[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 110 (Wednesday, July 23, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1568]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




A SPECIAL TRIBUTE TO ROGER D. BRIDGES, PH.D., EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE 
    RUTHERFORD B. HAYES PRESIDENTIAL CENTER, ON THE OCCASION OF HIS 
                               RETIREMENT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. PAUL E. GILLMOR

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 23, 2003

  Mr. GILLMOR. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride that I rise today to 
pay special tribute to an outstanding gentleman from Ohio. A scholar, 
librarian, professor, and writer, Dr. Roger D. Bridges is a well-
respected citizen of Fremont, Ohio. Executive Director of The 
Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center, Dr. Bridges has earned 
credentials in a wide range of disciplines.
  Born in Marshalltown, Iowa, Dr. Bridges received his B.A. from the 
University of Northern Iowa in 1959, and his M.A. in 1963. In 1970, Dr. 
Bridges earned his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Champaign/
Urbana.
  In 1970, after an early career as a teacher, librarian and assistant 
professor, Dr. Bridges was named an NHPRC Fellow in Documentary 
Editing. Assigned to the Papers of Ulysses S. Grant at Southern 
Illinois University, Carbondale, Dr. Bridges began his professional 
career in historical research.
  In 1971, Dr. Bridges served as the Director of Research for the 
Illinois State Historical Library in Springfield. In 1976, he was 
promoted to Head Librarian. In 1987, Dr. Bridges became Assistant 
Illinois State Historian and Founding Editor of the prestigious Abraham 
Lincoln Legal Papers for the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency at 
Springfield and Illinois State University.
  In 1988, the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center, the nation's 
first presidential library and museum, asked Dr. Bridges to become the 
fourth director in the Center's tremendous history.
  In addition to his prominent position, where Dr. Bridges has worked 
for the past 15 years as Director of the Hayes Presidential Center, he 
has received honorary doctorates from Lincoln College and Tiffin 
University. Furthermore, Dr. Bridges has been honored for his work in 
civil rights and state and local history. Dr. Bridges is also an active 
member of several professional organizations, including the Ohio 
Historical Society, served as Secretary-Treasurer for the Society for 
Historians of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era, and is a past member 
of the Ohio Academy of History Executive Council.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in paying special tribute 
to Dr. Roger D. Bridges. Our communities are served well by having such 
honorable and giving citizens, like Dr. Bridges, who is a wonderful 
asset to the state of Ohio. On the occasion of his retirement, we wish 
Dr. Bridges all the best as we pay tribute to one of Ohio's finest 
citizens.

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