[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 7 (Wednesday, January 28, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E70-E71]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     RECOGNIZING THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF FREDERICK AND BARBARA McGEHAN

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MARK UDALL

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, January 28, 2004

  Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize two 
faithful public servants who are constituents of mine, Barbara and 
Frederick McGehan.
  Fred McGehan, the Public Affairs Officer and Director of the Boulder 
Public Affairs Office at the National Institute of Standards and 
Technology (NIST) in Boulder, is retiring in February after 30 years of 
service at NIST. Barbara McGehan, the Public Affairs Officer for the 
NOAA Research Laboratories in Boulder, retired at the end of 2003, 
after 21 years of service to the Federal Government, 18 years dedicated 
to serving the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) 
in Boulder. I've had the pleasure of working with both Fred and Barbara 
for the last five of their many years in the Federal Government.
  After earning her Bachelor of Arts in History and Government at the 
State University of New York at Buffalo, Barbara worked for U.S. Rep. 
Richard McCarthy in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1965 to 
1968. She worked for the Maryland Democratic Party from 1971 to 1973. 
She and Fred moved to Colorado in 1977, where Barb worked at the Sacred 
Heart of Mary Church, first on the church newsletter and later as a 
substitute teacher at Sacred Heart School.
  In November 1985, Barbara started at NOAA in Boulder with the program 
that became the NOAA Forecast Systems Laboratory (FSL). She worked for 
FSL until 1994, when she accepted the position of Public Affairs 
Officer for NOAA in Boulder.
  Fred graduated from Holy Cross College in Worcester, Massachusetts in 
1963 with a B.A. degree in English, and afterward from Columbia 
University with a graduate degree in journalism. Fred put his education 
and training to good use by working as a general assignment reporter at 
the Providence Journal in Rhode Island, and then covering science, 
space and medicine for Newhouse National News Service and the Baltimore 
Sun. With his experience in news reporting under his belt, Fred began 
his ``next career'' in public affairs at the National Institute of 
Standards and Technology (then known as the National Bureau of 
Standards) in its headquarters laboratory in Gaithersburg, Maryland, in 
1974.

[[Page E71]]

  When he and Barb moved to Boulder in 1977, Fred continued his work at 
NIST as a science writer and public affairs specialist before taking 
over as Public Affairs Officer and Director of the Boulder Public 
Affairs Office. In his public affairs capacity and also while serving 
as Executive Officer and Acting Director of the NIST Boulder 
Laboratories and at various times during his nearly 30 years at NIST, 
Fred also has devoted enormous energy to working with the community.
  Fred and Barbara have three grown children and are active in St. 
Thomas Aquinas Church in Boulder. Fred is an avid fan of Colorado 
Rockies baseball.
  Of course, after so many decades of service, Fred and Barb deserve to 
have all the time in the world to spend with their children, be active 
in their community, and go to ball games. I'm sure they plan a very 
active retirement.
  But Barb and Fred will be missed by their colleagues and by the 
millions of Americans who benefit every day from NOAA and NIST research 
and services. They were outstanding public affairs officers and 
advocates for their respective labs. During my visits to NIST and NOAA, 
they both helped me understand the many ways in which the labs 
influence people's everyday lives.
  More importantly, Fred and Barb inspired me to continue my fight for 
Federal funding for research activities at NOAA and NIST and for 
infrastructure improvements that these labs so direly need. Fred and 
Barb have my assurance that I will continue to work in Congress to 
advance the needs and promote the tremendous achievements of Boulder's 
NIST and NOAA labs.

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