lifetime achievement 
award for his expertise in Vermont history and his generous mentoring 
skills.
  In addition to being the ``heart'' of the history department, as his 
colleagues called him, Dr. Hand coauthored a number of books, including 
``Vermont Voices, A Documentary History of the Green Mountain State'' 
and ``A Vermont Encyclopedia'', and directed a National Endowment for 
the Humanities-funded series, ``Lake Champlain: Reflections on Our 
Past.'' He was also one of the founding members of the University of 
Vermont's Center for Research on Vermont and served as president of the 
Vermont Historical Society and as president of the Oral History 
Society. Today's editorial in the Burlington Free Press praises Dr. 
hand for ``extend[ing] his base beyond the walls of UVM and reinforced 
the important collaboration between the state's flagship university and 
Vermont.''
  Both the University of Vermont and the State of Vermont are truly 
fortunate to have benefited from the dedication and intelligence of Dr. 
Hand. Vermonters likes him make me proud to represent such a great 
State. Mr. President, I would ask that this statement and the 
Burlington Free Press editorial be placed in the Congressional Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

            [From the Burlington Free Press, June 11, 2003]

                           A Vermont Scholar

       Samuel B. Hand still has a trace of Long Island in his 
     voice, but the retired University of Vermont history 
     professor knows more about Vermont than many of the state's 
     residents.
       Hand was recognized for his contributions to the study of 
     his adopted state last month when he received a lifetime 
     achievement award from the University of Vermont's Center for 
     Research on Vermont, of which he was a founding member.
       Although he started out teaching European history when he 
     arrived at UVM in 1961, Hand quickly saw the merit of 
     specializing in Vermont history.
       His graduate students had a greater opportunity to have 
     their work published than if they had chosen a broader and 
     more heavily researched topic, and many of the students had a 
     personal connection to the state's history.
       ``I might have a student from California who was a sixth-
     generation UVMer with a grandfather who was once a state 
     senator,'' Hand said in an interview. ``Vermont history is 
     very personal.''
       Beyond his mentoring of students--for which he was named 
     UVM graduate faculty teacher of the year in 1994, the year he 
     retired--Hand has been a prolific researcher and writer.
       The professor of history emeritus has written many articles 
     about Vermont, and co-authored ``Vermont Voices, A 
     Documentary History of the Green Mountain State'' in 1998 and 
     ``A Vermont Encyclopedia,'' which will be out in August.
       His book, ``The Star That Set, The Vermont Republican 
     Party, 1854-1974,'' was published last year.
       Hand, 72, has brought together organizations and university 
     disciplines that share a common interest in Vermont. As a 
     former president of the Vermont Historical Society and last 
     year's recipient of the Founders Circle Award from the Ethan 
     Allen Homestead, Hand has extended his base beyond the walls 
     of UVM and reinforced the important collaboration between the 
     state's flagship university and Vermont.
       Along the way, he has influenced students and aspiring 
     historians to see Vermont history--not as dry and distant--
     but as alive and brimming with dramatic stories and 
     interesting characters, such as Ethan Allen, Samuel de 
     Champlain and former Gov. George Aiken, described by Hand as 
     ``the quintessential Vermonter against whom other Vermonters 
     measured themselves.''
       Hand has played a major role in bringing Vermont stories to 
     life and encouraging people to know their roots and 
     appreciate their home. It is work well worth a lifetime 
     achievement award.

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